Fallow, by Sarah Anderson, is billed as a hilarious look at a woman that becomes a full-time, in-house surrogate. She signs on to carry 10 babies in 10 years, and the pay and working conditions are so luxe that she won’t have to hold another job during that time. Natalie Gallagher is burdened by neither a work ethic nor ambition, and so this sounds good to her, and it turns out that she actually is quite proficient at conceiving and giving birth.

My thanks go to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the review copy. This book is available to the public now.

The book is read by Natalie Naudus, and she does a creditable job with a dreadful vehicle.

My attention was caught by the wry cover, and I was fascinated by the premise, so I dove in. The first half of the narrative is about her doing just that—conceiving, giving birth, and moving on. Natalie has no desire to become a mother herself, and has no difficulty handing off the product of her labors. But towards the end of her decade of reproduction, a wrinkle appears that turns everything topsy turvy.

It’s at this point that the book loses focus and goes way into the weeds. Furthermore, it also smacks distinctly of propaganda for a rightwing agenda, and by its end, I was ready to throw things. For me, it ceased to work, either as a novel, or as political writing. I finished it, but only because I owed this review, and well…here it is. The 2 stars are for the interesting first half; the second half rates a zero. Feminists beware!