As I’m reading through this book, I can’t help but to make allusions to just about every social issue in the world. Animal rights, human cloning, organized crime, political corruption, stem cell therapy, slavery, etc… At the same time, the book also deals with extremely complex maternal psychology. Overall, the story is pretty fast paced, things happen progressively, very quickly. Also, background information is dropped in once in a while through various occurrences. One thing I really noticed, thought, was how important nuggets of information were being repeated over and over again. This was probably one of the reasons why I was able to get through the reading so easily, this time. Aside from the fact that it is a piece written for young adults. What I’m getting at though, is that I really like the choice of setting that the author chose; because it allows for more simple call-backs. That is, the technology in the book is obviously advanced, but us as readers only know as much as Matt finds out. I don’t even think it’s really clear what time period the story even takes place is.
I thought that this was a very interesting dichotomy: how El Patron uses advanced medical techniques and technology to provide him with his unnatural life, but also keeps his Ranch exactly like his old village. Although, the most interesting thing I found about that is: the cows. Of all the animals to choose, why a cow? Also, if the cows were rejecting the fetuses, why keep using them? If El Patron had so much power and control, and he could implant chips into people to do whatever their masters told them, then why didn’t he use a bunch of eeijits as surrogates? I’m guessing it’s to add on to the dehumanizing aspect in the beginning of the story where it’s really poured on, especially the idea that he doesn’t have actual parents, and I think it was Steven who said it but I’m not sure, that cows can’t give birth to humans, therefore Matt’s not a human? I also thought the scene where Tan Lim makes his final goodbye is really cheesy, the “dirty little secret” line. I guess it was important for Matt to find out, but wouldn’t he have realized it? He’s supposed to be clever, and the kids or the maids couldn’t tell when they first found him. That scene just killed Tan Lim for me, he was such a cool, bad ass before, oh well.