The Testament Of Jessie Lamb
Jane RogersIn Jane Rogers’ terrifyingly plausible novel, an ordinary girl faces an extraordinary situation. If the human race is to survive, it’s up to her.
Women are dying in their millions. Some blame scientists, some see the hand of God, and some see human arrogance reaping the punishment it deserves. The Testament of Jessie Lamb explores a young woman’s determination to make her life count for something in a world irreparably altered by an act of biological terrorism. As the certainties of her childhood are ripped apart, Jesse’s idealism and courage drive her towards the ultimate act of heroism.
"Jane Rogers has captured Jessie's voice brilliantly, alternating a teenager's solipsism with a growing awareness of the wider world. Jessie's self-conviction is both admirable and infuriating, and the reader is torn between her clear, unequivocal conclusions and the intricate, heartfelt compromises of her parents." - Times Literary Supplement (UK )
Jane Rogers faced a struggle before setting her book in the future was with herself. A present-day story meant ‘knee-jerk reactions’ but she was ‘very resistant to the move into the future!’ Her longlisting proved how right she was to overcome her resistance: The Testament of Jessie Lamb won the Arthur C Clarke Award for Science Fiction. Rogers is also a practised adapter and writer of radio plays and the television series of her novel Mr Wroe’s Virgins won four BAFTA nominations in 1994.