The story of a young woman who signs up to be the world’s first in-house corporate surrogate, then finds herself caught up in a social experiment of another kind.
Anderson is most incisive about the physicality of wealth, and the romance of financial choices ... The book is most subversive and surprising not in its vision of the workplace, but in its portrayal of female friendship and love. Natalie’s sisters are practically strangers; her friends are co-workers or antagonists or both, everything mediated by a paycheck. Even Natalie’s mother abdicates the challenges of mothering, despite the opportunities Natalie gives her. In its wonderful, wily final act, Fallow asks what it would mean to truly carry the women around you, and what it might cost to be carried in return.
Darkly comic ... Matter-of-fact hilarity ... There’s a jarring tonal shift from the first section, which tracks Natalie’s career as a detached, high-priced handmaiden, to the soulful second half when the scene changes to a feminist commune with Natalie as an aggrieved resident. One would also like to know a bit more about Natalie’s parents and her 10 (yes, 10) sisters, who are all quite distant figures. This seems a missed opportunity. Fortunately Ms. Anderson avoids the pitfall of tipping into gooey sentimentality while allowing for the possibility of spiritual rebirth.
A humorous send-up of contemporary corporate culture and examination of motherhood ... A fun, easy-to-read exploration of the limits of capitalism, motherhood, and friendship. It’s a little bit weird but in ways that are entertaining and sarcastic ... Delivers a cleverly plotted story with characters who grow in unexpected ways.
