Calla knows how the lottery works. Everyone does. On the day of your first bleed, you report to the station to learn what kind of woman you will be. A white ticket grants you children. A blue ticket grants you freedom. You are relieved of the terrible burden of choice. And, once you’ve taken your ticket, there is no going back.
But what if the life you’re given is the wrong one?
Blue Ticket is a devastating enquiry into free will and the fraught space of motherhood. Bold and chilling, it pushes beneath the skin of female identity and patriarchal violence, to the point where human longing meets our animal bodies.
‘Dreamlike, tense, compelling, [with] a pitch-perfect ending’ The New York Times
‘In this dark fable…Mackintosh sensitively conveys resonant questions about motherhood, female solidarity, queer love, and bodily autonomy.’ The New Yorker
‘Gripping, ethereal, atmospheric’ Sunday Times
‘Thoughtful and haunting’ Observer
‘Terrifying and enchanting in equal measure’ LitHub
‘Utterly exquisite – clever and brilliant and heartbreaking. From the dusty road to the salving forest, I absolutely adored it.’ Emma Jane Unsworth