Review by Sylvie Weissman
Taking place in a world where women’s futures are decided on the day of their first period – a white ticket for marriage and children or a blue ticket for career – The Blue Ticket questions what happens when our deepest desires run counter to what is expected of us. Our main character is Cala, a blue ticket woman, whose life of freedom becomes stifling when she finds herself yearning to be a mother. After becoming pregnant, she’s forced to go on the run with only the faintest hope of a better life for her and her child. Mackintosh is unflinching and takes us deep into Cala’s increasingly distressed psyche as she struggles with what it means to be a mother and if the system was right about her after all. As hard to read as it is impossible to put down, this novel is sure to leave you reeling.
