2.5 stars. This would have been much better as an essay or novella. The allegory wore thin over the course of a full novel, and there wasn’t enough plot to sustain it. But I liked the prose and it was an interesting thought experiment, and as someone who is very happily child-free by choice, the depictions of the drudgery of toddler-rearing reinforced my feeing of having dodged a bullet! Ultimately, a more satisfying ending would have redeemed the book, but as it is, I don’t think I would recommend it.