Borne

Borne is a dystopian science fiction novel that follows Rachel, a scavenger, who is surviving in a city that was destroyed and being ravaged by biotechnology created by the Company. One day, she finds a squishy, beautiful creature that smells like the sea she names Borne. The story follows Rachel, Wick, and Borne as they navigate daily survival in a volatile city and as Rachel learns what it means to be a caretaker.

I'm not selling this well, but oh man this was an unexpected love! I didn't expect to feel so attached to a biotech creature, but here we are. Because the novel is written from a first-person perspective, the reader really feels like they're experiencing this world alongside Rachel and Wick, which I loved. VanderMeer has a way of writing and setting the scene that helps you to understand just how bad things are for these characters and how much the Company destroyed the city. It's a beautiful story about relationships, love, and being a parent but it's also a cautionary tale about the dangers of biotechnology, experimentation, and the practical and ethical implications of it.