Inheritance (Genevieve Gannon, Pantera)

Inheritance is the latest novel by Genevieve Gannon, bestselling author of The Mothers. In the not-too-distant future, scientists use eugenics to protect the next generation against viruses and diseases. At the same time, parents can choose to design the perfect baby—choosing hair and eye colour, athleticism, high pain tolerance and eidetic memory. Emily and Dougal can’t conceive naturally—a side effect from Dougal’s exposure to the latest virus variant—so they’re using IVF and decide they may as well give their child the best possible start to life. A few decades later, we’re following Adelaide, an ambitious political staffer who lives in a vastly different world. Variant after variant has wiped out a huge percentage of the population, fresh produce is available but expensive, and genetically modified (GM) people make up a subclass in a sort of ‘reverse Gattaca’. Inheritance is a sci-fi novel with a world eerily familiar to our own. Gannon delves into this world’s eugenics and politics with the captivating storytelling style of The Animatrix, exploring the impact of new technologies on societies and relationships. She looks at motherhood and daughterhood, the choices we make to protect loved ones and the consequences of well-meaning actions. Inheritance is a book that encourages readers to examine our current times more closely. It’s ideal for lovers of literary sci-fi in the vein of Brave New World and Neuromancer.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Danielle Bagnato is a book reviewer and marketing and communications professional. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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