The Children of Men

Aaaah, it's 5 March and I have to post my book review. Oh well, here goes.

I love P.D. James. I love her character, Commander Dalgliesh, in her detective novels and I love her writing style which is very descriptive yet feels quite masculine in its emotional distance.

I would never have read The Children of Men if it hadn't been for the Barren Bitches. I really enjoyed it, although I don't read much science fiction and was surprised by how easy it was to read. What did I think of it? In a nutshell, I think it does acknowledge the pain of infertility but this is definitely a secondary theme to the main one of totalitarianism and how it can become very popular in a time of crisis. And if I move out of the nutshell, what did I think of it? On to the questions ...

1. Do you think this was based on James' own experiences with infertility? Also, what did you think of the fact that Julian was a religious person and became pregnant. Is religion her solution, as it were, to infertility? Which is probably two questions...

I thought it was very interesting that P.D. James made the first parents in twenty-five years both religious. I don't know why she did this, I also noticed it when reading the story and wondered about its significance. Perhaps she is suggesting that there is a mysterious side to having children, a side we cannot control, a side that is linked to a life-giving source in the universe. However, if this is the case, is she saying that people stopped having children because of their distance from this life-giving source? I don't think so but then why make Julian and Luke the only practising Christians in the story? Mmmm ..... It does seem like she is suggesting that this alpha baby is a miracle, like the virgin birth in a way. This baby is the messiah in a way, a baby who has been awaited for a quarter of a century and who is expected to bring hope. But why does does this baby's mother have to be a Christian in a non-believing world? Why didn't she make Julian an agnostic for example? What do you all think?

And as for this being based on James' experience of infertility? There I have no idea whatsoever. Ok, I have a little bit of an idea. James' husband was in and out of mental hospitals although they did have two daughters. Perhaps her husband's illness meant that James stopped herself from having more children because of the circumstances but would have liked more? It might be possible but I think her portrayal of an infertile world could be imagined by anyone. I did not pick up any references that hinted at a personal experience of infertility. Did anyone else?

2. Would you be able to go through all that Julian went through in order to have her baby in peace and safety?

I thought Julian became more passive once she was pregnant. In the first half of the book she was a very active character, making contact with Theo, persuading him to come to the meeting with the Five Fishes and then following up on that meeting. I hadn't thought of her going through a lot to have her baby in peace and safety but I guess she was still sticking to her guns and doing what she felt was right. I think she was following what she felt at this point, following her instincts as a pregnant mother and I think I would definitely have done the same. That is one thing I think I have learned from this whole experience; to trust my own instincts and to follow them even if they seem wacky. I ask a lot more questions now, I take time to think and often I do what I think even if it goes against friends and doctors. I think I am a lot more assertive now and I accept less crap.

3. Which male character in the book would you choose to repopulate Britain, if you chose the father of the alpha baby and why? And if you could widen the pool to include anyone in the world, which man would you choose and why?

Ok, this is my question so I feel obliged to answer it. Once I had sent it off, I started to think about what makes a father and I thought that it didn't actually matter who the genetic father was, what was important was how the baby was brought up and that is what Julian is trying to protect with her flight from Xan. When I wrote the question, I was thinking about how arrogant and power-hungry Rolf was and how he wasn't an ideal father. Then he left and and I began to consider Theo as the father. Theo changed a lot in the second half of the book, he began to accept and to foster connections with other people after fleeing them for so much of his life. Would he make a good father? Who knows, especially after he took Xan's place. What does make a good parent? And I think it is like all roles, there are probably days when you are great and days when you are not. In the end, though I would have chosen Julian and Miriam to bring up the child, the men all seem to be fighting their own demons, even Luke seems a bit absent and off in his own world.

4. What do you think is the significance of the fact that the two people who are finally able to conceive are both considered "flawed?" (Luke had epilepsy and Julian had a deformed hand)

I liked that part of the novel, that the two people who end up having a baby are not perfect. It gave me hope in the unpredictable side of life. I think James was making a comment on totalitarian societies and trying to make "the perfect baby", that things can be overlooked for a superficial reason and that the true value of things lies much deeper. I think it is also a comment on control, no matter how much you try to control something, there are always factors you cannot squash into a box. It is part of the beauty of life but in the case of infertility, it can also be part of the pain of life. I think you have to trust that there is always a flipside; on one side there are the inexplicable factors but on the other there are the possibilities for unexpected joy. Very pollyanna. Last question coming up.

5. As a global epidemic, infertility creates an environment of desperation and chaos. How do you find this global reaction similar to your own personal reaction to infertily?

I grew up believing in an order in life; that if you had enough faith, if you lived a healthy life, if you found a balance in your life, everything would be ok. Infertility has shown me that this is not the case. You can strive and sweat and have faith until you are blue in the face but sometimes life is just like it is and this is unbearably hard to accept. I am desperate, I frequently feel desperate and hear how like a crazy woman I sound to others but I would do a lot of things I previously thought unacceptable to have a child. Infertility has also disturbed the whole order of my life. I thought I would have a child and be part of that community of mothers I see around me. Instead I am stuck in the middle, between friends who are going out and looking for a soulmate, friends who have little kids and friends who are concentrating on their careers. I fall in no category. And what do I do? I have no idea, I hop from idea to idea, from activity to activity trying to find some structure and meaning. And would a child give me that? Probably not but it is what I want, deep within me. I think. When I feel ok, I feel less desparate and scattered but when a treatment doesn't work and I am confronted with the black hole of infertility, I do fall into desperation and chaos and at that point I would do almost anything to fall pregnant. James does show this response to desperation and chaos quite well with the evangelical speakers who people flock to and the approval of the Penal Colony. When people are desperate, they cling to whatever will make them feel better. You have to be a strong person to stick to your personal beliefs. It is a strength I see in the infertility blogs and a strength I think is hugely underestimated by others. We are all struggling to make order out of chaos and find hope in desperation and I think we are doing an admirable job.

Comments

[Mel]

I didn't know that stuff about PD James' husband. I still wonder how she came to choose infertility to be the way the world ends.

I love what you said about being between groups--being your own group since you don't fit neatly within the groups of friends. Is it also possible that by not fitting neatly, you're able to stand with a foot in many worlds? And be a beacon of support for so many people all at once?

[Tina]

Very interesting about the reference to the new child as the messiah! It never occured to me - and, a question to build on yours is why did the "new messiah" have to be male? Could this new figure be female, a real symbol of fertility, hope and new life?

[Josh]

It's times like this when I wish I were more up on my New Testament. Uh, his name is Luke - he was a disciple guy, right? Rolf - that was the name of the dog on the Muppet Show, nevermind. Miriam the midwife strikes me as Old Testament. And "Xan" what is that short for? Xanax? Theology. Pharmacology. I get confused easily.

[Bumble]

I haven't read the book, but I've seen the movie. It sounds pretty similar. I just remember leaving there saying to my hubby, so thats what would happen if I just gave up. The world would turn to shit. Luckily us real infertiles are a bit stronger. In the story the world has collapsed because of infertility but that's what we're struggling with every day.

[Ann]

I like your comment about the fact that the parents were "flawed" giving you hope in the unpredictable side of life.

[Nicole]

At times it did feel like James had felt some version of IF, but mostly I did not feel completely understood. Now finding out she had 2 children I feel a teeny bit betrayed. Although who is to say that she did not have difficulty having those 2 children?

[Karen M]

The dedication still makes me think that James has at least a passing familiarity with IF. I didn't know about her husband, though.

Not being a religious person myself, I think the religious aspects of the book were the ones I had the most trouble with. That was my question, by the way. I had the opposite experience with religion during IF treatments. I think Josh mentioned that James is very religious herself (Church of England), so that might have had a lot to do with it. You've got some great, thoughful answers.

[sharah]

We are all struggling to make order out of chaos and find hope in desperation and I think we are doing an admirable job.

I love this. Thank you.

[Cathleen]

I too picked up on the Christ-child theme. A helpless baby who is coming to save the world.

I really liked your comment on why James made both parents religious. The idea of a necessary "life-giving" source to the mystery of conception.

[Jessica]

I didn't know about her husband either. That is very interesting!

I loved your answer to the last question!

[Ms.Once]

"I think it does acknowledge the pain of infertility but this is definitely a secondary theme to the main one of totalitarianism and how it can become very popular in a time of crisis."
I also thought that in the end it was much more a book about other things than infertility--government, religion, and above all aging.

I'm thinking about whether Julian really does become more passive or whether she's calling the shots more within the group dynamic in a subtle but persuasive way. Theo points out on more than one occasion how individually minded each of the Fishes is, but they all are rallying around Julian (well, into Rolf realizes the betrayal that's happened). I think she herself--and not just her pg--exerts a strong influence in the direction of events here.

It's also very eloquent (and honest) how you wrote about looking for your place among women going in many different directions and the trouble of securing a place that truly fits who you really are.

Thanks for your ideas and making me think.