Blog tour: The Centre

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Welcome to the blog tour for The Centre by Debbie Porteous!

More about the book…

In a world where marriage and monogamy no longer exist, having a child requires a contract between both parents. But if men refuse to consent, women must raise their children in a centre. Considered the pride of Britain and the bedrock of the welfare state, they’re an essential lifeline to single mothers everywhere.

Or are they?

Lily was raised in a centre and there’s no way she’s going back. So when she falls unexpectedly pregnant and a contract is looking unlikely, she has to find a way to escape.

John, head of social services, the pregnancy units and RADAR police forces, is a powerful man to have working against you. And he’ll stop at nothing to ensure Lily is sent back to the very place she’ll do anything to avoid.

More about the author…

Debbie Porteous currently resides in France, in the vineyards of the Tarn region. She has a French partner, two grown-up sons and a rather particular black cat.

She loves stories that show the world in a different light, or play with the idea that everything we take for granted, could be completely different if mankind, or society, had just taken another path.

The Centre is her first published novel.

My impressions…

I was intrigued by this novel as soon as I read the synopsis. It reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, which is a classic, and it drew me to the book, together with the themes of motherhood and the power that the government can have on people’s lives. My instincts paid well as I was thoroughly absorbed in the story from beginning to end. The characters are well-developed and the alternate world that the author created is totally – and scarily – believable. This is what I love about a good dystopian novel, that you know it’s fiction, but it always has elements that feel dangerously close to reality.

Three words to describe it. Topical. Sinister. Believable.

Do I like the cover? It’s ok, but I’m sad to say it wouldn’t grab my attention when surrounded by many others.

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, this is a debut.

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