Her First Reality, Darkness

Sylvie wants her freedom, but The Deme is forever.

In a world where natural birth is a violation of The Biocratic Mandate and midwives are considered terrorists, Sylvie's life is a deadly game of cat-and-mouse which she did not choose.

Months after the violent death of her mother, desperate for a life of her own, a man appears with an offer she cannot refuse: he will get her off the island and beyond The City's control in exchange for attending the birth of their first child. But when she decides to attend one final illegal birth for The Deme, the fallout from its unexpected change of direction jeopardises her well-organised plans.

Suddenly beyond the control of The Deme and grappling again with the loss of the boy she loved in the underground, Sylvie is thrust into a new and precarious self-determination among those who have outlived their reproductive worth. If she cannot ignore the rekindled yearning for Daniel, relentlessly back her dream of freedom and trust the help that's offered, she won't survive long enough to rendezvous with Joseph.

But once in the heart of The Dead Zone, Sylvie discovers there are more terrifying realities to face than a firing squad.



Her First Reality, Darkness is a cross-genre, reproductive dystopia with a literary flourish. If you like fierce heroines and fast-paced storytelling with a feminist bent, then you'll love Jodi Cleghorn's provocative novella, the first in The Birthpunk Constellation octet of interconnected stories.