Not long ago, I found myself being offered a subscription to a genealogy site while I was ordering crisps online. It seemed an odd moment to embark on a journey into my presumably colourful history, but this is where our modern fascination with our roots and sense of self has taken us.
The peculiarity of this proposition wouldn’t have struck me had I not finished reading Kate Davies’ novel Nuclear Family. The book intertwines two main themes: DNA testing, and the dynamics within a close family circle.
In Davies’ second novel, we meet Lena who gifts her twin sister Alison, and their dad Tom, DNA testing kits for Christmas merely for fun. Lena didn’t dwell much on the purchase, she thought it would be intriguing to find out if they had any unexpected or exciting French ancestry perhaps. But this casual present reveals an unexpected fact: the twins were conceived via a donor. The ensuing tale is a brilliant exploration of the traditional family narrative, addressing topical issues around health data and particulary sperm donation.
The question of parentage and its effects, whether we know our biological roots or not, has a deep-rooted presence in literature. An example being the uncertain lineage of Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. Jackie Kay, writer and poet, tracked her biological parents in her memoir The Red Dust Road, published in 2010.
Structuring on this, Nuclear Family brings a layer of complexity as Alison and her partner, both donor-conceived, plan to use a sperm donor for conception. The passion and ardour showcased in these scenes is compelling as they navigate the process of IVF treatment.
This form of queer love is underrepresented and novels like Nuclear Family serve as a valuable addition to reshaping societal norms, highlighting the beauty of diverse family structures. The importance of such a narrative cannot be underestimated, particularly because it steers clear from an overly-idealistic portrayal. It empathetically depicts the hurdles faced during the IVF process. This sequel to Davies’ Polari Book Prize-winning book, In at the Deep End, is an exceptional blend of gravity and pleasure.