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Originally Posted by darryl
I will be interested to see whether Cat Lady was able to bring herself to try the book and if so whether she finished it. Her comments on this aspect given her attitude to anything Science Fiction would be interesting.
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It wasn't the SF aspect that bothered me, it was the lack of a believable story and a decent plot.
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Originally Posted by Bookpossum
I didn’t read this book in any way as Science Fiction, but more as an allegory of the way we consider “the other” as less than ourselves, whether that is a fellow human who is a refugee for example, or a non-human creature which we consider to be there for our use and convenience, unworthy of consideration.
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But there was no moral conflict here, because who in their right mind advocates cloning humans for body parts? It's too extreme. Certainly there may be moral conflicts in less extreme circumstances--experimenting on prisoners, using fetuses for research, conceiving a child to serve as a bone marrow donor for a sibling (Jodi Picoult wrote a novel using that last idea; I haven't read it). In those situations, it's at least possible to convince oneself that the end justifies the means.
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Originally Posted by darryl
Exactly. I don't think we need to resort to genetic manipulation or even upbringing to explain this passivity. It is difficult indeed for people in general to fight the system. One need only look to the Concentration Camps to see this. When faced with the most shocking treatment, some fight. But most do not.
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Kathy and Tom do finally have enough gumption to try to free themselves by appealing to Madame; is there any reason they can't just hop in Kathy's car and drive away? Is someone going to hunt them down? It's not like they need to start an uprising and engage in a fierce battle to the death to escape; all they need to do it get in the damn car!