The Child Garden
{4.5/5} “Milena sat on the bus in her boiled gloves and saw a nervous light in the eyes of the actors, a fervour for accomplishments completed in youth. She saw the unfailing smiles of people in the markets, and the smiles seemed to be symptoms of disease. It seemed to Milena that nearly everything she saw was wrong.”
The Child Garden by Geoff Ryman, published in 1989
Milena was 16 but she was already an adult. She was an actor, currently acting in Shakespeare for an audience of orphans. Most people in her society knew everything they needed to know and were happy, because of the viruses. But Milena was resistant. Milena runs into a woman named Rolfa, who’s been genetically engineered to look like a polar bear. Rolfa introduces Milena to things she hasn’t seen before, like recorded music and old people.
It’s in the best tradition of Brave New World.
It’s about living in a tyranny but one that’s not so bad, and what happens when you don’t tell your best friend the most important things.
It’s about what happens when your life intersects with a genius musician, and staging an opera like the world has never seen.
The 1st part is great. The 2nd part is mostly great but I also found parts a bit confusing.
This is the 1st book I’ve read by Ryman.