ONE: The breathtakingly tense, emotive new speculative thriller from the bestselling author of The Waiting Rooms

Well now … This really is the most intriguing of thrillers. The UK, caught in the backlash from near devastating climate change, has introduced a series of draconian laws in order to preserve society. Led by the One political party, there are quotas on food, travel and many other aspects of life. Perhaps the most troubling of those laws is the one child policy, where families are limited to giving birth to only a single child, where contraception is enforced and any errant second pregnancies end in forced termination. Kai Houghton is one of the Ministry of Population and Family Planning’s operatives, whose job it is to ensure that the laws are enforced and that those who violate them are held to account. Kai believes wholeheartedly in the Ministry’s work – until it is her family who comes under the spotlight, and everything she thought she knew, both professionally and personally, is under threat.This is, at present, a work of fiction. If anything, recent times suggest that curtailment of reproduction rights, particularly in countries such as America, is swinging in entirely the opposite direction. But in a time where the world’s resources are scarce, where entire countries are either disappearing under rising sea levels, or being raised to the ground by uncontrollable fires caused by escalating temperatures, is it that impossible to think that population control might be high on any Government’s agenda? Eve Smith has taken this concept, this premise (a policy previously adopted by China so not as far fetched as it seems) and escalated it into a scenario of nightmare proportions, amplified by the ravages of a truly catastrophic climate emergency. It’s a story that definitely sets the mind whirring and makes you think long and hard about the possibilities of our future, or at least that of future generations.Now Eve Smith has form for taking the conceptual (designer babies, anti-biotic resistant infection) and applying a huge dose of what-ifery to it to create a thriller which delivers tension, suspense and a whole heap of the unexpected, if not the odd dose of corruption or subterfuge for good measure. That is definitely the case here as protagonist, Kai, is forced to meet up with the leader of anti establishment movement, Free, who are trying to see the draconian laws reversed. She has no choice really, given that they are the very person she needs to iron out the whole mess she is in – her ‘illegal’ sister, Senka.Kai and Senka are chalk and cheese, their upbringings so different, their outlook framed by entirely different circumstances, and yet there is a spirit in both of them which cannot be denied. I actually liked them both very much, becoming especially engaged by Kai’s story. That may seem strange, given that she had the easiest upbringing of the pair, but there was something about her, seeing her eyes slowly being opened to what was going on about her, that had me rooting for her. Senka, was an entirely different beast, the kind of person you know will succeed whether you are rooting for her or not. She has that projected inner strength and tenacity that, on the surface at least, Kai seems to lack, and as characters go, Eve Smith has done a superb job of creating that kind of warrior for justice without putting up barriers between her and readers.There are moments in this book which will shock, stories of abuse and neglect that are designed to create a visceral reaction in anyone with even half a heart, and they really do hit their mark. There is also a link to present society and the ever growing intolerance and prejudice displayed by certain elements of our society, particularly our government, toward migrants, especially those who travel illegally. Now you can picture a vast amount of forced migration as the world crumbles, and in a country with enforced population control. you can just imagine how that will work out. But these scenes seem highly pertinent, and there are certain actions that are taken where you know the author will have not had to dig too deep into her imagination to come up with that particular plot point.This is a story of conspiracy and corruption set against a stark climate position. Where immigrants are held in resettlement camps and illegal immigrants are immediately dispatched or turned back at sea. One where the government would do anything to defend or conceal their actions and where the truth is buried behind a raft of fake news and propaganda by the country’s state run media. Where the whims of one man outweigh the rights of the many. Any of that sound eerily familiar? But beyond the scenes of ‘art imitating life’, it is a thought provoking look at the potentially cataclysmic impacts of climate change, the course that empty promises about carbon reduction will lead us on.Will we ever go so far that we are forced to enact a ‘one child’ policy on a national or even global scale? I don’t know but it makes you wonder (although a none policy would work well enough for me). But in the skilful hands of Eve Smith, we’re served a thrilling, tension packed, conspiracy story that grabbed my attention and held it right to the very last page.

If you only read one book this year, then read ONE. Set in the near future, it's a political/scientific thriller about the effects of global warming and a totalitarian UK that makes it illegal to have more than one child. The book moves along at a cracking pace. The characters are well written and it doesn't baffle you with complicated scientific content. I read it very quickly. It is a book that will make you think, whilst also enjoying a good thriller.

I love Eve Smith’s writing, but I think her latest novel, One, is my favourite book by her to date. There is a lot of emotion in this book as Eve Smith delves into her character’s thoughts and feelings, and we see clearly what is driving them throughout the novel. Eve Smith’s books always have a scary, very realistic feeling. It does make you think that what Eve is writing could come true.In this book, set in a not-too-distant future, climate change has ravaged the earth. A new political party has come into government in the UK called the one party. Their main aim is to act where so many previous governments have failed to act on climate change. They introduce a harsh new set of laws, which in today’s world, would be unthinkable for any government to implement. One of their aims is to reduce the country’s population, and to do this, like China have done only recently; they implement a one child policy. But what happens to the families who don’t abide by this law?This is where we meet Kai, who works for the government which is known as ‘the ministry.’ There is a dramatic opening scene when we see her charging a young mother with the offence of having another child. Eve Smith clearly paints the anguish this woman is going through as she is forced to have her child taken away from her, and Kai shows little or no remorse for her actions. In her mind it is the child’s mother who has done wrong. But Kai’s world is soon to be turned upside down, when she discovers that somewhere out there, she has a sister, and that her parents broke the same laws she is enforcing.Kai really does find herself in an impossible situation following this discovery. You can see how angry she is at her parents, but there is also part of her that is curious to find out more about her sister, and she attempts to track her down. This drives the tension as Kai knows the actions she is taking, goes against everything her party stands for. She should be reporting her parents. I was really intrigued to see what Kai was going to do, and what path she was going to take. Would she remain loyal to her job or to her family? This is the big moral dilemma that Kai faces.I couldn’t wait to see how Eve Smith wrapped things up, and she ends the book in a very satisfactory way. There are a few surprising twists along the way, and these increase the tension and the danger in the book, which made me fly through it at top speed.I thoroughly enjoyed One. It is thought-provoking and a captivating. I highly recommend it.

A very clever and realistic thriller which I very much enjoyed.

As with her two other books, The Waiting Room and On Target, the subject of this book is forewarning to us.She really opens your eyes and your brain. As you read, things start clicking. You start thinking about information the government has fed you. The blinders they put on us without us knowing. The constant blaming immigrants for illnesses, lack of jobs, etc., when really its the governments wrongdoing.The main subject here is a law to have just one child. A law that is strongly enforced. Womens cycles are tracked, and if you get pregnant a second time, they know. You then can voluntarily have an abortion or have a forced one. There are also other issues like travel quotas and food quotas. I can certainly understand encouraging watching waste, but not mandatory.But what about when you have twins? Or your husband cheats on you with a woman that has his baby. That is his one child. His wife can now not have children. And, of course, it's women the government suppresses. Why can't the husband be forced to have a vasectomy after his first child? Why make the woman suffer? Women know why. We've always been suppressed. Treated like something to own rather than a person who is capable of making her own decisions.Now, before you think this couldn't happen, keep in mind China had a one-child policy. It was implemented nationwide by the Chinese government in 1980, and it ended in 2016. Eve recommends a book More Than One Child by Shen Yang. Shen was the illegal child in a family. The 2nd child. Well worth reading. Makes a great companion piece.This is a great read, and I really encourage you to read her other books.As with her other books, this is a wake-up call, and lets wakeup before it's too late.I have never written such a long review, but I could talk about this book for days.