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    Theory of Bastards
    Theory of Bastards
    Theory of Bastards
    Audiobook12 hours

    Theory of Bastards

    Written by Audrey Schulman

    Narrated by Rachel Dulude

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    "Stage four. Surgery. Recovering." While those are the simple words that once described Dr. Francine Burk's situation, the reality is much more complex. Her new reality is bacon rinds for breakfast and feeling unduly thrilled by her increasing ability to walk across a room without assistance. And it's being offered a placement at a prestigious research institute where she can put to good use her recent award money. With the Foundation's advanced technological resources and a group of fascinating primates, Francine can begin to verify her subversive scientific discovery, which has challenged the foundations of history-her Theory of Bastards.

    Frankie finds that the bonobos she's studying are as complex as the humans she's working alongside. Their personalities are strong and distinct, and reigning over it all is Mama, the commanding matriarchal leader of the group. Frankie comes to know the bonobos and to further develop her groundbreaking theory with the help of her research partner, a man with a complicated past and perhaps a place in her future. And then something changes everything, and the lines that divide them-between subject and scientist, between colleague and companion-begin to blur.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateNov 27, 2018
    ISBN9781977334343
    Author

    Audrey Schulman

    Audrey Schulman is the author of five previous novels, including Three Weeks in December and Theory of Bastards, both published by Europa Editions. Her work has been translated into eleven languages. Born in Montreal, Schulman lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she runs a not-for-profit energy efficiency organisation. 

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    Reviews for Theory of Bastards

    4/5

    47 ratings5 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I had to abandon this as an audiobook, and will read the physical book instead. The narrator’s inflections were so bizarre as to make listening a challenge . She showed no sense of which words to emphasize, and that failing was painfully distracting.
    • 4/5
      In an increasingly fragile world, a researcher arrives at one of the last sanctuaries for apes and starts studying bonobos in order to further her theories about female sexual selection. She’s also recovering from surgery from endometriosis, the pain and medical neglect of which is described in detail. And she is navigating her own recovering body and her sexuality, including her relationship with the initially offputting but increasingly attractive researcher assigned to support her work. After a dust storm cuts them off from the rest of the world, things get pretty scary; the ending is ambiguous at best but it’s sf of feminist ideas in terms of the questions it considers important (especially: what does choice mean when we have these bodies evolved in specific ways?) and I found it engaging despite the terrible romance-novel cover it has on Scribd, which was staring at me every time I opened it.
    • 3/5
      Francine "Frankie" Burk, an evolutionary psychologist, has taken a research position at a midwestern institute to study bonobos vis a vis her hypothesis of a "Theory of Bastards," her theory about the benefits of having a lover's baby, rather than your husband's. She is studying the sex habits of the bonobos, attempting to discover whether the females make different choices of sexual partners during their fertile periods than during their non-fertile periods.I really liked the first part of this book describing Frankie's efforts to gain the bonobos' trust, as well as her observations of their behaviors. In fact, there is a lot of information about factual scientific research regarding bonobos which is very interesting. But then, about half-way through the book, it morphs into a climate change apocalyptic novel. A huge dust storm comes up which destroys all technology. The institute is cut off from the rest of the world (whatever remains of it) and Frankie and her research partner must figure out how to feed the bonobos, and how to survive in a catastrophically changed world. I wasn't expecting this, although perhaps I should have been since the novel won a couple of science fiction literary awards.3 stars
    • 5/5
      4.5 starsFirst, this book is unique and hard to describe, but I loved every minute of it. Second, I am truly baffled by the cover which bears little relation to the story; book covers that do not properly depict what is inside the book are a huge pet peeve of mine. Theory of Bastards is set in the near future when resources are scarce and technology controls virtually everything. Schulman’s prose is crisp, compelling, and lyrical, and she crafts characters who are complex, thoughtful, and clever. Her depiction of the future is chilling and unforgiving. I do not want to spoil anything about the book by saying much about the plot, but I loved the book and finished it in less than two days. Highly recommended!
    • 4/5
      Francine (Frankie) is finally able to live her life the way she’d like to. Up until now, her life has been full of pain due to an undiagnosed disease but now she’s pain free. She’s well known for her scientific discovery, “The Theory of Bastards”, and has been given a grant to study bonobos. When a dust storm is expected and mandatory evacuation is imposed, she makes a decision to stay and care for the bonobos, along with the man she loves.This was an unexpected joy of a book. It takes place in a futuristic world, full of human computer implants and driverless cars. The story jumps back and forth from Frankie’s life when she struggles with her pain and present day. I would have given it five stars except for the fact that there were parts of the book that I felt dragged a bit, especially when Frankie first comes to the Foundation to start work with the bonobos. The slow parts are not completely without merit, though, as they include real-life studies of the bonobos that I found to be quite interesting.The story really picks up when the dust storm hits. I hadn’t realized up until that point how much I had grown to care about each of the bonobos and Frankie. The last quarter of the book was very suspenseful and I clung to every word. There’s quite a lesson on the dangers of a society so dependent on technology.Ms. Schulman has given us a well-written book with true heart. It’s a very original look at humanity and mankind’s relationship to the animal world. Recommended.This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.