Carola Dibbell

The Only Ones Lib/E Carola Dibbell

In a postpandemic world, Inez wanders, inexplicably immune to disease. To make a living, she volunteers as a test subject and is hired to provide her genetic material to a grieving mother, who lost all four of her daughters within a few weeks.

The experimental process is policed by a cloudy network of governmental ethics committees and threatened by the Knights of Life, religious fanatics who destroy the rural farms where much of the experimentation is performed. The affluent mother makes a last-minute decision and backs out, leaving Inez responsible for the product-a baby girl, Ani.

Ani is a scientific breakthrough. To keep her alive and safe, Inez has to dodge authorities and religious zealots to provide Ani with the kind of childhood Inez never had-one with a stable home and education.

The Only Ones is written with a stylish voice, influenced by Carola Dibbell's years of music writing. This is a time-tested, tender, and iconic story about the love we have for our children, however they come, as well as a smart commentary on class, politics, and reproductive technology.