AustLit

'To face the place where our unknowing is the catalyst for destruction, this is the path of radical responsibility. ~ Alina

'On the winter solstice, 51 years ago, snow bloomed red in Manhattan.

'Six months later, a quiet epidemic sweeps the island on the hottest day in a century leaving less than 1% of the population clinging to a precarious existence.

'Now…

'Sylvie O’Brien has made a deal with The City’s most powerful Information Architect: Joseph will provide safe passage to the mainland in exchange for midwifery services for his wife. The only problem is natural birth is considered a crime against the state and Sylvie is only barely one step ahead of City authorities and the outlawed Deme.

'In forgotten parts of the urban landscape, among those who have outlived their reproductive worth, Sylvie finds allies, enemies and the truth of her family’s involvement in the Red Bloom.

'Can she survive long enough to experience a life beyond the damage of the past? Or is some trauma impossible to outrun and outlive?

'Her First Reality, Darkness is the first book in The Birthpunk Constellation of eight interconnected novels.'

(Source: publisher's blurb)