Birthmarked is a quiet, yet powerful, story of Gaia, a trained midwife. Set in a dystopian society, where Gaia must "advance" the first three babies born each month, the advanced babies are given a better life within the walls of the Enclave.After reflecting on this book, it's hard to put my finger on what was so mesmerizing about the story. It's not fast-paced, but I couldn't put it down. The characters were endearing and so REAL and the storyline was fluid and well-paced. O'Brien's writing is effortless and the reader feels the emotions along with the characters, yet the storyline never feels forced.I will definitely be reading the second book in the series, since I'm eager to find out what happens next!(Sidenote: I was reading this book in the staff room and a coworker asked what it was about. I hesitated, unsure of exactly how to describe the story. Finally, I said "it's dystopian fiction." Her response? "Don't use such big words. What is it about?" I giggled to myself for a while afterwards.)Review also posted at: http://writergrrlreads.blogspot.com/2012/02/birthmarked-caragh-m-obrien.html
