Review: Regression by Kathy Bell

Regression is the debut novel of Kathy Bell (Canadian author) and published by Northern Sanctum Press.

This book is appropriate for who loves catastrophic subject, genetics; in a nutshell is a book about how could we save the world?

Adya Jordan (the girl-woman who lived twice, or three times: in the last pages as Dawn Ingram) with the help of a big company (Three Eleven) found out she is the woman who will rescue the mankind from extinction.
Every three chapters the story takes a break and catches up with the journal of Nicholas Weaver, the last survivor of the human race.

The prose is readable and you can either read the whole book, or read it skipping the Adya’s journey in the Island Three Eleven headquarters from page 81 to page 179 (very boring), or read the Nicholas Weaver’s journal only.

Regression looks more like a movie plot than a book (I would suggest the actress Gong Li as Adya): minor characters are just outlined and the connection between the several parts of the book are not linear but abrupt. Maybe in a movie these inconsistencies can be exceeded.

The background of Adya is not original: Adya means Mother Earth, associated with fertility, aura; this conception has been idolized in many societies through the centuries.

From the description I expected a book like The Road by Cormac McCarthy but my first impression was: finally I’ve learned how to grill a steak! (Adya teaches you, see page 141), and nothing else.
I liked just the Weaver’s journal where I found the McCarthy’s soul.

I recommend this book in this reading/watching sequence: first: Regression; second: The Year of the Flood by M. Atwood; third: I am Legend (the movie); fourth: The Road by C. McCarthy and the last but not the least Blade Runner (the movie).

“In any case, time is not a thing that passes, said Pilar: it’s a sea on which you float” (The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood).