Sophie Mackintosh

“Set in an alternate reality, possibly a dystopian near-future (as in The Water Cure, this is never made explicit), we meet our protagonist Calla as she is allocated a ‘blue ticket’ in the government-sanctioned lottery, which decides which girls should go on to become mothers. A blue ticket marks Calla for a child-free future – one in which she might prioritise independence and career. When we find her a decade or so later she has done just that: she is a scientist by day, hedonist by night. But when she becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming pregnant, and does so by underhand means, she becomes an outlaw and we see how quickly society turns on her.” Read more...

Favourite Novels of 2020

Cal Flyn, Five Books Editor

“A bewildering and disturbing fable that will appeal to those who enjoy ‘feminist dystopia’ fiction like The Handmaid’s Tale and The Power.” Read more...

Editors’ Picks: Highlights From a Year in Reading

Cal Flyn, Five Books Editor

Mackintosh made a splash with her literary debut, a strange and intoxicating novel about three sisters living in isolation with their parents in an abandoned island hotel. When three strange men wash up on the beach, they come into contact with the contamination of the world for the first time. The world of the book, like that of The Handmaid’s Tale, is said to be polluted by some invisible toxin; in this case, one doesn’t know whether to believe the reports. Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, this is a disturbing and morally ambiguous fable which will suck you under. Also of note is Mackintosh’s second novel: another feminist dystopia called Blue Ticket, which made our list of the most notable novels of summer 2020. Like The Handmaid’s Tale, this new book concerns itself with childbearing and childlessness and is highly recommended.

From our article Books like The Handmaid’s Tale