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Fauna

Donna Mazza

3.48 · Rating details · 234 ratings · 69 reviews

A compelling near-future literary novel, psychological thriller and family drama

Set 17 years into a very recognisable future, Fauna is an astonishing psychological drama with an incredible twist: What if the child you are carrying is not entirely human?

Using DNA technology, scientists have started to reverse the extinction of creatures like the mammoth and the Tasmanian ti ...more

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Paperback, 320 pages

Published February 2020 by Allen & Unwin

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Average rating 3.48 ·

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· 234 ratings · 69 reviews

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Jan 09, 2020 Carolyn rated it really liked it

Shelves: australian-author, family, futuristic, 2020, gift-from-publisher

This is an original and intriguing debut novel that would be an excellent choice for book clubs. There is so much to explore in this book and I had so many thoughts and questions after reading it that I'd love to discuss with fellow readers. I have a feeling it's going to be very provocative and controversial.

Set in the near future, scientists have started to use genetic technology to bring back extinct animals, such as the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger, and now they have gone one step furt This is an original and intriguing debut novel that would be an excellent choice for book clubs. There is so much to explore in this book and I had so many thoughts and questions after reading it that I'd love to discuss with fellow readers. I have a feeling it's going to be very provocative and controversial.

Set in the near future, scientists have started to use genetic technology to bring back extinct animals, such as the woolly mammoth and Tasmanian tiger, and now they have gone one step further and have started secret medical trials involving human gene editing. Stacey and Isak have enrolled in one such program to conceive and bring up a child that will be very different, but one that is expected to be important for survival of the human race. They already have two healthy children but recently lost an unborn baby, so Stacey is looking forward to another pregnancy and child as well as the financial incentive the trial will pay will help to make their lives a lot easier.

When the baby is born, she does look a little different to their other children but Stacey and Isak both bond strongly with her and would do anything to protect her. However, Stacey soon finds that their new child affects the way she is able to interact with the outside world and her ability to be the sort of mother she wants to be for her other children. Although Stacey felt a strong love for her new child, I felt very sorry for her in the way she was forced to constrain her choices for the way she now has to live her life and also the knowledge that the child will one day be taken from them.

So much of this seems unethical it is hard to imagine that such a situation could happen. Or could it? I'd like to think that we have sufficient regulations around the use of genetic technology to prevent it, but experimentation on animals is already allowed to test whether a human genetic condition can be corrected, so who is to say where the line will be drawn in the future, especially if the definition of human becomes blurred? Already scientists are able to genetically alter a patient's immune cells to add a protein that will recognise and fight their tumour (CAR-T cells) and a Chinese scientist has recently been jailed for using gene editing technology in human embryos resulting in three live births (see https://www.nature.com/articles/d4158...). This is definitely a thought provoking book, with its horrifying vision of the future, as well as a compassionate look at one family and their love for their special child.

With many thanks to Allen & Unwin for an ARC to read ...more

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Apr 26, 2020 Michael Livingston rated it liked it

This has a fascinating premise, but the whole thing didn't quite come together for me - the near-future setting didn't feel fully realised and I struggled to connect with the key characters. ...more

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Feb 21, 2020 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: c21st, australia, library-book-or-loan, sci-fi

Fauna is a compelling novel, I started it last night and loafed in bed today until I'd finished reading it. The really interesting thing about it, is that although you find out what happens in the end, you don't, not really, and that is very creepy indeed. The novel is a highly intelligent work of fiction which made me think of the disconcerting issues raised by Paddy O'Reilly's remarkable novel The Wonders which also raised questions about what it is that makes us human.

Fauna is set in a ve Fauna is a compelling novel, I started it last night and loafed in bed today until I'd finished reading it. The really interesting thing about it, is that although you find out what happens in the end, you don't, not really, and that is very creepy indeed. The novel is a highly intelligent work of fiction which made me think of the disconcerting issues raised by Paddy O'Reilly's remarkable novel The Wonders which also raised questions about what it is that makes us human.

Fauna is set in a very near future, in a world so very nearly like the present. It begins in the everyday Perth suburbs, with a family eating takeaway in the messiness of daily life, the kids Emmy and Jake going to school and weekend sport, Isak (the father) busy with work and paying the bills, and Stacey, newly pregnant ad wholly absorbed in her future child. There are brief allusions to the messiness of the world on TV, and to the comfort and relief of watching people cook and renovate houses.

But with the birth of the infant, the family takes up an offer of a lifestyle far beyond their means and they move to a beautiful but isolated property in southwest WA where the family's predicament is less likely to arouse interest. This suits the researchers who are operating on the edges of legality but it exacerbates Stacey's loneliness. Like The Wonders, this novel draws attention to the intrusive media which can make life hell for anyone who is different, and she fears interaction with anyone outside their small family in case awkward questions are asked. Because what this couple have done is to assuage their longing for another child by participating in an IVF research project which mixes their genes with those of some other creature. It's part of a project to reverse the extinction of creatures like the Tasmanian Tiger. LifeBLOOD® does not tell them much about what they are in for, but with the arrival of Asta, their anxieties move far beyond worrying about whether their semi-human offspring will be hairy or not.

The novel traces Asta's development year by year in successive chapters, and what becomes clear is that the confidentiality provisions of the contract they have signed have turned their lives into something resembling a witness protection program.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2020/02/22/f... ...more

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Feb 29, 2020 Miah rated it it was ok

Fauna is an interesting read that touches on many pressing contemporary anxieties, turning a quasi-science fiction piece into a believable, unsettling possibility.

The novel raises compelling discussion points on the ethics in scientific research, philosophical questions of morality such as Philippa Foot’s Trolley Problem, female agency, and the exploitation of the working class that would make it a perfect book club read. It may leave one questioning whether, as I did myself, if you knew your c ...more

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Apr 06, 2020 Carol - Reading Writing and Riesling rated it it was amazing

Shelves: aww, own

Heatbreakingly good

My View:
This is faultless writing; engaging, provocative, realistic and emotive.

There is little more I can add except to urge you to read this poignant “what if” narrative.

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Mar 16, 2020 Nic rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own

This was such an interesting and intriguing book. I loved the concept - it’s like a very believable not-too-distant-future science fiction book, which is right up my alley. It also talks a lot about the joys and hardships of being a new mother, which I love reading about after having been through that tumultuous time as well.

The writing style took me a bit to get used to - it’s very evocative and visceral, and it feels like you’re inside her head reading her thoughts. But once I was used to it I ...more

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Sep 04, 2020 Esther King rated it liked it

I love speculative fiction as a genre, I really do. I find it entrancing, and teetering on the precipice of the present reality is a marvellously enticing exercise. However, this book managed to keep itself just that bit too vague, and I lost the hopes that I had for more context. The ending was not what I had hoped, and there was just something missing in here.

The bond between mother and daughter is incredible, but I found our main character a little frustrating. There was so much to consider ...more

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Feb 22, 2020 Sheree | Keeping Up With The Penguins rated it really liked it

Fauna is perhaps best classified as “eco-gothic speculative fiction”, but that’s a bit of a tongue twister. It falls somewhere between feminist dystopias, like The Handmaid’s Tale, and contemporary Australian climate fiction, like Dyschronia. In it, Donna Mazza imagines a too-near speculative future where a company, Lifeblood(R), offers huge incentives for women to join an experimental genetics program splicing non-human DNA into embryos for in-vitro fertilisation. My thanks to Allen & Unwin for ...more

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Feb 03, 2020 Aksel Dadswell rated it really liked it

The economy of Mazza’s prose belies the narrative’s – or more particularly its characters’ – icebergian depth. Every word feels carefully chosen and painstakingly placed, every page a blistering rainfall of ideas and imagery made up of individual drops all falling towards the same purpose, narrative- and gravity-driven wonder. This is a beautifully written book, and the language flows in a consistent and engaging tone.
Stacey is a character very much in her own head, but Mazza is canny enough to ...more

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Feb 03, 2020 Camila - Books Through My Veins rated it did not like it

- thanks to @allenandunwin for sending the book my way!

Longing for another child, Stacey is recruited by a company who offer massive incentives for her to join an experimental programme. As part of the agreement, she and her husband's embryo will be blended with 'edited cells'. Just how edited, Stacey doesn't know. Nor does she have any idea how much her longed-for new daughter will change her life and that of her family...

I was very intrigued to read Fauna for the sole reason of exploring the c ...more

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Feb 25, 2020 Wendy rated it it was amazing

I read a lot, but have to steal moments in my busy life to indulge and am often at the whim and limitation of time and exhaustion. But I just got lost in a book in a way that has not happened before. I got lost, but in it, I found myself. I found not just a story that captivated my imagination, but recognized the essence of being a Mother and a Daughter that resonated so fully in an emotional response at every level of my being that I was not quite prepared for; I found a landscape I know and lo ...more

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Jun 30, 2020 Andrea rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books

In the near future, a child is created using the DNA of three parents; mother Stacey, father Isaac, and a long deceased ancestor of mankind. This child will not be able to hold a passport, live a normal life, or even be issued with a birth certificate. She is Fauna.

Stacey and Isaac, a young Western Australian couple, prepare to embark upon the perilous journey into parenthood for the fourth time. They have agreed to partner up with LifeBlood, a clinical research company that offers financial inc In the near future, a child is created using the DNA of three parents; mother Stacey, father Isaac, and a long deceased ancestor of mankind. This child will not be able to hold a passport, live a normal life, or even be issued with a birth certificate. She is Fauna.

Stacey and Isaac, a young Western Australian couple, prepare to embark upon the perilous journey into parenthood for the fourth time. They have agreed to partner up with LifeBlood, a clinical research company that offers financial incentives for parents to create and nurture a genetically modified child. Gene spliced with another species, the eventual children of these births will be forever monitored by LifeBlood, just as their parents will also be as the keepers of such living assets.

The invasive methods use to track the pregnancy, and after the birth, Asta’s developmental progress, are largely burdens borne by Stacey. It is Stacey’s life that incrementally becomes smaller every day, with the erosion of what she once was being apparently invisible to everyone else. Asta looks different, sounds different, walks different. Even taking Asta out the door is a massive exercise, lest someone notice these differences and wish to challenge Stacey as to what is ‘wrong’ with her youngest child.

Fauna increasingly reminds the reader of the work ‘Never Let me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro as the novel progresses. There is increasing reason to be alarmed and suspicious that Asta’s fate is to be harvested for spare parts, eventually fully sacrificed on the altar of scientific research. Truly the only person standing in the way of this awful fate is her long-suffering mother. The unfairness of this is not bludgeoned in Fauna, but the sacrifices the exhausted mother makes every day are absolutely heartbreaking to hear. Stacey’s very essence of being a functioning human being in the world is taken from her and there is no one in her world who truly understands the extent of it.
It is difficult to find someone to root for in this novel, at least amongst the adults. Perhaps this is deliberate, so we focus on the innocent Asta who didn’t ask to born to two naive parents who were struggling to provide for the two perfectly healthy kids they already had. Hmm. Stacey and Isaac had previously experienced a miscarriage, and the couple are assured that this fourth child will be born stronger because of her altered genetic makeup. Still with the hmm.

Fauna was an extraordinarily moving story to listen to as an audio book. The longing and the fear of a mother who is essentially abandoned to make the hard decisions is beautifully realized by Sydney actor Harriet Gordon Anderson. This is one of those times where I believe the author’s intent was fully understood and given appropriate life by the audio narrator.

This dreamy novel of maternal love and erosion of self is set in an altered future that is scant on the details as to the why, yet vividly described for landscape and isolation. Fauna strips existence down to the two essentials, a mother and the love she has for her child. That the two will be separated is a dreadful certainty.

Fauna leaves a lot left unsaid, not for reasons of an eventual sequel I am sure but because the unspoken horrors, the almost unimaginable horrors, are those that humans are willing to inflict upon other humans.

...more

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Feb 21, 2020 Tony Nielsen rated it liked it

Be warned. Fauna is not an easy read. It will probably disturb. It will definitely make you think. Why ?
The subject matter. The mother's dilemma "how far would you go to save your daughter ?"

Fauna you see is set in the future, not that far out, less than twenty years. Thanks to a new genetics based company called Lifeblood Stacey is recruited to add to her family of two children and her loyal husband Isak. The deal, yes it's very much a deal, means that their challenging financial situation will ...more

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Feb 07, 2020 Tanya rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs

Fauna is the story of Stacey and Isak. Set in the not too distant future, they volunteer to be part of genetic research - and so Stacey is impregnated with a child that contains the DNA of her and Isak - but also of the Neanderthal. The novel follows Stacey during her pregnancy and the first years of her daughter's life.

Beautifully told, and filled with lyrical prose - Mazza has a gift for describing the mundane to making it beautiful - Fauna is a fascinating read - and one I'd love to hear othe Fauna is the story of Stacey and Isak. Set in the not too distant future, they volunteer to be part of genetic research - and so Stacey is impregnated with a child that contains the DNA of her and Isak - but also of the Neanderthal. The novel follows Stacey during her pregnancy and the first years of her daughter's life.

Beautifully told, and filled with lyrical prose - Mazza has a gift for describing the mundane to making it beautiful - Fauna is a fascinating read - and one I'd love to hear other's thoughts on.

Stacey tells the whole story in first person, and I guess the problem I had is that I struggled to bond with her as the narrator. She seemed detached from everything in the world except the child she was carrying - even her existing children and husband. It was a strange juxtaposition - she has this overwhelming, all-encompassing love for one child, but not the others? Towards the middle it seemed to feel a bit repetitive too. And I understand that was the point - the new days with a new baby, those early days and weeks and month do just blur into each other. So much more could have been done with that time though. I wonder if seeing other's perspectives would have helped? It would have been fascinating to see more from the research team, or even from Isak's perspective.

On that point though - I would have loved to have seen more of Stacey's motivation to join the program. A few things are hinted at - miscarriage, money, an interest in archaeology - but none were explored with any real depth to indicate why she was willing to do this. Had she thought through the future repercussions of her actions? Being part of her pre-pregnancy psychological assessments would have made for even fascinating reading.

Fauna certain raises a lot of questions regarding ethics in research, and what Stacey and Isak endured, and Asta as well. Do scientists have the right to manipulate the genes in humans? Is there a line that cannot be crossed? And if we are allowing human testing for research, what right do scientists have to experiment on those who can't give their consent? Stacey and Isak may have consented - about what about Asta? Where was her say and voice? This would be a perfect book for book clubs - there is just so much to digest and breakdown. I feel it needs an indepth conversation, which in some ways makes review writing difficult without giving spoilers away.

**I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review** ...more

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Feb 03, 2020 Selina rated it really liked it

After the loss of their third child, Stacey and Isak commit to a groundbreaking medical trial that will allow them to finally complete their family. The only catch? The child will be genetically engineered. Her cells will be Stacey and Isak’s, but also foreign chromosomes made up of the prehistoric matter that once walked the earth. No one at LifeBLOOD can tell them how different the child will be, they will all watch and learn as Asta grows. ⁣
⁣
The facilitators are, annoyingly, very involved in After the loss of their third child, Stacey and Isak commit to a groundbreaking medical trial that will allow them to finally complete their family. The only catch? The child will be genetically engineered. Her cells will be Stacey and Isak’s, but also foreign chromosomes made up of the prehistoric matter that once walked the earth. No one at LifeBLOOD can tell them how different the child will be, they will all watch and learn as Asta grows. ⁣
⁣
The facilitators are, annoyingly, very involved in the whole process. It’s hard to know where the family unit ends and they begin. They are involved in key decisions usually reserved for parents - when to wean, what to do with her first tooth, where to live, what to tell people about her condition, her diet. 🤯⁣
⁣
The community around them are curious about the child, however Stacey is fiercely overprotective, preferring to shut herself off from the world rather than answer their difficult questions. Soon enough, subtle differences begin to emerge between Asta and her other children, but is she protecting Asta from them? Or protecting herself? ⁣

This was a really interesting read. The entire concept had me shook, and I had to keep checking with hubby if this was already happening in the world (No, but it’s like Jurassic Park, apparently 😆). The language and prose is beautiful, lyrical and filled with rich imagery of the landscape. I would have loved to see more detail around what exactly LifeBLOOD was expecting from them and their suggestions and notes. Stacey, however, for all her wanting to protect Asta, really liked to put her head in the sand when it came to the fine print or details!

I loved the portrayal of motherhood here. The notion of losing yourself while nurturing your child, taken to a whole new level with a child that’s genetically engineered to want different things than your average. In nourishing her child, Stacey almost becomes extinct herself. I loved her relationship with her own mother, and how she inadvertently ends up repeating her mother’s mistakes, and in the process becomes closer to her.

The book throws up some pretty great discussion points like what are the moral rights of a child when they’re not 100% human, but rather, classified as fauna? What part does Asta have to play in the future of humanity? Where does the experiment end and life begin? Or did Stacey sign up to a lifetime of tests, destined to tear their family apart instead of completing it?
.
A very thought provoking read. Thank you to @allenandunwin for my arc in exchange for this review. ...more

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Apr 21, 2020 Jaclyn (sixminutesforme) rated it it was ok

This was a bit of a frustrating read for me - it started SO strong with just the right level of vagueness and short chapters that kept me turning those pages quickly. The story is set in Australia in the near future and follows a mother’s perspective as she embarks on a medically assisted pregnancy in a study of sorts. The novel is structured in chapters that follow the weeks in the pregnancy, and then move into years after the birth. While it moves in a very literal sense with the pregnancy and ...more

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Sep 02, 2020 Kerri rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-author

An engaging, thought provoking story about the lengths a mother will go to in order to bring a child into the world, then keep her safe, loved and nurtured. I have to admit I was a little creeped out reading this, it's not something I would ever consider doing.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review. ...more

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Jul 24, 2020 Jane rated it really liked it

Quite a disturbing and depressing novel about a mothers love for her genetically altered child. Raw and unflinching, but quite thought provoking. 3 1/2 stars.

With thanks to Allen & Unwin for my free copy in exchange for my review.

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Nov 01, 2020 Meg rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned, australian, speculative

4.5*
I love reproductive themed speculative fiction. A scary and too real vision of the very near future.
But essentially this book was about an intense and consuming bond between a mother and daughter. This bond overwhelmed everything else in the story, and the other characters, and i still can't decide if that made it a better or worse book. ...more

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May 06, 2020 Mariah rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was interesting, but the story didn't really go anywhere. I wasn't a fan of the open ending. I would have rather had an epilogue or something at the end that even just sort of wrapped up the story. ...more

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Jun 24, 2020 Robyn Mundy rated it really liked it

This is such a strong, credible, story set several years into the future. I was held from the first to last page. Donna Mazza crafts a poignant story of motherhood and love shaped by a chilling new technology. Set within the familiar comfort of rural Australia, it is a powerful combination.

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Feb 06, 2020 Birgit rated it it was amazing

This novel will challenge you and make you think about what it means to be a mother. The concept is brilliant and as the story unfolds you become shocked when you realise what science is prepared to do.

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Jan 29, 2020 Felicity Akins rated it liked it

Shelves: have

Unfortunately I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. The plot had me thinking it was going to go one way when in fact it took me in the opposite direction and leaving me wanting more. The main character, Stacey, annoyed me to no end. Why did she want another child? What was she expecting would happen as the child grew up? Why did she go down this path? For the money? Who knows. Her selfishness towards her husband and other children irked me – it was all about her. I was expecting more around Asta her ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Bianca Smith rated it it was amazing

This review was originally published at Mass Consternation.

I received this book for free from ARC from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. If you've read my other reviews, you'll know that if it's bad, I'll say so, regardless of how I received the book.

The science caught my attention. The characters dragged me in.

Fauna by Donna Mazza is the first binge book I’ve read in a while. It was a last moment contender for the Book Flood but when your 92-year-old grandma chooses to sacrifice sleep This review was originally published at Mass Consternation.

I received this book for free from ARC from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. If you've read my other reviews, you'll know that if it's bad, I'll say so, regardless of how I received the book.

The science caught my attention. The characters dragged me in.

Fauna by Donna Mazza is the first binge book I’ve read in a while. It was a last moment contender for the Book Flood but when your 92-year-old grandma chooses to sacrifice sleep to spend time with you, plans are forgotten, so I read it later in January. However, I need to thank Allen & Unwin for getting a copy to me in time for Christmas Eve.

So what’s Fauna? It’s a powerful story of motherhood and the sacrifices a family will make to have a child. It’s also a future-set science fiction. It’s only 17 years in the future in a day very like our current, and the science could very well exist but we don’t know about it. It’s actually so similar to our now that Emmy and Jake don’t realize their new little sister is genetically more Neanderthal than their sister.

The connection between Stacey and the child drew me in as the most powerful part of Fauna. I totally missed it being set a little in the future, possibly because we know questionable genetic experimenting has already produced babies. I acknowledge it should have been the science that did it. My disinterest in becoming a parent made me question some of Stacey and her husband’s motivations early on, because I, personally, only see science as the motivator to have a DNA spliced baby to genetically bring back a Neanderthal-hybrid. Stacey and Isak did it to have a third child they could otherwise afford. Stacey’s previously studying anthropology was named as a motivator but a very overlooked one. Again, that’s probably more me than the novel.

The second half was where I related mostly with Stacey. The baby was born; they bonded. The writing was real enough for me to feel Stacey’s frustrations and fears. I imagine it being little different from any family with any family with a child with a disability. People ask questions, they’re curious and also want to help. Except when your child looks that was from a genetic experiment and your life is being controlled by a corporation with profit intent, it’s easier to avoid those questions, but Stacey found out that has a different cost.

This is the first novel I’ve reviewed with such an Australian focus. I just checked, Fauna is being released through Australia on February 4, and in the US Amazon Kindle store on the same day. ...more

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Mar 10, 2020 Amy Polyreader rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020-release

I may need time to put my thoughts into coherent sentences as it’s late.
*edit* here's my review.

OK. This book is such a difficult one to review. On one hand, I love books that talk about motherhood in frank and vulnerable ways, and this book did that well. However, I have too many grievances with the book as a whole for that element to make up for the parts in which it lacked.

Firstly, this is such an interesting and promising concept to write about and I commend the author for taking it in her I may need time to put my thoughts into coherent sentences as it’s late.
*edit* here's my review.

OK. This book is such a difficult one to review. On one hand, I love books that talk about motherhood in frank and vulnerable ways, and this book did that well. However, I have too many grievances with the book as a whole for that element to make up for the parts in which it lacked.

Firstly, this is such an interesting and promising concept to write about and I commend the author for taking it in her stride. Being based in Australia made for another element of enjoyment for me. There were many descriptive passages about Australian bird-life (fauna), landscape and flora. But it all just felt a bit lost.

I really wish there had been stronger character development – the first section of the book (the protagonists pregnancy) felt like a completely different writing style to the latter half of the book. At first it felt plot driven and I assumed we didn't need much character development due to wherever the story was headed... but unfortunately it didn't really go very far. Was I reading a thriller? A sci-fi? A family drama? The latter felt more descriptive and lyrical (as mentioned above) which proves the writer can put together a beautiful story... but I don't think this book demonstrates her ability very well.

To sum it up – this is a family drama, which at first follows the protagonists (sci-fi/unlikely) IVF experience, and then the life of the family once that baby is born. My major grievances were with the plot, the lack of character development, and the length. It could have been much more enjoyable at half the size (emphasising the writers strengths).

I'll definitely read Mazza's next book, because I can see how well she can write, but this was a miss for me.

Also - I reeeeally hate writing negative reviews. People that write books are incredible and I take my hat off to everyone who has accomplished that.

**Anyone who is after a great sci-fi/dystopian book about pregnancy/motherhood and or IVF - read XX by Angela Chadwick. ...more

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Jan 25, 2020 Belinda Segovia rated it liked it

Personally this book wasn’t as much my cup of tea as I originally thought. That being said it did cause me to think deeply, this would be a good book to discuss, I would recommend for book clubs.

Thanks A&U for the advanced copy!

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Sep 07, 2020 Jackie McMillan rated it liked it · review of another edition

"The womb is such a silent, private place and having a camera—an audience—pointed at this baby so it can't even grow into being without scrutiny seems like the ultimate invasion. Fauna is another book about controlling women's reproductive capacities, in the same vein as Margaret Atwood's seminal text: The Handmaid's Tale, though not quite as compelling.

"The ordeal of giving life is always a journey of fire. Some stories might be shorter or involve less horror but there is suffering even in the ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 Karen rated it it was amazing

This novel approached a controversial subject that was relatable to me and dealt with issues that may arise in the foreseeable future

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Jan 27, 2020 Mandie rated it liked it

I struggled with this book. I was initially intrigued by the futuristic technology of the story but then started to struggle about one third of the way through. I almost gave up on it half way through but in all fairness I expected more of a thriller and unexpected twists and turns based on the cover and blurb. I felt it left me with no desire to keep turning the pages and that I had to force myself to get it read since I had got as far as I did with it.

The basis of the story was great! Very in ...more

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Oct 02, 2020 Underground Writers added it

Shelves: awwc-2020

This review was first published on the Underground Writers website: http://underground-writers.org/3730-2/

Fauna is Donna Mazza’s tribute to an unsettling future that seems as near as new week. Not even twenty years from the present day, scientists have engineered DNA technology that allows them to reverse the extinction of creatures thought to have been lost to an ancient world. LifeBLOOD® recruits Stacey and her husband, Izak, to take part in an experimental genetics program that will blend the This review was first published on the Underground Writers website: http://underground-writers.org/3730-2/

Fauna is Donna Mazza’s tribute to an unsettling future that seems as near as new week. Not even twenty years from the present day, scientists have engineered DNA technology that allows them to reverse the extinction of creatures thought to have been lost to an ancient world. LifeBLOOD® recruits Stacey and her husband, Izak, to take part in an experimental genetics program that will blend their human embryo with the genetic coding of a Neanderthal child. They know little of what to expect and how the course of this pregnancy, birth, and the initial years of this child’s—Asta’s—life will define Stacey as a mother, her personhood, and her family.

The chapters are punctuated with the wildlife that surrounds the area. The beginning of the story is set in Perth, close to the hospitals and treatment centres, but relocates to the South-West of WA once Asta is born. Stacey’s observations of the plant life, patterned bird behaviour, and the weather complement her insights into Asta’s rapid growth: her grasps at language, her constant feeding, and the way she engages with her family and shies from strangers. Stacey continues to cite an ecosystem which speaks to the relationship she shares with Asta,

‘Milk and blood, blood and milk. Whorl together. My blood is her blood, her milk is my blood.’

But it also speaks to the fissure that is created between Stacey and Izak; Stacey and her other two children, Emmy and Jake; and Stacey and the fun-loving, adventurous woman of her younger years. As Stacey becomes one thing for Asta, she becomes less of a thing to the people around her—a breakdown of an ecosystem,

‘I have become the mother she needs. Who I am and who I might have been have gone completely.’

The pages pang with loss and anxiety: the loss of an unborn child, the loss of relationship between Stacey and her own mother, and the loss of intimacy between her and her family. This constant reinforcement of loss generates a lot of anxiety for Stacey. And in an effort to quell the ensuing paranoia, she is willing to sacrifice everything else for the sake of her relationship with her new child.

Mazza establishes a profound study on the delicacies of motherhood—first and foremost—both visceral and deeply empathetic. The author also presents a scientific phenomenon that feels eerily near and made all the more urgent due to the breadth of research that makes this work feel anything but another fictional tale. ...more

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