First published 2026
Natalie works at a workplace harassment call center, her jaw aching from stress she cannot afford to treat. She has no dental insurance, no particular talents, and crushing student loans. At the blood bank where she sells plasma for cash, she finds a flyer that leads her to The Company. They select her for their pilot program as an in-house corporate surrogate. The Company frames this as advancing gender equity, allowing women to become mothers without sacrificing careers. Natalie accepts and finds herself living in a luxury condo with prepared meals, fitness coaches, nutritionists, and constant medical care. Between pregnancies, she has complete freedom from work obligations. For the first time, she excels at her job and feels truly free. Just as she nears the end of her contract, a staffing change throws her into a different social experiment entirely. There she confronts new questions about her future, her freedom, and her place in the world. Anderson crafts a story that is both wickedly funny and deeply moving about a woman finding herself while balanced precariously within capitalist systems.
Genres: fiction, dystopia, contemporary, social-issues, 21st-century, contemporary-romance
Vibes: dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-commentary
Setting: The Company
Period: 21st-century
336 pages · Hardcover · Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Content warnings: medical-trauma