Birthmarked Analysis

Birthmarked, by Caragh M. O’Brien, is the thrilling story of Gaia Stone, a young midwife fighting to rescue her parents from the clutches of a corrupt society. Gaia realizes that sometimes giving up everything to survive is the only way to ensure there is a future at all, not only for the sake of living, but for the sake of a society on the brink of disaster.

Gaia lives in a futuristic world where the earth is baking hot on the edge of dried up Lake Superior. In this difficult world there are those who live outside the wall and those who live in the poor town Warfton. Living in this difficult world O’Brien has created a vast array of characters that compliment the story. From nutty Old Meg to old Mabrother Iris the chief of torture and bewildering Sir Leon Grey, the characters
The writing is not descriptive to the point that it is extremely gory or inappropriate but a reader with a more mature mind will be able to read it and still fully appreciate the story and actual conflicts.

Gaia’s mix of ignorance and intelligence, defiance and loyalty, is the foundation for a wonderful novel. Codes, secret passageways, evil masterminds, prisons, and a touch of romance. Vivid imagery pulls the reader into the story and into Gaia’s difficult world. Not only does Gaia gain courage, confidence, and intelligence as the book progresses, but she matures dramatically as she comes to accept and realize the onerous reality of her life.

In her first book ever written O’Brien has managed to create a world that both is mildly realistic towards future possibilities and completely fantastical. Well planned and thought out, Birthmarked is a must read that explores the complex world of genetics, and the extent to which people will push to survive and for those whom they