"A Girl Undone"

Catherine Linka explores what would really happen to society in the US if synthetic hormones in beef eliminated four generations of women in the YA duology, A Girl Called Fearless and A Girl Undone. The impact of the economical and social upheaval include the rise of a new political party, the Paternalists, and high ticket marriage Contracts for the most rare and valuable commodity in the country: teenage girls.

She applied the “Page 99 Test” to the duology and reported the following:

On page 99 of book one, A Girl Called Fearless, teen Avie Reveare meets the man who holds her multi-million dollar marriage Contract, and to signify the deal, he locks a gold and diamond pave Cartier Love bracelet on her wrist.

On page 99 of the sequel, A Girl Undone, Avie’s on the run, trying to get key evidence against the Paternalist leaders in Congress to the media when she’s taken in by Streicker. Ex-CIA, Streicker carries a neck tattoo of biblical quotes in the shape of a gun. He smuggles underage American girls to freedom in Canada, and then brings Canadian women looking for husbands back to the US where he auctions them online to ranchers. Here Streicker explains to the Canadians how the auction works:

The auction will go live at six. Once your bids reach the reserve amount we’ve set for each of you, you are free to choose any bidder who has bid more than the reserve. You can view the profiles of each qualified bidder on our site and you’ll have two hours to review those profiles and make your selection. Any questions?

Avie describes how:

The girls peppered him with questions, and Streicker became charming, reassuring. I could see their faces light up, and one bounced in her seat when Streicker promised that at the end of the evening they would all have Contracts and be on their way to wedded bliss.

I was determined to write a YA dystopian that felt real, and couldn’t resist showing the effects of restricted supply upon demand. Streicker is a product of market forces, a shady character who takes advantage of both US girls who want to be free to choose who they love, and young women from rural Canada who seek a better life in an arranged marriage.

Learn more about the book and author at Catherine Linka’s website.

--Marshal Zeringue