The Children of Men

Did You Know?

• P. D. James said about writing the story, 'I thought, if there was no future, how would we behave?'
• The academic Alan Jacobs said the novel is 'probably the most pointed in its social criticism, certainly the deepest in its theological reflection.'
• Caryn James of The New York Times called the book 'wonderfully rich' and 'a trenchant analysis of politics and power that speaks urgently.'

Plot

The narrative alternates between first-person diary entries of Dr. Theodore 'Theo' Faron, an Oxford don, and third-person passages focused on him. The story begins in January 2021, but its origin is 1995, designated 'Year Omega', when all human sperm lost its potency. With no scientific solution, humanity faces extinction. Those born in 1995 are called Omegas, a privileged but spoiled and violent group. The last Omega has just been killed in a pub brawl. In 2006, Theo's cousin Xan Lyppiatt, a rich and charismatic figure, appointed himself Warden of England after the last general election, abolishing democracy. Theo is approached by Julian, a former student and member of a dissident group called the Five Fishes. The group includes Rolf (Julian's husband and leader), Miriam (a former midwife), Gascoigne (from a military family), and Luke (a priest). They ask Theo to persuade Xan to implement reforms, including a return to democracy. The country is governed by decree of the five-member Council of England, with Parliament reduced to an advisory role. The council's aims are protection and security, comfort, and pleasure. The Grenadiers serve as the Warden's private army, and the State Secret Police enforce decrees. Newborn animals are treated as infants, and many women obsess over life-like dolls.