Review:

Golden Oaks is a pregnancy oasis. The surrogates who reside there are given access to organic meals, regular massages, fitness classes, and the latest information on having a healthy pregnancy. The Farm is told from multiple perspectives. We meet Jane and Reagan, two surrogates at Golden Oaks; Jane’s cousin, Ate; and Mae, who runs the Golden Oaks facility. Beyond that, I don’t want to tell you much more, to avoid giving away the story. This a slower paced novel, but it’s one of those multilayered books that will provide so much discussion material for book clubs. PSA: Going into The Farm, I was expecting it to be a dystopia, or at least science fiction-y, because of the shelves people selected on Goodreads. However, I’d describe it as more of a speculative contemporary novel. Still worth a read!

Favorite Passage:

“At the macro level, economics is less science than philosophy. One of its core ideas is that free trade — voluntary trade — is mutually beneficial. The exchange has to be a good deal for both sides, or one party would walk.”
“Yes, but it could be that one party has no other options. I mean, the ‘exchange’ for that one party might not be a ‘good deal,’ but only the best choice among a bunch of choices that are all total… well, crap.”
— Page 48

What I Loved Most:

The Farm examines the way that class impacts not only the options available to someone, but also the consequences of choosing a given option. Reagan is a surrogate from an affluent background, and she questions the ethics of Golden Oaks using mainly surrogates from lower-class backgrounds. In the quote I shared in the Favorite Passage section, Mae (who runs Golden Oaks) reminds Reagan that all of the surrogates are there by choice. Reagan points out that while that may be true, it doesn’t remove the fact that some women may have been under pressure in making their choices. Ramos doesn’t push you to think one way or the other when it comes to class and the privilege of choice, but she brings up some valuable points for consideration.

Read this book if you like:

Examining class, book clubs, pregnancy-related fiction, books that bring up ethical quandaries by discussing both sides of the issue

Book Details:

• Author: Joanne Ramos
• Publisher: Random House
• Date of Publication: May 7, 2019
• Age Recommendation: Adult
• Check out The Farm on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!