Description

‘What a joy’ Kiley Reid

‘A spectacular debut: hilarious, sly, sharp, and extraordinarily thoughtful’ Lauren Groff

Meet Natalie: she hates work, but turns out she’s great at labour

Natalie has no skills or ambitions. The clock ticks away at the call centre where she works, while she tries to ignore the pain in her jaw. She has no dental insurance.

Then, a mysterious flyer leads her to The Company. Natalie turns out to be the perfect candidate for their in-house surrogacy program. The job: deliver seven healthy babies in ten years.

Suddenly, her every need is met. And during what Natalie comes to call her ‘fallow’ periods, she enjoys uncomplicated hedonism. For the first time in her life, she is good at her job; for the first time, she feels free.

But as Natalie nears the end of her contract, she meets Jackie, who isn’t like the other mothers. And soon Natalie finds herself in another kind of social experiment altogether.

‘A very funny book about work and ambition’ Rumaan Alam

‘A kind of gonzo Handmaid’s Tale’ Peter Ho Davies

Publisher Review

I loved Fallow. Funny, intelligent and unputdownable, this is the book that everyone will be talking about -- Olivia Colman Fallow sits smartly at the axis of corporate markets and motherhood. It joins a literary tradition of women discovering who they are while their bodies evolve in astounding ways. What a joy to be in Natalie's head-a young woman who hates to work but doesn't shy away from labor. Fallow is a delightfully sharp, dynamic debut -- Kiley Reid Fallow is a spectacular debut: hilarious, sly, sharp, and extraordinarily thoughtful about the knotty philosophical issues that arise where capitalism and the body meet. Sarah Anderson is a dazzling new talent -- Lauren Groff Unputdownable... Fallow speaks directly to these mixed-up times. I loved this novel. It sings in so many registers and with so much heart. Sarah Anderson is a major new talent -- Julie Buntin Fallow is a sly marvel of a novel: a witty, vivacious page-turner that doubles as a wry critique of capitalism, corporate culture, and reproductive politics. Sarah Anderson's debut - a kind of gonzo Handmaid's Tale-is simply dazzling in its audacity and invention -- Peter Ho Davies Fallow is sharp, thought-provoking and a rollicking good time. Anderson tackles the false promises of comfort and commodity with wonderful wit and insight; this is a story that will linger. -- Aisling Rawle Sarah Anderson's imaginative debut posits a world in which the corporate has almost wholly consumed the human. So disturbingly plausible it can scarcely be considered satire, Fallow is a very funny book about work and ambition, the faltering systems that dictate much of contemporary life, and the possibility of another way forward -- Rumaan Alam Completely unputdownable -- Aria Aber Fallow is a fast-paced, unexpectedly personal deconstruction of capitalism. Natalie thrilled, charmed, and angered me; by the end, I didn't want to let her go -- Albertine Clarke A complete riot. Searingly funny and impossible to put down, Fallow is inventive, astute and terrifyingly believable. Sinking back into Natalie's world quickly became the best part of my day. A deliciously fun book - the kind you devour, all the while hoping it'll never end. -- Augustine Cerf