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The Only Ones
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
15 posts | 13 read | 23 to read
O, The Oprah Magazine's Top 10 Favorite Books of 2015. Washington Post Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Books of 2015. "Fascinating... A heart-piercing tale of love, desire and acceptance. Readers will be mesmerized by Dibbells staccato prose as much as they are by the harrowing circumstances this mother and child must endure." --Washington Post "Breathtaking. [Dibbell has] delivered a debut novel on par with some of the best speculative fiction of the past 30 years;The Only Ones deserves to be shelved alongside Margaret Atwood'sThe Handmaid's Tale, Nalo Hopkinson'sBrown Girl in the Ring, and P. D. James'The Children of Men. It's that good, and that important, and that heartbreakingly beautiful." --NPR "A genre-bending work of punk-rock science fiction." --Nylon "Densely written but swiftly told, this first novel from rock critic Dibbell starts out as literary dystopia and ends up as a deft study of human identity, desperation, and longing." --Library Journal "A well-known rock critic, Dibbell infuses her debut novel with the stylistic grace of a seasoned writer." --Time Out New York "On the other side of Aldous Huxley's brave new world is Carola Dibbell's braver one, all the more unsettling (and maybe even more profound) for being not five hundred years from now but five minutes, in a time at once beyond our control and too immediate to escape. Brilliantly conceived, passionately defiant, deeply felt,The Only Ones introduces -- in the form of central character Inez Fardo -- one of the most memorable and compelling first-person voices in recent American fiction." --Steve Erickson "A bracing, tough minded, farsighted novel about bravery and endurance, motherhood and the way life goes on even after the world ends. Every sentence pierces." --Kelly Link Inez wanders a post-pandemic world, strangely immune to disease, making her living by volunteering as a test subject. She is hired to provide genetic material to a grief-stricken, affluent mother, who lost all four of her daughters within four short weeks. This experimental genetic work is policed by a hazy network of governmental ethics committees, and threatened by the Knights of Life, religious zealots who raze the rural farms where much of this experimentation is done. When the mother backs out at the last minute, Inez is left responsible for the product, which in this case is a baby girl, Ani. Inez must protect Ani, who is a scientific breakthrough, keeping her alive, dodging authorities and religious fanatics, and trying to provide Ani with the childhood that Inez never had, which means a stable home and an education. With a stylish voice influenced by years of music writing,The Only Ones is a time-old story, tender and iconic, about how much we love our children, however they come, as well as a sly commentary on class, politics, and the complexities of reproductive technology. Carola Dibbell is a highly regarded rock critic whose fiction has appeared in theNew Yorker, theParis Review,Fence, andBlack Clock. Writing about books as well as music, Dibbell was aVillage Voice contributor for many years.The Only Ones is her debut novel.
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Guildedearlobe
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Today was crazy so just getting to Day 3 of #tarottakeover. I listened to The Only Ones by Carola Dibella a few years ago and it‘s complex portrayal of fertility and motherhood stuck with me. What struck me most was how it challenged classic ideas of fertility in the light of modern science. it‘s post pandemic scenario is scarily plausible. Not sure how well it fits on with The Empress but it was the first book I thought of when I read the topic.

Erinsuereads Seems like a great fit to me! 5y
73 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
ReviewsMayVary
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Pickpick

I loved Inez's voice as a world-weary, no-nonsense child, to a newly anxious mother, to a reflective woman looking into the future.

File this under: no matter what you do for your kids, they can still be little shits.
Also: unexpected motherhood woes

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coffeenebula
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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At Independents' Day Festival in Columbus, OH. Met these lovely folks from Two Dollar Radio ("Books too loud to ignore"), a local independent publisher. Bought some books, natch, the tagged book and The Gloaming by Melanie Finn. Check them out at https://twodollarradio.com #TwoDollarRadio

monalyisha Cool! 7y
vivastory I love Two Dollar Radio 7y
67 likes2 comments
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SoniaC
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Pickpick

This book is beautifully heartbreaking. The main character Inez will definitely capture your heart. Her drive to live and her overall spirit are endearing. The writing is strong and the story is engaging. I was sad to finish it.

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SoniaC
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Yummy Veggie Burger and Lemon Pie because Dystopian novels encourage me to throw caution to the wind and make poor choices. #lunch #reading

MaryAnn1 Ha ha ha!!😂 7y
51 likes1 stack add1 comment
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SoniaC
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Giant veggie burger and onion rings while I dive into The Only Ones. Great little way to spend the afternoon.

vivastory This book was buried in my TBR list, thanks for the reminder. I'm bumping it higher. 7y
SoniaC @vivastory awesome! I'm very early in but it's grabbed me already. 7y
44 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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TelevisionNeighbor
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Sally likes to absorb books. #brainfuel

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courtney
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Day 4 of #booktober! This is my small bookmark collection. Daria, Jane, Barb, and Dustin came from Janes Tiny Things on Etsy. Also got the black cat because OF COURSE, the sloth because it is my favorite animal, and the far right is my favorite picture of my husband reading in bed 😍 This post is brought to you by: caramel apple martinis 🍸🍎

britt_brooke OMG, Daria and Jane!! 7y
courtney @britt_brooke silently side eyeing me every time I stop reading to check my phone 7y
See All 16 Comments
katedensen The Daria bookmarks are AMAZING. 7y
WoodyWoodson That Barb bookmark! Swoon! ❤❤❤ 7y
courtney @katedfisher I'm in love with them! @WoodyWoodson on the back it says "this is so stupid" ? 7y
WoodyWoodson So good!!!!!!! 7y
Gayan Barb!!!❤️ 7y
Megabooks Daria and Jane ❤️💙💚💜 7y
OffTheBeatenShelf.com I spy The Only Ones! I have it, too. 😍 7y
Trav Love Daria! What cool bookmarks ❤️ 7y
beccaeve I adore Daria! Those are awesome! 7y
DebinHawaii Great bookmarks! 👍❤️ 7y
courtney @Gayan @Ebooksandcooks @trav @beccaeve @DebinHawaii thank you!! All of my favorite TV ladies in bookmark form. I think I might need to get the Eleven one soon, too! @OffTheBeatenShelf.com yes! It has the most gorgeous cover. Have you read it? I finished it in the spring and had conflicting thoughts 😏 7y
Gayan @courtney I ordered the Dustin one today along with some others for Christmas presents. Thanks for mentioning the shop. 👍🏻 7y
OffTheBeatenShelf.com @courtney I just got it not too long ago, so I haven't read it yet. It's just one I haven't seen on many bookshelves! 7y
81 likes16 comments
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Jokila
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Two-Dollar Radio's books are always so well-designed. Beautiful covers and innovation choices. Can't wait to start this one

review
katcalvin
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Pickpick

This is another book I was reminded of that blew my mind last year. A dystopian tale like no other told in a voice that has never been heard in this or most fiction. So amazing.

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hbchilders
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell

So many dystopias. This one stood out for me. What is a child? What is a parent? Took Huxley's Brave New World to a personal ending.

1 like1 stack add
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courtney
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Mehso-so

It took me a little while to gain my footing in this story. There is some terminology/processes that go unexplained, but I couldn't put it down towards the end of the book. Some parts are tedious, but others are full of tension. Nice post-pandemic story but not my fave. 🌟🌟🌟.5

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courtney
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell

I heard his truck drive off. I was alone on this empty, creaky Farm way out in the sticks. I been in worse situations, believe me. At least this one got heat.

15 likes1 stack add
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courtney
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Lunch break reading with my new favorite book mark. Still finding my place in this world but it is bleak.

22 likes4 stack adds
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courtney
The Only Ones | Carola Dibbell
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Halp! What book should I read next? I'm also intrigued by The Cuckoos Calling by "Robert Galbraith." It's just up so high on my shelf right now and I couldn't reach ?

mllemay I vote for The Cuckoo's Calling, I found it really enjoyable! I haven't read the other two though, so I'm definitely not objective 😁 8y
MyBookLife I have only read The wind-up bird chronicle, so my vote is for Murakami 😄✌🏻️ 8y
samuellinde When in doubt, always pick the Murakami book! 8y
courtney @MyBookLife @samuellinde I've never read Murakami before! I'm so excited to though. I went the other direction on my choice but it might have to be next! 8y
courtney @mllemay I can't wait to read it. I've heard great things about the series as a whole 8y
22 likes3 stack adds5 comments