The Declaration by Gemma Malley was published in 2007 by Bloomsbury USA.
The Declaration is the science fiction story of 15 year old Surplus Anna who is confined to a Surplus Hall — Grange Hall. It is 2140 and Longevity drugs have been in existence for nearly a century. Since no one dies anymore, The Declaration was passed and the only people who can have children are those who choose to Opt-Out of taking the Longevity drugs. If someone does not Opt-Out and bears a child, that child is a Surplus.
Surplus children are rounded up by Catchers and confined to Surplus Halls where they are brutally trained to become an Asset to the Legals as domestic servants and laborers. Surpluses don’t deserve to live and are put down when they are Useless or problematic. Surpluses are wasting the world’s already limited resources.
Grange Hall is run by an especially evil abuser, Mrs Pincent. Mrs Pincent has a secret in her past about the Surpluses. Mrs Pincent has completely demolished Anna’s self-esteem, self-worth and spirit. Someone should take Mrs Pincent out behind a shed and eliminate her.
Along comes Peter, a 15 year old Surplus and member of the Underground Movement, a late-comer to the world of Surplus Halls, who allowed himself to be captured in order to free Anna. Anna Covey’s parents are looking for, do love her and do want her back. Shocking news to Anna.
Malley does a good job of developing the relationship between Peter and Anna and the naturally-seeming realization on Anna’s part that Peter is telling the truth about wicked Mrs Pincent and her parents. Malley also makes Grange Hall a true nightmare, some of the scenes are bone-chilling. The children as cruel to each other as their captors are to them. Anna’s voice is clear and engaging.
I had some problems with aspects of the story though. One of the Legals, Mrs Sharpe, complains about her sagging skin and her unwillingness to have plastic surgery to remove it. “And now I know I’ll be living for ever, it’s made me scared of death,” she says. But skin is not simply an external organ; it is interconnected physiologically with all of the body’s organs. Skin sags when it dies, so isn’t the body then dying also? No, according to Malley. Renewal occurs with Longevity drugs — fresh new cells replace old ones and mend diseased ones also. But sunbathing takes a toll on Mrs Sharpe’s complexion. Everyone gets wrinkles. Where is the Renewal then? Wait, there are new Longevity drugs on the Black Market and these allow the self-renewing of the skin.
But crime is scarce in this world even though the new drugs are expensive. Is this not a contradiction? Not everyone in Anna’s world makes a lot of money, there are tiers in the Legals Social class. Wouldn’t people be driven to seek illegal ways to buy the drugs they need? How about illicit drug use? Alcoholism is portrayed to still exist.
The traditional Longevity drugs use frozen umbilical cords for the cells but no one has been having children for decades and those that do hide them in the Underground. All those people on Longevity drugs, how long can there be a supply of frozen umbilical cords and are they frozen in a way that enables them to last for decades?
Energy is scarce in Anna’s world. An air conditioning ban forced migration in the US to cooler states. But many Americans have lived without AC for centuries. It is much easier to live in hot weather than to keep warm in the cold that England and other areas have become from global warming. Isn’t it more energy consuming to heat homes?
South American countries economic progression was halted to protect the rainforests in the aftermath of global warming in Anna’s world. What? Rainforests produce items that are valuable — cacao, Brazil Nuts, rubber, etc — aren’t the Legals still consumers? Economic progression is a chosen path, not a set one. Wouldn’t the instinct to survive force a different path?
But my biggest problem is that suddenly in the end, when Peter and Anna’s lives are in absolute jeopardy, we find out that The Declaration has a provision for Surpluses. That if one of their parents die — they can live. And this is the way out of being returned to Grange Hall.
Not only was this too convenient for me but it poses the question of why Anna’s parents allowed her to be a Surplus for so long after they got out of prison — why did they stay on Longevity drugs and why did they not organize a plan with the Underground Movement to rescue Anna? The parents are portrayed as selfless and loving, but are they? Why was it only Peter’s idea to rescue Anna?
“Who would have a child and not be there to look after it?” The story asks. Well, I would, if put in this situation. I would give up my life so my husband could rescue my child and raise her, rather than allow her to be nothing more than a slave — a horribly treated slave. Furthermore, I suspect that my husband would volunteer himself, so that I could raise her. And while in the end, Anna’s parents do this for Anna, it is way too late in my opinion. Disturbingly late.
