Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
"Among careerists who postpone parenthood, fertility problems abound. Adoptions have always been difficult and now America's borders have been closed by the Centers for Disease Control. Babies are high end commodities in this economy, microchipped at birth to protect them from theft. Tom Starbird rescues "unwanted" babies--but he's tired of meeting wealthy would-be parents' demands for "perfect" children. Tom is shutting up shop when Jake Zorn, the Television Conscience of Boston, blackmails him into doing one more job. Desperate to find one last perfect baby, Tom finds the lovely and very pregnant Sasha Egan. Stalked by her unborn child's father, on the run--Tom guesses she will be glad to be rid of her burden. Neither he nor Sasha could predict that the baby she never wanted is the one thing in her life she will do anything to keep."--Publisher's website. Pregnant and relegated to a home for unwed mothers on a world where healthy babies are rare commodities, Sasha Egan crosses paths with a famous journalist whose mentally unstable, barren wife has demanded that he obtain a baby for her.
Is The Baby Merchant appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This dystopian novel explores dark themes of baby trafficking, coercion, and reproductive exploitation in a society where healthy babies are commodities. Contains pregnancy-related content, stalking, blackmail, and morally complex characters engaged in illegal activities.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include human trafficking, kidnapping, and pregnancy (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens interested in thought-provoking dystopian fiction about the ethics of parenthood and bodily autonomy will find this gripping.