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Table of Contents
About the Book
In a near future plagued by plummeting birthrates and a male loneliness epidemic, a mysterious start-up called Hatch recruits “high-value” women with a seductive promise: trade your grueling work life for subsidized security, a beautiful home, and a robotic butler to handle every domestic burden.
You simply trade in your corporate labor for child labor—through being inseminated with a male match’s sperm.
Lena Do is one of those women. She’s been stuck in corporate America for far too long. She hates her life. She has no nuclear family, no cousins, and no support system. The world is shrinking, and it’s not just the men who are lonely.
So when she receives an invitation to Hatch, she’s wooed by their promises of connection and happiness. But the pristine, utopian facade begins to crack when the women around her vanish, and has no choice but to race against the clock to uncover the truth behind the company before she’s trapped forever—all the while trying to discern whose side her robot butler is really on.
With biting social critique, Fetal Position examines survival, complicity, artificial life, bodily autonomy, and the chilling reality of an increasingly data-driven world that optimizes who deserves love—and who deserves to live.
Product Details
- Publisher: Atria Books (December 1, 2026)
- Length: 256 pages
- ISBN13: 9781668094396
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Raves and Reviews
"With piercing insight, Huynh expertly confronts motherhood and identity, gender and power, freedom and choice. The result is an unforgettable premise both fearsome and aspirational."
—Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"Huynh’s novel feels very timely amidst our growing dependence on technology and our influencer-saturated media landscape. As she explores the shared human experience of loneliness, what separates people from bots, and the powerful and deceptive effects of marketing on culture and society, her captivating and thought-provoking novel will keep readers engaged until the end."
—Booklist
"Hyunh delivers an eerie dystopian tale worthy of a Black Mirror episode."
—Publishers Weekly
"Huynh creates a fascinating world [and] weavrs in a shadowy mystery that compels readers to keep turning pages...The thought-provoking elements of Huynh's novel stand out and will appeal to philosophical, forward-thinking readers."
—Library Journal
“Fetal Position is a gripping and original spin on the growing literary canon surrounding Trad Wives. This book is an eerie blend of The Handmaid’s Tale and Ex Machina, where every page feels impossibly relevant for today’s society, and something sinister is always hiding beneath the surface.“
—Liann Zhang, award-winning author of Julie Chan is Dead
"A propulsive and terrifying look at a possible future where women have triumphed over men, yet still long for traditional family structures—and the sinister plot to take advantage of the best of them. A haunting, innovative page-turner with razor-sharp social commentary on gender dynamics, AI, and the cost of power."
—Gabrielle Korn, acclaimed author of Yours for the Taking
"Fetal Position is a wild ride, and I'd happily get back in line to experience it over and over again. Huynh has achieved what the best dystopian authors do so well: she's at once given us biting social commentary, an intoxicatingly suspenseful story, and a hero we cheer for at every turn. Fetal Position so brilliantly interrogates the nature of motherhood, connection, bodily autonomy, the gender war, what makes a family, and beyond. If the fetal position is the position we naturally take to protect our vulnerable parts, then this book dares to ask the question: what if we find new ways to be in the world and with each other? Ways that lower our defenses to make way for new means of connection and love."
—Mac Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself
Praise for The Family Recipe
"This story about bickering Vietnamese American siblings and their secretive elders is a funny yet poignant tale of one family's search for belonging and understanding." —Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake
"Carolyn Huynh once again shares her wondrous ability to blend humor, history, and heart through her intricately woven story. With wit, warmth, and insight, she brings to life the powerfully haunting experience of survival and sacrifice for the Tran family, their secrets and struggles pushing them to a reckoning point. In The Family Recipe, Huynh explores complicated, fraught relationships and examines the sacrifices of reaching for the American dream, all while delighting us with her unforgettable characters. Vivid, whimsical, and wonderfully satisfying." —Diane Marie Brown, author of Black Candle Women
“You can always count me in for a story about generations of cursed women, but I was surprised—and thoroughly delighted—to discover how much I would laugh out loud at the exploits of these mothers, daughters, and sisters. Carolyn Huynh’s The Fortunes of Jaded Women is a terrific debut. I’m eager to read more from her.”
– Lisa See, the New York Times bestselling author of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
"Superstition, sibling rivalry, well-meaning mothers who meddle in the lives of their daughters—who then grow up to be well-meaning mothers who meddle in the lives of their daughters. The Fortunes of Jaded Women pulls off the magic trick of being a heartfelt, multi-generational epic as well as a fast-paced, hilarious romp. It is your good fortune to have this novel in your hands."
– Camille Perri, acclaimed author of The Assistants and When Katie Met Cassidy
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