The Children of Men – P D James

Review

The Children of Men – P D James

First published in 1992, The Children of Men by P.D. James took some time to ensnare me.  For at least the first two chapters, I hemmed and hawed about continuing but then amongst the apparent humdrum, a sneaking itch sets in, one which you need to follow to be satisfied.

The Children of Men is set in the not too distant future of 2021 and begins with the ignominious death of the last child to be born on the planet.  He was 25 when he died having done nothing with his life.  Now the human race must continue to lumber along to its inevitable end over the 40 or 50 years to come.  With no children to whom a planet or a property of a piece of gold can be left, life takes on some interesting hues.

P.D. James writes with absolute precision, with very little dialogue, but captures the phlegmatic grinding down of the English world in delightfully English tones.  The entire book is set in England.

Well delineated are the characters of Xan, the Warden of England, and the main protagnist, Theo Faron, through whose thought processes the story unfolds to an unlikely ending, perhaps a little to blunt for me but certainly surprising.

I particularly enjoyed the exploration by P.D. James of a world without a human future, a dying human world. The concept is fascinating as is the mode through which the story is told.

A jolly good read.