The Testament of Jessie Lamb: A Novel (P.S.) [Paperback]

Jane Rogers (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 15, 2012 | Series: P.S.

In a chilling future, one 16-year-old girl is driven to the ultimate act of heroism. The Testament of Jessie Lamb, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is the breakout novel from award-winning author Jane Rogers. Its cunningly drawn characters and riveting vision of a dystopic future fraught with difficult moral choices will make The Testament of Jessie Lamb an instant favorite for fans of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, and Brian K. Vaughan’s Y: The Last Man.

“The novel does not set up an elaborate apocalypse, but astringently strips away the smears hiding the apocalypses we really face. Like Jessie’s, it is a small, calm voice of reason in a nonsensical world.” —The Independent

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Rogers, the author of Mr. Wroe’s Virgins (1999), offers up a powerful dystopian novel in which pregnancy has become a death sentence. Terrorists have concocted a deadly virus known as MDS, which breaks down the proteins in the brains of pregnant women, killing them long before they are ready to deliver. Sixteen-year-old Jessie Lamb is the daughter of a scientist who is looking for a cure for MDS. She’s also a budding activist, flirting with youth groups that have sprung up in the face of this worldwide disaster. Jessie watches as her best friend, Sal, joins a fervent feminist group while her crush, Baz, gets involved with an increasingly radical animal-rights faction. Both groups are polarized when scientists develop a new program that might allow women to carry babies to term, at the cost of their own lives. But Jessie feels like this could be her way to make a difference, much to her parents’ horror. Long-listed for the Booker Prize, Rogers’ mesmerizing tale is frighteningly timely and bound to spark rich book-club discussions. --Kristine Huntley

Review

“The novel does not set up an elaborate apocalypse, but astringently strips away the smears hiding the apocalypses we really face. Like Jessie’s, it is a small, calm voice of reason in a nonsensical world.” (The Independent )

“Jane Rogers has captured Jessie’s voice brilliantly, alternating a teenager’s solipsism with a growing awareness of the wider world. Jessie’s self-conviction is both admirable and infuriating, and the reader is torn between her clear, unequivocal conclusions and the intricate, heartfelt compromises of her parents.” (Times Literary Supplement (London) )

“A powerful dystopian novel…Long-listed for the Booker Prize, Rogers’ mesmerizing tale is frighteningly timely and bound to spark rich book-club discussions.” (Booklist )

“Thought-provoking, smart, real, disturbing, and well-written...A compelling page-turner of a novel.” (Popmatters )

“Echoes of Kazuo Ishiguro’s stealthy novel Never Let Me Go abound, but Rogers works with a more populist tool kit, nailing the tempestuous inner conflicts of a young woman as she discerns the full measure of selfishness required to be selfless.” (New York Times Book Review )

“Beautifully and convincingly written, Jessie’s testament for posterity is truly moving, haunting…a rich, heavy read, full of provocative questions…” (Kirkus Reviews )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; Original edition (May 15, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062130803
• ISBN-13: 978-0062130808
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,647 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane Rogers has published eight novels, written original television and radio drama, and has adapted work (her own and others') for radio and TV. Her novels include MR. WROE'S VIRGINS, ISLAND, THE VOYAGE HOME, and most recently, THE TESTAMENT OF JESSIE LAMB, which made the 13-title long list for the 2011 Booker Prize. She has won the Somerset Maugham Award, the Writers' Guild Best Fiction Book, has been a finalist for the Guardian Fiction Prize, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She is Professor of Writing at Sheffield Hallam University, and lives near Manchester in the north of England.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Difficult questions asked but let down by two dimensional groups August 30, 2011

By Ripple

Format:Kindle Edition

The subject matter of "The Testament of Jessie Lamb" ensures that this is not a comfortable read. Set in the near future, Rogers has imagined a truly terrifying virus that affects pregnant women, known as Maternal Death Syndrome or MDS. Everyone carries this illness but the effects, a cross between AIDS and CJD, ensure that all pregnant mothers will die - without exception. Scientists have found a way to save some of the unborn children, but only by placing their mothers in a chemically induced coma from which they won't recover. Now though, there scientists have also discovered a way of immunising frozen, pre-MDS embryos which, if they can be placed in a willing volunteer, may ultimately allow the survival of the human race. However, the volunteers need to be under 16˝ or the likely success rates are too low. Step forward one Jessie Lamb.

The Booker longlist can be relied on to throw up at least one novel on a controversial subject. Last year it was "The Slap". This year it's this novel. There's no doubt it asks awkward and unsettling questions about a variety of issues including the age at which people can take informed decisions, the rights and wrongs of scientific research and animal testing and the right anyone has to chose their own death. There are no easy answers to any of these questions of course.

As you might infer from the title, the story is written from a first person narrative by Jessie. Often with first person narratives it's difficult to get a true steer on the character herself. Effectively she's dealing with the usual teen dramas of arguing parents, failed love and general `what's the point of me?' stuff. She's into environmentalism and vegetarianism, all in the idealistic way of many of her age.... The most rounded character is her father, fortuitously a genetic scientist who talks a fair amount of common sense.

As for Jessie's friends, she seems to have a bizarre mix of one of each of a series of extreme beliefs. We get the ardent feminist, who joins a group called FLAME whose statements are so ludicrous that they almost undermine what is a potentially a strong feminist argument; a supporter of ALF, the animal rights movement; and a self-sufficiency fan who decides to run off to live off the land. Add into this mix her aunt who is desperate for a child, whatever the personal cost. Then there are the religious fundamentalists against scientific research called the Noahs. The problem is that these are all rather two dimensional. Most 16-year-olds I know group together in like minded cliques. There is nothing that would bind these apparent friends together.

The genesis of the virus is hinted at but never explored. Is it a terrorist act or merely an unfortunate accident? Neither Rogers, nor Jessie, are interested in this. Neither do we get a great deal on the overall impact of the disease, other than that is has clearly spawned a lot of fundamental groups of various types.

Yet for all this, there's no doubt that it asks some interesting and uncomfortable questions of the reader and the ending is genuinely moving. The whole concept of the virus itself is a scarily good basis for a story, but by presenting such a myriad of extreme views, the reality of the issue is somehow lost. FLAME for example rant that if the disease affected males then something would have been done by now. Ultimately it lacked the heart that can make dystopian stories, like "Never Let Me Go" or "The Handmaid's Tale", so affecting. But at least it doesn't try to over simplify the moral message. I'm still not sure what I think of Jessie's decision and that's to the book's credit. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A great read, but gets a bit lost in the second half- but still worth it! June 9, 2012

By Jaime H.

Format:Paperback

The Testament of Jessie Lamb gives us a dystopian-esque world that feels very real and palpable that it seems a nearly possible scenario. A virus has been manufactured and released across the world by an unknown source, targeting pregnant women. While the virus lies dormant in everyone, it is activated when a woman becomes pregnant, leading to her imminent death. Thus, the result being eventual, and fairly rapid, extinction of humans.
While scientists have extensively researched the virus, the death toll rises and time is running out. There are many controversial experiments being discussed and carried out, including the `Sleeping Beauty' program, in which young women are implanted or become pregnant naturally and are then put to sleep for the duration of the pregnancy- the result being their death upon birthing the child, thus making them living incubators. However, the babies are able to be given a vaccine that will make them immune to the virus, ensuring they will be able to populate later in life.
Jessie Lamb is a quiet yet strong-willed young woman living in a world that is on the edge of collapse. The most interesting and engrossing thing about this book is the resolute calmness this leading lady is able to convey, even when everything around her is chaotic. It is almost as if Jessie is the eye of a storm, bringing reprieve from the destruction of her world and causing the reader to not be fearful, but rather really see what is going on. Her voice also conveys a sadness, indicating a certain resignation that comes with knowing everything is a mess, but a hopefulness that any small act may lead to change. While she is fighting for survival, she succumbs to a numbness when dealing with the violence around her....
The first half of The Testament of Jessie Lamb draws the reader into a world that is muted and desperate, yet hints of a revolution on the horizon. It deals with issues of violence against women, reproductive freedom, medical privacy, the sexualized politics of women's bodies, religion, science, and so much more. Instead of being action-packed like a lot of dystopians, it follows the lives of those who are taking different paths in coming to terms with the new world in which they find themselves. This is a novel that could easily be for an older YA audience, but is marketed toward adults. It is written in the voice of a 16-year-old, but she is wise beyond her years due to the realities she faces. Although the second half of the book was a bit tedious and veered off path for me, it is still completely worth the read.
Jessie Lamb reads like an indie movie at an art house. It is beautiful, palpable, resonates with sadness, dense at times, and has won several awards, even though it loses some of the audience along the way. Although who the audience is exactly is somewhat uncertain- but there definitely is one. It is the concept and overall feeling that gives this book life, rather than the characters and storyline. Although I was disappointed for the last half, I am still thinking about this book- I am quite sure that is a good thing. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Bleak Future May 15, 2012

By Julie Merilatt VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Dystopian novels are all the rage these days, but Jessie Lamb's story had a quality to it that was subtle and almost marginal. Jessie inhabits a world in which the entire population is infected with a virus (MDS) that kills every pregnant woman. What Jessie doesn't realize is that her world is really only a tiny slice of England and she is as insignificant to the issue as dust. Her teenage idealism interferes with her rationalism and she feels she needs to make the ultimate sacrifice so that she'll play a role in the grand scheme. Rogers' biggest success with this book is her ability to convey a 16 year-old's perspective. Jessie's voice is authentic as are her interactions with her parents and her peers. Her friends all decide to attach themselves to one cause or another (animal liberation, women's rights, religious fanatics). To them, youth is helplessness. While many of them are affected by the tragedy of knowing women who have died from pregnancy, they would rather wear anything but MDS on their sleeves. Humanity may be coming to an end, but Jessie still harasses her parents about their carbon footprint.

Beneath the surface of the narration are underlying issues dealing with procreation, scientific research, embryonic use, and medical ethics. There are ambiguous references to terrorism, but the ultimate cause of the MDS breakout is never revealed. Jessie seems unassuming in her modest yet unexceptional life, but her determination overrules any sensibilities about survival. The greater good becomes the driving force of a civilization rocked by a virus that prevents the propagation of a species. Overall, it was a captivating novel with an engaging premise....

The reason I didn't LOVE this book was because I couldn't relate to the justification Jessie presents for her choices. Even her inner dialogue didn't convince me that her decision wasn't just that of a self-absorbed teenager with a romanticized notion of her sacrifice. She wanted control over something, whether it be her body or her destiny, which to me seemed selfish. I could not sympathize with her convictions.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via TLC Book Tours. Read more ›