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Orphancorp #1
Welcome To Orphancorp
A sharp-edged semi-futuristic riff about a rebellious teenager's last week at an industrial orphanage.
'Takes all of your dystopian nightmares and connects them to a mother lode of pure emotional intensity. There's so much keen detail here about the cruel logic of oppressive institutions, you'll feel Mirii's yearning for freedom in your bones - and you'll rejoice at every tiny moment of escape that she achieves. Welcome to Orphancorp is harrowing, scarily real, and ultimately super moving.' - Charlie Jane Anders (i09)
'Punchy, crunchy, sexy and smart, Welcome to Orphancorp is a short, sharp shock of a story with bruised-but-not broken characters and a bonsai dystopia you can actually believe in. Marlee Jane Ward is a writer of heart and passion, muscle and slow-burning anger.' - Ian McDonald
'Welcome to Orphancorp is an intimate, heartfelt story set in the darkest of places. I can't stop thinking about these characters.' - Kij Johnson
'An object lesson in how to dehumanise young people by locking them up and depriving them of all warmth and care - has never been more timely. This gritty, greasy story is peppered with violence and lit with the slenderest shafts of affection and hope. It will make your jaw clench with fear for the indomitable Mirii Mahoney, and your fist punch the air at her every tiny victory.' - Margo Lanagan
'Takes all of your dystopian nightmares and connects them to a mother lode of pure emotional intensity. There's so much keen detail here about the cruel logic of oppressive institutions, you'll feel Mirii's yearning for freedom in your bones - and you'll rejoice at every tiny moment of escape that she achieves. Welcome to Orphancorp is harrowing, scarily real, and ultimately super moving.' - Charlie Jane Anders (i09)
'Punchy, crunchy, sexy and smart, Welcome to Orphancorp is a short, sharp shock of a story with bruised-but-not broken characters and a bonsai dystopia you can actually believe in. Marlee Jane Ward is a writer of heart and passion, muscle and slow-burning anger.' - Ian McDonald
'Welcome to Orphancorp is an intimate, heartfelt story set in the darkest of places. I can't stop thinking about these characters.' - Kij Johnson
'An object lesson in how to dehumanise young people by locking them up and depriving them of all warmth and care - has never been more timely. This gritty, greasy story is peppered with violence and lit with the slenderest shafts of affection and hope. It will make your jaw clench with fear for the indomitable Mirii Mahoney, and your fist punch the air at her every tiny victory.' - Margo Lanagan
130 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2015
About the author
Marlee Jane Ward
17 books65 followersI’m a writer from Melbourne, Australia.
I grew up on the Central Coast of New South Wales and studied creative writing at the University of Wollongong. I attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2014.
You can find my short stories at Interzone, Interfictions, Terraform, Apex, The Sockdolager, Aurealis, Mad Scientist Journal, Slink Chunk Press, Feminartsy and the In Your Face, Hear Me Roar, Kindred, Best Summer Stories, and Someone Like You anthologies.
My debut novella, Welcome To Orphancorp, won Seizure’s Viva La Novella 3 and the 2016 Victorian Premiers Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction. It was shortlisted for The NSW Premiers Award, an Aurealis Award, and the Norma K Hemming Award.
I grew up on the Central Coast of New South Wales and studied creative writing at the University of Wollongong. I attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2014.
You can find my short stories at Interzone, Interfictions, Terraform, Apex, The Sockdolager, Aurealis, Mad Scientist Journal, Slink Chunk Press, Feminartsy and the In Your Face, Hear Me Roar, Kindred, Best Summer Stories, and Someone Like You anthologies.
My debut novella, Welcome To Orphancorp, won Seizure’s Viva La Novella 3 and the 2016 Victorian Premiers Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction. It was shortlisted for The NSW Premiers Award, an Aurealis Award, and the Norma K Hemming Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
June 23, 2019
This short, award winning novella packs a lot into its slim pages. We follow one Miriiyanan "Mirii" Mahoney, half-Aboriginal half-Irish girl, who is transferred into a Verity House unit in Sydney for her last 7 days before turning 18 and being either let go to find work, or, if she messes up, being transferred on the some Prisoncorp place, for life. Verity House is just one Orphancorp chain among many (others include Sunshine Gardens, KidsCo, and the very worst, Punkin Patch), buying orphans and other kids without family (or without parents who are allowed to keep their kids). Some of the kids have been born into this system, some have even (I guess) come out of Prisoncorp unfortunates.
As you read you find out much about the Orphancorp system, though some rules vary among the corp chains. Food, clothes, building style, inbuilt secret emotional-and-skills support system, school and work, age divisions, rules, Aunts & Uncles, and the adult-level punishments. You also find how much Mirii's carefulness is opposite to certain others' ways of dealing with living in this system (particularly her new enemy, .)
But not only enemies; she finds friendship and a possible , in Vu, who drives Mirii on in her choices in what to do if she gets through and free, and in next book, it partly drives the plot (possibly: I have pretty much no chance of reading the other two books, though some previews I've gained some information about the plots, though not of the ending). This is a sometimes brutal view of a near-future Australia, but remains interesting and heartbreaking at the same time. Loved it.
As you read you find out much about the Orphancorp system, though some rules vary among the corp chains. Food, clothes, building style, inbuilt secret emotional-and-skills support system, school and work, age divisions, rules, Aunts & Uncles, and the adult-level punishments. You also find how much Mirii's carefulness is opposite to certain others' ways of dealing with living in this system (particularly her new enemy, .)
But not only enemies; she finds friendship and a possible , in Vu, who drives Mirii on in her choices in what to do if she gets through and free, and in next book, it partly drives the plot (possibly: I have pretty much no chance of reading the other two books, though some previews I've gained some information about the plots, though not of the ending). This is a sometimes brutal view of a near-future Australia, but remains interesting and heartbreaking at the same time. Loved it.
June 29, 2016
Beach Book #4 - another Australian Author who I met and hung out with during my trip to Australia in April. This one is very different from the books I've been reading. It's a near future dystopian where all the kids are raised in group "homes" (more like prisons) until they're released at age 18. This is not a YA book - it's shows a very brutal reality and doesn't shy away from some very hard topics. But despite the horrors of their world, the kids find ways to cope and even love in this loveless environment. Not what I'd call a beach book, but definitely worth a read.
October 9, 2018
A dark dystopian where children are "orphaned" and locked away within prison-like facilities. The story covers the last week of Mirya who is scheduled to be released on the day she turns 18.
The children's lives are miserable, the punishment harsh and extreme. The infringements include having any human contact. The only relief they have is through illegal night-time couplings with each other. Book 2 awaits.
The children's lives are miserable, the punishment harsh and extreme. The infringements include having any human contact. The only relief they have is through illegal night-time couplings with each other. Book 2 awaits.
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November 8, 2017I'm adding this, even though I just read the sequel, Psynode.
And what I want to know is why aren't you sci-fi, futurist loving diversity-loving readers all over this book?
This book is slightly horrifying, strangely beautiful and unabashedly queer. And, for a non sci-fi-loving, non-futuristic-dystopia-loving type, it was bloody good. I mean, it won awards here in Australia. For a reason.
It's short, but it's quite a ride.
Get on it!
(Oh, and I suspect there will be a third book, too.)
(I don't rate YA books because what kind of *hole YA writer judges other YA writers? Out loud, anyway? But if I wasn't, there'd be, like, all kinds of stars.)
And what I want to know is why aren't you sci-fi, futurist loving diversity-loving readers all over this book?
This book is slightly horrifying, strangely beautiful and unabashedly queer. And, for a non sci-fi-loving, non-futuristic-dystopia-loving type, it was bloody good. I mean, it won awards here in Australia. For a reason.
It's short, but it's quite a ride.
Get on it!
(Oh, and I suspect there will be a third book, too.)
(I don't rate YA books because what kind of *hole YA writer judges other YA writers? Out loud, anyway? But if I wasn't, there'd be, like, all kinds of stars.)
February 28, 2016
One of the best YA dystopian novels you may ever read because the messy, shizzed-up, uncontrived world completely stands up from every angle.
I tore through this chronicle of fugged-up, Aussie-inflected bad-arsery, which is chockfull of kids of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities desperately trying to survive State-sanctioned mandatory detention. Especial kudos for gender-fluid Ara Jadhav, and Mirii's bespectacled love interest, Adeline Vu.
Every word is like a shard of glass to the heart. Read the torture scene if you don't believe me.
I want to know what happens next, Marlee Jane Ward.
I tore through this chronicle of fugged-up, Aussie-inflected bad-arsery, which is chockfull of kids of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities desperately trying to survive State-sanctioned mandatory detention. Especial kudos for gender-fluid Ara Jadhav, and Mirii's bespectacled love interest, Adeline Vu.
Every word is like a shard of glass to the heart. Read the torture scene if you don't believe me.
I want to know what happens next, Marlee Jane Ward.
August 31, 2015
This novella is an absolute killer - smart, beautifully written, funny and progressive. This is what sci-fi should be, a must read for anyone who is getting bored of the same old shit.
on-hold
May 27, 2018I'll have had this book for two years come June, and am finally getting around to reading it because I'm on a panel with Marlee this year...
Only a few pages in, it already packs a punch.
Only a few pages in, it already packs a punch.
June 16, 2016
Damn. Short, sharp and to the point. Great voice, which is something that can be said of Viva la Novella winners in general. Brutal but tender. Does so much in so few pages. There really is no reason not to get it now.
October 5, 2016
I read this novella on very little information, which I consequently think is the very best way to go into this story!
Mirii is a young aboriginal girl who lives in an Orphancorp in this dystopian world. Ophancorps are populated by Aunties and Uncles and of course the orphans themselves who are charged with what more or less is slave labour until the time they are 18 years old and 'age out', hopefully into the real world, and not a Prisoncorp. Though we never actually get a glimpse of any Prisoncorps, the impressions of them are chilling enough.
This story tells the last seven days of Mirii's stay in an Orphancorp, falling in love with Adeline Vu, her period within Time Out, and the loyalty of friendship and kindness within a place where that's hard to find. I especially loved the short moment between Mirii and the nonbinary character Ara and the fact that neither that nor her romance with Vu were made a bigger deal of. They just were. Such is the beauty of the best written sci-fi and dystopia.
It's really moving to read this story, with Marlee Jane's gorgeous and evocative prose that go through the horrors and the highs that are permitted to go on. Even Auntie Bev, who is not a particularly nice person, seems wholly beneficent as she merely follows the protocol towards the end.
The story doesn't necessarily give a happy ending so much as an ending where there is hope of... something. I'm equally torn between loving this story as a stand alone, and also wanting more set in this world.
Mirii is a young aboriginal girl who lives in an Orphancorp in this dystopian world. Ophancorps are populated by Aunties and Uncles and of course the orphans themselves who are charged with what more or less is slave labour until the time they are 18 years old and 'age out', hopefully into the real world, and not a Prisoncorp. Though we never actually get a glimpse of any Prisoncorps, the impressions of them are chilling enough.
This story tells the last seven days of Mirii's stay in an Orphancorp, falling in love with Adeline Vu, her period within Time Out, and the loyalty of friendship and kindness within a place where that's hard to find. I especially loved the short moment between Mirii and the nonbinary character Ara and the fact that neither that nor her romance with Vu were made a bigger deal of. They just were. Such is the beauty of the best written sci-fi and dystopia.
It's really moving to read this story, with Marlee Jane's gorgeous and evocative prose that go through the horrors and the highs that are permitted to go on. Even Auntie Bev, who is not a particularly nice person, seems wholly beneficent as she merely follows the protocol towards the end.
The story doesn't necessarily give a happy ending so much as an ending where there is hope of... something. I'm equally torn between loving this story as a stand alone, and also wanting more set in this world.
October 8, 2015
I received this via the Goodreads First Reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
This book was originally a short story, and as I read it, I found myself thinking that it would have been better had it stayed a short story. It lacked character development. I didn't get to know Mirii enough to feel a connection with her. Vu was an interesting character, but I didn't get to know her well enough either, even as a secondary character.
As far as Orphancorp, I still only have a vague understanding of what exactly it is. I'm assuming it's a prison-like institution for orphans, but the book didn't describe the process that the children go through to get there. Are they first put in foster care, or does foster care no longer exist? Ward did explain that the children are somewhat encouraged to have sex, so that more babies are born into the system. But why? Why does Orphancorp want children? I'm assuming it's for labor, but that wasn't really explored. The book centered on Mirii's relationship with Vu, her friendship with a little boy named Cam, and situations like "cuddle parties" where the children lounge in the bathroom, exchanging physical affection and sexual favors. The idea of a cuddle party for children who are deprived of physical human contact was somewhat poetic, but it didn't come together for me. I found myself feeling some empathy for these children but not enough. The characters just weren't very likable or compelling in general.
It reminded me a lot of Orange is the New Black. A lot. The "naughty chair" and "time out" replace The SHU - children who end up here are kept in isolation and sometimes tortured. The writing that depicts these places isn't scary or gripping. Just sort of depressing.
I agree with another reviewer who said there's a lot of slang. I wasn't thrilled with that either. I understand using it to make the characters feel realistic and edgy, but it made the writing choppy, and it just didn't flow.
This book was originally a short story, and as I read it, I found myself thinking that it would have been better had it stayed a short story. It lacked character development. I didn't get to know Mirii enough to feel a connection with her. Vu was an interesting character, but I didn't get to know her well enough either, even as a secondary character.
As far as Orphancorp, I still only have a vague understanding of what exactly it is. I'm assuming it's a prison-like institution for orphans, but the book didn't describe the process that the children go through to get there. Are they first put in foster care, or does foster care no longer exist? Ward did explain that the children are somewhat encouraged to have sex, so that more babies are born into the system. But why? Why does Orphancorp want children? I'm assuming it's for labor, but that wasn't really explored. The book centered on Mirii's relationship with Vu, her friendship with a little boy named Cam, and situations like "cuddle parties" where the children lounge in the bathroom, exchanging physical affection and sexual favors. The idea of a cuddle party for children who are deprived of physical human contact was somewhat poetic, but it didn't come together for me. I found myself feeling some empathy for these children but not enough. The characters just weren't very likable or compelling in general.
It reminded me a lot of Orange is the New Black. A lot. The "naughty chair" and "time out" replace The SHU - children who end up here are kept in isolation and sometimes tortured. The writing that depicts these places isn't scary or gripping. Just sort of depressing.
I agree with another reviewer who said there's a lot of slang. I wasn't thrilled with that either. I understand using it to make the characters feel realistic and edgy, but it made the writing choppy, and it just didn't flow.
September 30, 2015
Orphancorp is a short story from the perspective of an orphan, one who grew up in the system in a futuristic world where orphans are no longer wards of the state but are a corporate commodity. Purchased from the state and forced to work in a prison like facility where orgies, drug use, and all things adult are experienced by kids devoid of love, real futures, hope, and worst of all, never know the joys of childhood. Drawing people of the worst kind to work at these corps, one can accurately guess the violations of human rights experienced in these places.
The style was fantastic, Marlee sunk herself completely soul and all into their main character whose language is unusual and laden with slang.
This book was presented with no back story, no window into the year or what kind of world exists. Instead you are saturated in Orphancorp which gives you, as the story progresses, a window into the vile world humanity exists in.
I felt that Marlee has drawn on the realities of some countries where children already work as slave labor in today's time. This would have provided strong motivation for such a book, and if their aim was to make us question humanity and current practices then they succeeded flawlessly.
I didn't feel as emotionally involved as I have in other texts I have read. I wasn't invested but I was driven by interest in the modern world that, let's be honest, is probably where we are headed. This was the only reason I couldn't award more stars. The author didn't get me to feel, despite the awful things these kids endured I didn't 'feel'. However, if you want a powerful book that makes you think, which I also feel would be suitable for young adults capable of handling sexual themes etc.
I received this book free in the GoodReads First Read giveaway.
The style was fantastic, Marlee sunk herself completely soul and all into their main character whose language is unusual and laden with slang.
This book was presented with no back story, no window into the year or what kind of world exists. Instead you are saturated in Orphancorp which gives you, as the story progresses, a window into the vile world humanity exists in.
I felt that Marlee has drawn on the realities of some countries where children already work as slave labor in today's time. This would have provided strong motivation for such a book, and if their aim was to make us question humanity and current practices then they succeeded flawlessly.
I didn't feel as emotionally involved as I have in other texts I have read. I wasn't invested but I was driven by interest in the modern world that, let's be honest, is probably where we are headed. This was the only reason I couldn't award more stars. The author didn't get me to feel, despite the awful things these kids endured I didn't 'feel'. However, if you want a powerful book that makes you think, which I also feel would be suitable for young adults capable of handling sexual themes etc.
I received this book free in the GoodReads First Read giveaway.
January 16, 2016
In this dystopian novella, orphans are managed through industrial orphanages - orphancorps - which are cruel prison-like facilities. With only a week left until she turns 18, Mirii is transferred to a new orphancorp. All she needs to do is keep her head down and avoid trouble, and she's free to enter the world as an adult.
Of course, this doesn't happen, but to say any more would be spoiling. This brilliant piece is a somewhat-Dickensian vision of the future. However, what is really striking about this piece is the honest portrayals of adolescence, as this ensemble of characters struggle to find connection and survive in a cruel oppressive environment.
My only complaint is that this was only a novella, and far too short. I hope that its success, both as the winner of the 2015 Seizure Viva La Novella prize, and shortlisting for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award will mean that we get to explore this world further in the future...
Of course, this doesn't happen, but to say any more would be spoiling. This brilliant piece is a somewhat-Dickensian vision of the future. However, what is really striking about this piece is the honest portrayals of adolescence, as this ensemble of characters struggle to find connection and survive in a cruel oppressive environment.
My only complaint is that this was only a novella, and far too short. I hope that its success, both as the winner of the 2015 Seizure Viva La Novella prize, and shortlisting for the Victorian Premier's Literary Award will mean that we get to explore this world further in the future...
September 23, 2016
A good novella set in an Australian dystopian orphanage, not at all nice with the kids.
Mirii arrives at a new orphanage, but all the orphanages are the same. The schedule is simple: work, eat disgusting food, don't touch others, follow the rules or pay. The only thing that changes is the orphans and Mirii's cellmates are a nice bunch.
The novella was interesting and well paced. Everything happened in the same place, so I missed the lack of informations about the society, but the orphanage microcosm was nicely built and believable. The cast was really varied, with different ethnicities, sexual orientations, ages and personalities. I wouldn't say I really connected with the characters but it was interesting to follow their stories and to discover at the same time their lives and how they dealt with the abusive rules.
Mirii arrives at a new orphanage, but all the orphanages are the same. The schedule is simple: work, eat disgusting food, don't touch others, follow the rules or pay. The only thing that changes is the orphans and Mirii's cellmates are a nice bunch.
The novella was interesting and well paced. Everything happened in the same place, so I missed the lack of informations about the society, but the orphanage microcosm was nicely built and believable. The cast was really varied, with different ethnicities, sexual orientations, ages and personalities. I wouldn't say I really connected with the characters but it was interesting to follow their stories and to discover at the same time their lives and how they dealt with the abusive rules.
October 31, 2015
This book is tangy, full of life and outrage and physical joy in other people's bodies and little moments of revenge against a crushing system of oppression. A crunchy little gem.
September 3, 2019
I loved this book! read it in like one day, (not very long) thought it was great! highly recommend for teens! hell yeah!
September 12, 2020
honestly im just happy that theres some good dystopian YA fic and that it also happens to be australian (australian books never do genre!)
November 16, 2024
This book is pretty much as bleak as it sounds. Near-future dystopian Australia. Novella. Been sitting on my shelves judging me for not getting to it for a while.
It was a pretty good read though. I purchased the sequel straight away, but then realised I needed a break before continuing on in that world. (Also, it looked like it might be hard to get my hands on book 3, which is a bit concerning but a problem for later.)
But if you want to read about a dystopia where children are commodified workers in institutions very much devoid of caring adults, then Welcome to Orphancorp by Marlee Jane Ward is the book for you.
It was a pretty good read though. I purchased the sequel straight away, but then realised I needed a break before continuing on in that world. (Also, it looked like it might be hard to get my hands on book 3, which is a bit concerning but a problem for later.)
But if you want to read about a dystopia where children are commodified workers in institutions very much devoid of caring adults, then Welcome to Orphancorp by Marlee Jane Ward is the book for you.
July 20, 2017
A short, sharp, shock of a book about the last week that Mirii spends in the oppressive Orphancorp. It's brevity meant that most of the other characters were underdeveloped - I wanted to know more about Vu and Cam - but it's filled with brilliant moments and has me hanging for the follow-up Psynode
August 15, 2016
"In an Orphancorp, there’s not a lot of physical contact, and the touches we do get usually hurt. Without each other, maybe we’d go through life thinking that hands are just slaps and fists, not for grasping or stroking."
Welcome to Orphancorp is a gritty, first-person dystopian novella following seventeen year-old Miriiyanana Mahoney. Mirii is seven days away from Age Release when she is transferred to a new Verity House. It doesn’t matter to Mirii where she is transferred to, because all of the compounds have the same layouts and the same wardens, known as Aunties and Uncles, who use brutality and humiliation to keep the orphans in line. The Orphancorps buy unaccompanied minors from the state, but they have to release them back into society when they turn eighteen. That is, unless the orphans mess up before they’re due for release, in which case they are transferred to Prisoncorp.
There are only seven chapters in Welcome to Orphancorp, which are listed in descending order, counting down to Mirii's her release date. Upon her arrival to a new Verity House, Mirii is warned by one of the aunties that she needs to keep her mouth shut in order to make it to her release date. While the novella is structured around the seven day countdown, Welcome to Orphancorp isn’t so much a novel about escape, as it is about survival. Given that Mirii arrives at the new orphancorp in a gag and chains, Mirii’s situation is bleak, but she is by no means a downtrodden pacifist.
Marlee Jane Ward has crafted a complex protagonist and narrator who is both aware of her limitations but is also driven by a need to push back against an institution devoid of compassion whenever a chance arrives. Like the majority of orphans, Mirii has been in the system for most of her life. The orphans are raised amongst themselves, with the majority of older teens made to care for the toddlers. Mirii has proven incapable of looking after the younger ones, so she is assigned to electrical manufacture. The natural inclination for Mirii is to not form any emotional attachment, as orphans can be transferred out to other compounds or sent to Prisoncorp if they have enough infractions.
The novella contains explicit sexual content as well as drug references, but neither is gratuitous. By day, the orphans are bound by rules and hierarchy brutally enforced by the Aunts and Uncles. But once the lights are out, they showcase their skills through black market trades and cling to their humanity and identity through sexual encounters.
Welcome to Orphancorp has echoes of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, as both present a near-future dystopian world that offers little hope of change at a societal level, as the compounds operate within a larger world which has no interest in intervention. The beauty of both novels is the show of defiance the characters can achieve by daring to live.
Welcome to Orphancorp is a gritty, first-person dystopian novella following seventeen year-old Miriiyanana Mahoney. Mirii is seven days away from Age Release when she is transferred to a new Verity House. It doesn’t matter to Mirii where she is transferred to, because all of the compounds have the same layouts and the same wardens, known as Aunties and Uncles, who use brutality and humiliation to keep the orphans in line. The Orphancorps buy unaccompanied minors from the state, but they have to release them back into society when they turn eighteen. That is, unless the orphans mess up before they’re due for release, in which case they are transferred to Prisoncorp.
There are only seven chapters in Welcome to Orphancorp, which are listed in descending order, counting down to Mirii's her release date. Upon her arrival to a new Verity House, Mirii is warned by one of the aunties that she needs to keep her mouth shut in order to make it to her release date. While the novella is structured around the seven day countdown, Welcome to Orphancorp isn’t so much a novel about escape, as it is about survival. Given that Mirii arrives at the new orphancorp in a gag and chains, Mirii’s situation is bleak, but she is by no means a downtrodden pacifist.
Marlee Jane Ward has crafted a complex protagonist and narrator who is both aware of her limitations but is also driven by a need to push back against an institution devoid of compassion whenever a chance arrives. Like the majority of orphans, Mirii has been in the system for most of her life. The orphans are raised amongst themselves, with the majority of older teens made to care for the toddlers. Mirii has proven incapable of looking after the younger ones, so she is assigned to electrical manufacture. The natural inclination for Mirii is to not form any emotional attachment, as orphans can be transferred out to other compounds or sent to Prisoncorp if they have enough infractions.
The novella contains explicit sexual content as well as drug references, but neither is gratuitous. By day, the orphans are bound by rules and hierarchy brutally enforced by the Aunts and Uncles. But once the lights are out, they showcase their skills through black market trades and cling to their humanity and identity through sexual encounters.
Welcome to Orphancorp has echoes of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, as both present a near-future dystopian world that offers little hope of change at a societal level, as the compounds operate within a larger world which has no interest in intervention. The beauty of both novels is the show of defiance the characters can achieve by daring to live.
August 31, 2015
From its opening pages, Welcome To Orphancorp is inventive and evocative, and Mirii’s voice drips off the page with adolescent attitude and a very niche wisdom. See, she's spent just about her entire life in the Orphancorp system and despite all odds, she's figured out how to turn the place into something resembling a home.
Much of the story happens in the place between tenderness and pain – pain deliberately dealt on the orphans by each other and by the system, and pain that lingers from their short lives of hardship. But it's the tenderness that's the book's focus, and where its beating heart lies, as the kids and teenagers forge quasi-familial bonds and romantic, or simply sexual, attachments in an effort to retain their humanity in the face systemic degradation.
It's a confident and powerful debut, and a sequel can't come soon enough.
Much of the story happens in the place between tenderness and pain – pain deliberately dealt on the orphans by each other and by the system, and pain that lingers from their short lives of hardship. But it's the tenderness that's the book's focus, and where its beating heart lies, as the kids and teenagers forge quasi-familial bonds and romantic, or simply sexual, attachments in an effort to retain their humanity in the face systemic degradation.
It's a confident and powerful debut, and a sequel can't come soon enough.
August 15, 2016
Bleak, sexy and powerful, this bite-sized novella will fight back while it's in your mouth and be difficult to swallow. But this is only because it captures so many of the feelings around children in detention and mistreated youth perfectly. This dystopia is only a couple of government sanctions away. Wake up and smell the injustice.
February 24, 2016
Dystopian fiction where orphaned/ neglected children are put in harsh institutions owned by a corporation, Orphancorp (if they are unlucky enough to be caught breaking the rules, at the age of 18 they are sent to Prisoncorp). This is almost a young adult novel except for the sex scenes.
April 5, 2019
god way to break my heart. sequel plz.
November 30, 2017
I actually really like this book. I am kind of surprised but in a good way. I went into it knowing that it was a dystopian future with kids at a place called Orphancorp but that was really it. I think that Marlee has done a really great job with her debut novella. I really loved her writing style throughout the novella and how she raised harsh issues - dehumanising children and raising them in factories - in an interesting way. I am now really looking forward to picking up 'Psynode' to find out what happens next with Mirii and the other characters. Thank you Marlee for writing such an interesting novella. And I agree with the comment that you signed in my copy of the book - this is not the dystopian future I was promised.
April 2, 2018
4.5 stars. Great characterisation and a terrifying world.
April 23, 2019
Powerful, visceral, confronting, but also intimate and heartfelt. And all too possible...
June 15, 2017
For the first time in a long, long while I find myself at a loss for words when I've finished a book.
Normally, this silence might be due to how bad the book is, and it is for that reason again now.
There is one big difference...
This book is so gritty, so rough around the edges and so raw it was almost bleeding in my hands. It was so bad to read, because it felt so wrong.
The dystopia portrayed in Marlee's 130 pages is stark, horrifying and at the same time full of illicit sweetness.
Mirii is a flawed character, so battered and bruised she's practically remade from scar tissue, but she manages to connect with the reader in a way that surprised me. Her determination, bridled passions and stubbornness mixing together to portray a tough-as-nails little minx.
The supporting cast is varied, all providing tiny glimmers into broken souls wrapped in children's broken bodies. Brilliant!
The writing was in one breath delicious and the next like a mouthful of dirt. The dichotomy distracted my inner editor, but placated her in equal measure. All to come together in a truly awe inspiring narrative voice. I've not read anything quite so 'dystopianesque-Aussie' before.
The slang did not bother me, as it has other reviewers, perhaps because it's an extension of a lot of Aussie slang used today. The meanings easily understandable when given in context.
The one 'issue' and I'm not sure you could call it that is the swiftness in which the relationships happened. Some of that can be explained away with teenage hormones, and the characters starvation for love and affection, but not all of it. It's a hard one given the length of the story to allow the characters the time and space to develop the relationships in a suitable manner but keep the pace moving.
The LGBTI themes are ever present but incorporated into the everyday life inside Orphancorp in a way that just works. It's a-given. It's the norm. Flawless.
My favourite part was the cuddle party/s. It made me think of the cute little otters from Finding Dory then very swiftly smashed that innocence from my mind with a sledgehammer. Loved every second!
Brilliant world, brilliant characters, brilliant writing.
Do yourselves a favour and pick up this little rough-cut gem today.
Normally, this silence might be due to how bad the book is, and it is for that reason again now.
There is one big difference...
This book is so gritty, so rough around the edges and so raw it was almost bleeding in my hands. It was so bad to read, because it felt so wrong.
The dystopia portrayed in Marlee's 130 pages is stark, horrifying and at the same time full of illicit sweetness.
Mirii is a flawed character, so battered and bruised she's practically remade from scar tissue, but she manages to connect with the reader in a way that surprised me. Her determination, bridled passions and stubbornness mixing together to portray a tough-as-nails little minx.
The supporting cast is varied, all providing tiny glimmers into broken souls wrapped in children's broken bodies. Brilliant!
The writing was in one breath delicious and the next like a mouthful of dirt. The dichotomy distracted my inner editor, but placated her in equal measure. All to come together in a truly awe inspiring narrative voice. I've not read anything quite so 'dystopianesque-Aussie' before.
The slang did not bother me, as it has other reviewers, perhaps because it's an extension of a lot of Aussie slang used today. The meanings easily understandable when given in context.
The one 'issue' and I'm not sure you could call it that is the swiftness in which the relationships happened. Some of that can be explained away with teenage hormones, and the characters starvation for love and affection, but not all of it. It's a hard one given the length of the story to allow the characters the time and space to develop the relationships in a suitable manner but keep the pace moving.
The LGBTI themes are ever present but incorporated into the everyday life inside Orphancorp in a way that just works. It's a-given. It's the norm. Flawless.
My favourite part was the cuddle party/s. It made me think of the cute little otters from Finding Dory then very swiftly smashed that innocence from my mind with a sledgehammer. Loved every second!
Brilliant world, brilliant characters, brilliant writing.
Do yourselves a favour and pick up this little rough-cut gem today.
January 10, 2021
2021 EDIT: How could I have forgotten about Ara, the South Asian nonbinary teen? They're awesome! How could I have also forgotten about Freya, the evil little shit?
Just as good and thought-provoking as the first read. All at once sweet and horrifying - it's humanity in its constant, contradictory flux. There's nice symbolism added here; the littlest details mean so much.
I still mean everything I wrote about this dystopia novella in my original review.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'Welcome To Orphancorp' is a welcome surprise in my current reading slump. It's a dystopia novella set in an industrial orphanage that is tough, biting and gets to the point quickly, and is narrated by a wonderful protagonist.
'Welcome To Orphancorp' is short and sweet, with the events taking place within a week. The voice of the daring, snarky, funny and instantly sympathetic Mirii brings to life the realism and humanity taking place in the horrible prison (for that's what the orphanage actually is) called Verity House. The novella is packed with:
• Perfectly-timed-and-written character action and reaction passages.
• Memorable children of all ages.
• Warm, tender and sad touches as well as tense and truly heinous, hateful moments.
• And the non-white female lead gets into a polygamous LBGTQ relationship. ‘Nuff said.
In such a short time 'Welcome To Orphancorp' seems to have captured what it means to be human; specifically the need for compassion, for communication - for release - when trapped in a confined and fear-mongering environment. That the oppression is happening to orphaned children makes the experience all the more harrowing.
Though because it is such a short book, very little is explained in terms of worldbuilding, and at the end there are things left unanswered and there seems to be a set-up for drama for a sequel. There isn't much that can be said of a plot beforehand.
But the characters - especially the spirited, talented, opinionated and indomitable Mirii - and their relationships with one another feel real enough that I would want to hang out with them whatever happens. Or doesn't happen.
‘Welcome To Orphancorp’ - a cracking gem I thought would bore me like many other books of its ilk have done in the past. I'm glad that a friend of mine on Goodreads recommended it to me. Thank you.
Final Score: 4/5
Just as good and thought-provoking as the first read. All at once sweet and horrifying - it's humanity in its constant, contradictory flux. There's nice symbolism added here; the littlest details mean so much.
I still mean everything I wrote about this dystopia novella in my original review.
Final Score: 4/5
Original Review:
'Welcome To Orphancorp' is a welcome surprise in my current reading slump. It's a dystopia novella set in an industrial orphanage that is tough, biting and gets to the point quickly, and is narrated by a wonderful protagonist.
'Welcome To Orphancorp' is short and sweet, with the events taking place within a week. The voice of the daring, snarky, funny and instantly sympathetic Mirii brings to life the realism and humanity taking place in the horrible prison (for that's what the orphanage actually is) called Verity House. The novella is packed with:
• Perfectly-timed-and-written character action and reaction passages.
• Memorable children of all ages.
• Warm, tender and sad touches as well as tense and truly heinous, hateful moments.
• And the non-white female lead gets into a polygamous LBGTQ relationship. ‘Nuff said.
In such a short time 'Welcome To Orphancorp' seems to have captured what it means to be human; specifically the need for compassion, for communication - for release - when trapped in a confined and fear-mongering environment. That the oppression is happening to orphaned children makes the experience all the more harrowing.
Though because it is such a short book, very little is explained in terms of worldbuilding, and at the end there are things left unanswered and there seems to be a set-up for drama for a sequel. There isn't much that can be said of a plot beforehand.
But the characters - especially the spirited, talented, opinionated and indomitable Mirii - and their relationships with one another feel real enough that I would want to hang out with them whatever happens. Or doesn't happen.
‘Welcome To Orphancorp’ - a cracking gem I thought would bore me like many other books of its ilk have done in the past. I'm glad that a friend of mine on Goodreads recommended it to me. Thank you.
Final Score: 4/5
July 11, 2017
This was fundamentally not for me.
I respect Ward's attempt to engage with Australia's ongoing appalling human rights record in terms of a the detention of children -- both historically in terms of the Stolen Generation,and with the ongoing detention of Aboriginal and Indigenous children in NT and even, lately, juvenile detainees in Barwon Prison, or for that matter, Indonesian deckhands who are clearly children and who go to adult jail. This is something that Australia has an absolutely despicable human rights record on. I cannot stress enough that I think it is great that someone is dealing with this content. In addition, the complex and fluid gender and sexualities on display here are well described and well done. However, I found myself struggling to engage with the general themes combined with some of the artistic choices made here.
Fundamentally, I felt like there was a bit of a mismatch between some of the gritty, edgy content and some of the prose style. For example, characters don't typically swear they say "fug" or "shiz" whilst being tortured . I am pretty interested in the dialect of prisons etc, and I like a bit of Ocker slang, but this wasn't terribly inventive, or in any case it wasn't my favourite. We seem to bounce backwards and forwards between hearing people piss in toilets and minced oaths, and to that I say, pick a lane.
For that matter, there also seemed to be a bit of a mismatch between some of the rather sentimental characterisation and the content as a whole. I found the relationship between Mirii and Vu (which lasts a grand total of 5 days?) pretty instalovey. In addition, basically all the children LOVE Mirii and would do ANYTHING for her within days of meeting her. And while I have no doubt that there is great humanity in unexpected places, the idea there wouldn't be a brutal hierarchy between the children seems wildly unlikely to me.
Having said that, I respect Ward's decision to engage with difficult topics even if this is not for me.
I respect Ward's attempt to engage with Australia's ongoing appalling human rights record in terms of a the detention of children -- both historically in terms of the Stolen Generation,and with the ongoing detention of Aboriginal and Indigenous children in NT and even, lately, juvenile detainees in Barwon Prison, or for that matter, Indonesian deckhands who are clearly children and who go to adult jail. This is something that Australia has an absolutely despicable human rights record on. I cannot stress enough that I think it is great that someone is dealing with this content. In addition, the complex and fluid gender and sexualities on display here are well described and well done. However, I found myself struggling to engage with the general themes combined with some of the artistic choices made here.
Fundamentally, I felt like there was a bit of a mismatch between some of the gritty, edgy content and some of the prose style. For example, characters don't typically swear they say "fug" or "shiz" whilst being tortured . I am pretty interested in the dialect of prisons etc, and I like a bit of Ocker slang, but this wasn't terribly inventive, or in any case it wasn't my favourite. We seem to bounce backwards and forwards between hearing people piss in toilets and minced oaths, and to that I say, pick a lane.
For that matter, there also seemed to be a bit of a mismatch between some of the rather sentimental characterisation and the content as a whole. I found the relationship between Mirii and Vu (which lasts a grand total of 5 days?) pretty instalovey. In addition, basically all the children LOVE Mirii and would do ANYTHING for her within days of meeting her. And while I have no doubt that there is great humanity in unexpected places, the idea there wouldn't be a brutal hierarchy between the children seems wildly unlikely to me.
Having said that, I respect Ward's decision to engage with difficult topics even if this is not for me.
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