mantilo: a miscellany

“He said coldly, ‘For God’s sake, don’t start threatening. You can reduce everything, even this, to the level of a cheap feature film.’”

Read this book a while ago in anticipation of the movie. Although it presents an interesting future - the entire world has gone infertile! - both the book and the movie have misogynistic undertones. While the book refers to the infertility of both men and women, the movie appears to just imply that women are infertile. This justifies a post-apocalyptic, desperate kind of setting.

In this world, James hints at a Cold War-like era, with lots of espionage, secret scientists labs, and rivalry between countries. Power this time comes in the form of the answer to infertility, as opposed to creating the most destructive atom bombs. Spies? Cool, but then we never hear about it again.

There were so many political, gender, racial, and environmental issues that James could have explored but didn’t. Why did people become infertile? Pollution? Nuclear waste? Mountain Dew?

The main character is Theo, a fifty year-old Oxford historian whose cousin Xan has declared himself dictator of England. Xan also wears the ring of England, which confers ultimate power…Frodo?

Xan is a rather one-note character here. They used to play together so Theo theoretically has a lot of pull, considering this and his background in history. He draws a few interesting parallels dealing with power, euthanasia, and the criminal justice system but aside from talking about it, doesn’t care to urge his cousin along a straighter path.

Theo is a sort of sad sack character here. Incredibly bland and blase about everything. HISTORY MAJORS, DO NOT BE AS USELESS AS THIS FELLOW PLEASE. The book’s point of view alternates between Theo’s weirdly detailed diary and some mysterious third person narrator in the first half of the book. The last half of the book just falls into a third person narrative. If I ever wrote fiction like this I know my professor would not hestitate to come over and bean me on the head.

In the book, people from other countries - by others I mean “dark-skinned” - and set to work hard until they turn sixty, at which case they are sent back. No rights, no nothing. This would be a great opportunity to explore this turn of life - which the movie looks to touch upon - but other than mentioning it as motivation for some subversive groups, there’s really nothing.

The book itself was disappointing, in the writing and the buildup, for such a fascinating story. I’m going to recap it anyway.

Spoilers ahead.

The Setup
Since no one can have babies, the youngest generation - or Omegas - is revered and pampered. This leads to a lot of moral degredation, as bands of Omegas like to attack lone travellers and “sacrifice” one person per attack. Homicidal tendencies aside, Omegas are also pretty bratty.
People also become strangely insane; women go nutty fawning over elaborately cared for dolls, cats, or dogs. I’m sorry, I mean even nuttier than some people now. Or perhaps just a larger percentage of people become nutty. Animal birthdays are treated like the birthdays of children, animals are baptized just like babies, etc etc.

People also lose interest in sex, so there are state-run pornography shop to encourage people to keep having sex in the hopes of conception. Um…what about the gays? James speaks little to that, since they’ve never had sex to procreate anyway, apparently.

Of course, eugenics and euthanasia come back into play. Twice a year people are sent for mandatory fertility testing. Anyone who has a mental handicap, was born with slight deformations of the body, or are over fifty are exempt. Additionally, since the number of elderly people increases this means that they need more assistance in daily living. Xan decrees the Quietus movement, which is voluntary euthanasia, or suicide if you will. No one is really for it until he begins to offer benefits, like giving loads of money to surviving family members. Needless to say, Quietuses become really popular.

In the book, Theo meets up with a group of rogues and falls in love with Julian, a spacey-type of woman. Julian is actually pregnant, too. Unfortunately not by her arrogant husband - who is low class but has lofty and ill-intentioned aspirations - but rather her priest-friend. After a sad attempt at revolution, they all need to go on the run, taking Theo with them. Being on the lam takes up the second half of this book. Blah blah blah.

Between the Book and the Movie
There are a lot of differences. Clive Owen being one of them, mainly. Also it seems that Julian disappears and that his ex-wife comes back instead, as a member of a subversive group. Additionally, there is a definite goal as opposed to being on the lam, goal being taking a pregnant black woman(!) to the shore where a project out to save humanity lies.

It does seem exciting to watch, though, as Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter!) directs and the soundtrack is Sigur Ros (Sigur Ros!). View the trailer.

Ending of the book (highlight below)


Quietuses aren’t really voluntary! Old people are drugged, placed on a rickety barge, taken far out to sea, and sunk! Woooooot.

At any rate, everyone in the group is killed - captured, tried to become a traitor but was killed, killed by Omegas - save for Julian, Theo, and Miriam, a midwife whose down-to-earth personality I really liked. They end up at the old, abandoned estate of Xan’s father, where Theo and Xan used to play. Julian has the baby in the woodshed and Miriam goes to the mansion to find food and water. Miriam doesn’t come back so Theo goes to look for her. She’s been garroted (ouch). It turns out Xan is right on their heels.

A showdown between Xan and Theo. Xan knows Julian is pregnant but he doesn’t know she’s had the baby (a boy). Theo has an old revolver with one bullet left, plus he’s out of shape and bad at shooting. Good odds. Xan shoots, but is simultaneously distracted at the rare sound of a baby’s cry. Theo takes the moment to shoot him in the heart. The rest of the government swoops in after, ready to imprison Theo, but Theo puts on that good old ring of power, er, England.

So now he’s safe with the government, having killed his cousin. The baby and Julian too. For the moment.

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