In a terrifying near-future world, a teenage girl goes on the run with her pregnant twin and the boy she secretly loves in order to save all three–or maybe four–of their lives. It’s a story about sisterhood, unconditional love, and the things we learn that explode everything we’ve ever been taught.
Diana Peterfreund’s short story Foundlings is actually a part of the larger Brave New Love YA dystopian anthology, but is also available for individual download.
Taking place in a not-so-distant future, in a world not too dissimilar to our own, women’s reproductive rights have all been stripped away. Pregnancies are carefully monitored, abortion has been outlawed by the government, morning-after pills don’t exist, unplanned teen pregnancies result in young mothers and their unborn babies being taken (i.e. rescued, rehabilitated?) by government agency WOMB – usually never to be heard from again. And set against this world, our unnamed, everygirl teenage narrator begins telling us the tale of her illegally pregnant twin sister and her desperate struggle to save them all from ruin.
Women’s rights? Um. Talk about a hot-button issue, especially after inciting so much national controversy in the recent US presidential election. And while I’m not going to go into a debate of political/religious beliefs, a woman’s right to choose, or the sanctity of life, I will say that I’m approaching these issues from a more conservative standpoint just so you have a reference for where I’m coming from. From where I stand, Peterfreund’s short story is definitely controversial. However, while I don’t agree with certain viewpoints expressed within this story, there are certainly others I can appreciate… such as the indescribably complex love between sisters. The dangers found within extremism. The dangers of forcing a group of people to live by a strict and merciless worldview. The dangers of aggressive social indoctrination. The loss of personal freedoms. Losing the right of personal responsibility. It’s the nanny state at it’s most literal and perhaps most extreme, and it’s a scary thought to consider no matter which side of the line you fall on.
Overall, an interesting, well-written, hard, controversial little short story that turned out to be more thought-provoking than I originally anticipated; there’s something for everyone to mentally chew on here. And really, isn’t that the point for a story such as this?
Author: Diana Peterfreund Title: Foundlings Published: July 10th 2012 by Noise Court Press Format: short story; ebook Website: www.dianapeterfreund.com Source: Free on Kindle My rating: 
Happy Reading!
Ooh, sounds good, Dani–adding it to my TBR. I love the cover, given the plot. I also love books about twins.
Yay! Right now it’s free on Amazon and a super quick read. 20 minutes and you’re done.
This seems like a wonderful story to think about because of the themes. It’s incredible when short stories can communicate so many ideas and have an emotional resonance:)
Lovely review!!
Yes, it is. I think that’s typically because the endings of short stories like this one are typically left somewhat open-ended; you’re only glimpsing a moment in time and are left to draw your own conclusions. Make your own interpretations.
Though that’s not always the case. 😉 lol
Thanks for the great review! I just picked up this book! Can’t wait to get started
Yay! I hope you enjoy it!
I absolutely ADORED Diana Peterfreund’s For Darkness Shows the Stars (literally blew me away and easily became one of my favorite books), so I definitely want to give this a read. I love books that are controversial and make you think and consider what you would do in a given situation. I also come from a more conservative viewpoint, so it’s good to hear you enjoyed this story.
I adore FDStS as well. SUCH A FANTASTIC BOOK! And yes, this little story definitely makes you think.
Our country is on the conservative side and I’m going to check this out and see what it’s all about. From your review, this book sounds like something every woman and girl here should read.
I hope you do check it out. I’d be interested in what you think