The Farm by Joanne Ramos (debut)
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Length: 336 pages
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

In a desperate move to provide for her own baby, Jane signs on to be a surrogate for an unknown woman, conscribing her entire pregnancy to those running a luxurious maternity farm.

From the Publisher

“Nestled in New York’s Hudson Valley is a luxury retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, personal fitness trainers, daily massages—and all of it for free. In fact, you’re paid big money to stay here—more than you’ve ever dreamed of. The catch? For nine months, you cannot leave the grounds, your movements are monitored, and you are cut off from your former life while you dedicate yourself to the task of producing the perfect baby. For someone else.”

The Draw

• A resort like “farm” for pregnant women.
• Women can’t leave.
• An immigrant story.

{My Thoughts}

I found the premise of The Farm extremely appealing, perhaps because it isn’t all that hard to imagine a real such place. The fictional “Golden Oaks,” is a high-end, all-inclusive, luxury retreat for women carrying the babies of the very rich and often famous. These surrogates are paid well and closely monitored, from the food they eat to the exercise they get. The only catch? They can’t leave until after they’ve delivered.

The Farm centered on Jane, one of the many poorer, immigrant surrogates who made up a large portion of the women carrying babies for Golden Oaks’ wealthy clients. Jane was different than many of the others in that she’d left her own baby in the care of her cousin with the hopes of being able to provide so much more in the future.

“Jane looks at her, the eyes black as night that take up half her face, and is overcome with a tenderness so vast it is almost suffocating.”

Jane’s time at Golden Oaks became increasingly difficult as she missed her daughter more and more, while at the same time being more closely monitored and controlled by management.

While the premise did not disappoint and the conflict grew nicely, some of the puzzle pieces in The Farm didn’t always fit together for me. I’d also have liked to see the characters painted in more delicate strokes. Some felt a bit clichéd. In addition, certain elements in the last couple chapters and the epilogue just didn’t quite add up. Still, The Farm leaves you with a lot of moral and ethical questions to consider and I truly appreciated that aspect. The premise itself is a terrifying one when you truly think about it. For those reasons, combined with really strong writing, I think The Farm would make for excellent discussions among book clubs. Grade: B-

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

• A River of Stars by Vanessa Hua – The story of a pregnant Chinese woman sent to the US by the baby’s married father, in order for the child to have US citizenship. (my review)
• The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling – A series of missteps rendered Daphne a single-mother, but after holding it together for months, she suddenly finds she just can’t do it all any longer. (my review)

Note: I received a copy of this book from Random House (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Associate links included within this post.