Set in a near-future surveillance state, the story follows Kris, a grieving mother raising her newborn daughter alone after her partner, Beau, dies during childbirth. In this society, the government punishes criminals by attaching extra shadows to their bodies instead of using prisons. Kris carries two shadows for a past offense, while her baby is born with a shadow inherited from her deceased mother. The narrative documents Kris navigating the logistics of queer single parenthood under constant public scrutiny and state-mandated shame.
Readers interested in speculative fiction regarding punitive justice and systemic control will find a detailed look at how state surveillance impacts the domestic sphere. This book appeals to those seeking a depiction of the psychological weight of public shaming and the complexities of raising a child within a hostile bureaucracy. The reader leaves with a specific perspective on how communal support and private acts of defiance function as survival mechanisms against institutionalized cruelty.
- Published
- 2023
- Language
- EN
