Written for the Open Novella Contest 2021, The Trouble with Women by rdracine  used this prompt as a springboard: "The Virtual Implant was supposed to be a revolutionary breakthrough; for a time, it was."

"WHAT LITTLE POWER we had left, and it wasn't much—a well-trampled battlefield, a territory of porous borders that we'd held onto only because they hadn't figured out how to move us from it—we gave it away."

I was engaged immediately by the opening paragraph, with its ominous undertones. And every woman can identify with the description of a routine medical procedure which follows!

Set in a more or less contemporary world like our own, The Trouble with Women, is a dystopian feminist story.

It begins so reasonably. In order to combat climate change, we need to reduce our population. Something in fact with which I personally agree. However.

When the individual makes that decision, that's one thing. When the state makes it for you, that's another.

Every woman in Canada is given an implant for their uterus along with the cervical smear test, to prevent them conceiving. And refusal is not an option.

Without giving away too much of the plot, the story continues with a slow unfolding of gradual loss of other liberties for women. The Ladies Bar is reintroduced, if you want to drink in the other bar, you must be accompanied by a man. If eventually you decide you'd like to have a baby, and pass through all the necessary hoops to get approval, you must immediately give up your job.

Along side this thread runs another story line of growing rage events perpetrated by women. So called 'man crimes,' a co-worker is groped, a man is date raped, crimes more usually connected to men than women. A fascinating concept.

As Renee says herself, "it becomes evident that the mandatory implant is wreaking havoc on women's impulse control. Is the rage she feels bubbling within a natural reaction to an unjust society or is there something more sinister at play?"

And then there is the story of Dolores herself.

The Trouble with Women is a strong and powerfully written work, by a skilled and mature writer.

I highly recommend it!

★★★★★