The Testament of Jessie Lamb - by Jane Rogers (Paperback)

About the Book

In a chilling future, one 16-year-old girl is driven to the ultimate act of heroism. The Testament of Jessie Lamb, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is the breakout novel from award-winning author Jane Rogers. Its cunningly drawn characters and riveting vision of a dystopic future fraught with difficult moral choices will make The Testament of Jessie Lamb an instant favorite for fans of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, and Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man.

"The novel does not set up an elaborate apocalypse, but astringently strips away the smears hiding the apocalypses we really face. Like Jessie's, it is a small, calm voice of reason in a nonsensical world." --The Independent

Book Synopsis

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize

"The novel does not set up an elaborate apocalypse, but astringently strips away the smears hiding the apocalypses we really face. Like Jessie's, it is a small, calm voice of reason in a nonsensical world." --The Independent

Set in a world altered by an act of biological terrorism, comes The Testament of Jessie Lamb, a chilling dystopian novel that follows a 16-year-old girl who is driven to the ultimate act of heroism.

The Testament of Jessie Lamb, is the breakout novel from award-winning author Jane Rogers. Its cunningly drawn characters and riveting vision of a dystopic future fraught with difficult moral choices will make The Testament of Jessie Lamb an instant favorite for fans of Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games, and Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man.

From the Back Cover

A rogue virus that kills pregnant women has been let loose in the world, and nothing less than the survival of the human race is at stake.

Some blame the scientists, others see the hand of God, and still others claim that human arrogance and destructiveness are reaping the punishment they deserve. Jessie Lamb is an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl living in extraordinary times. As her world collapses, her idealism and courage drive her toward the ultimate act of heroism. She wants her life to make a difference. But is Jessie heroic? Or is she, as her scientist father fears, impressionable, innocent, and incapable of understanding where her actions will lead?

Set in a world irreparably altered by an act of biological terrorism, The Testament of Jessie Lamb explores a young woman's struggle to become independent of her parents. As the certainties of her childhood are ripped apart, Jessie begins to question her parents' attitudes, their behavior, and the very world they have bequeathed her.

Review Quotes

"The novel does not set up an elaborate apocalypse, but astringently strips away the smears hiding the apocalypses we really face. Like Jessie's, it is a small, calm voice of reason in a nonsensical world." -- The Independent

"Jane Rogers has captured Jessie's voice brilliantly, alternating a teenager's solipsism with a growing awareness of the wider world. Jessie's self-conviction is both admirable and infuriating, and the reader is torn between her clear, unequivocal conclusions and the intricate, heartfelt compromises of her parents." -- Times Literary Supplement (London)

"A powerful dystopian novel...Long-listed for the Booker Prize, Rogers' mesmerizing tale is frighteningly timely and bound to spark rich book-club discussions." -- Booklist

"Thought-provoking, smart, real, disturbing, and well-written...A compelling page-turner of a novel." -- Popmatters

"Echoes of Kazuo Ishiguro's stealthy novel Never Let Me Go abound, but Rogers works with a more populist tool kit, nailing the tempestuous inner conflicts of a young woman as she discerns the full measure of selfishness required to be selfless." -- New York Times Book Review

"Beautifully and convincingly written, Jessie's testament for posterity is truly moving, haunting...a rich, heavy read, full of provocative questions..." -- Kirkus Reviews