The Breeders by Matthew J. Beier {DNF}

The Breeders - Matthew J. Beier

I received The Breeders over a year ago and feel bad that it took me this long to get to reviewing it. I decided to start it tonight and only got a couple pages before hitting my max of three elements I just can't handle in a book. The Breeders is well-edited and of high quality, which is always my first concern with small-pub/indie books, so that was nice to find. However, it's for readers with a stronger stomach than I when it comes to derogatory language for homosexual people and obese people. I just can't really handle reading f*g and "fatties" even though I know the book was written by an LGBT author who is using the words to make a point. The real kicker though is the premise of a world with a strictly controlled breeding program (with you so far) where most people are born infertile (creepy but fine), but the main character gets cramps and bleeding in the opening scene and explains through internal monologuing that she will be sent to Antarctica since she is illegally fertile and she'd rather die than have that happen. There is a brief explanation that the engineering of "heterosteriles" (heterosexual people born infertile) was to avoid the need for forced hysterectomies, but I really don't understand why someone who finds out they are fertile can't have a voluntary hysterectomy instead of being banished or executed. Win win for everyone since Grace doesn't seem thrilled with the idea of going to Antarctica in order to stay fertile. My brain is very unhappy with this whole premise, and so I must leave this story for others to read. Anyone want my signed copy?