Mixed In

Unstable States #1

by Catherine Haustein

When passions are regulated, which laws will you break?

When Catrina moves to Cochtonville to work as a chemist for Cochton Enterprises, she has no idea how dangerous her life is about to become. A chance meeting with Ulysses, owner of the Union Station bar, plunges her into a world of illegal condoms, vibrators, and art. As their loneliness draws them together, they become allies in what will turn into the fight of their lives in the sexually repressive and culturally backward dystopia.

Catrina’s invention, No Regrets—a scanner to test for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, brings increased scrutiny from the town's Vice Patrol. Headed by an ambitious new agent, Vice Patrol hangs around Union Station, and it’s leader has taken up with Ulysses’s vindictive ex. Catrina’s relationship with Ulysses and her company’s new products put them both in peril as she begins to understand the dark side of her employer, society, and science without humanity.

But science is all she’ll have to save the men of Cochtonville from a mortifying fate and Ulysses's life.

286 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2017

About the author

I'm a chemist and a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Good-hearted female scientists are my protagonists. I live in the small, quiet town of Pella, Iowa, known for its Dutch roots. I love to blog about chemicals and equality. Is sugar toxic? Do you really need dryer sheets? Will global warming make you have to urinate more? Check it out here
https://catherinehaustein.com/

Reviews

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was different. Very creative. Too sci-fi for me, but still very real. You could see some of this story actually happening in our future, if we're not careful. It was interesting to see how many social norms the author could break in this story. The book makes you think about sexual harassment, marriage and relationship norms, government interference in private life, and other societal issues. I like the science aspect that worked into the story - the biology of sex, the biology of plants, the main character being a scientist, and all of the science information that started the chapters. It seemed weird to me that everyone is the book is obsessed with sex, but I guess you could say that about real life, too.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caterina moves to Cochtonville to works as a chemist. Things turn out quite different there, very strange rules. She meets Ulysses, who works in a bar and strikes up a friendship. What she's not aware of is danger. A good and different outlook is shown in this book.

[John Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mixture of dystopia, in places a little bit spicy but with no graphic sex, and mild adventure. Each chapter begins with a single paragraph of real scientific education mostly centred around chemicals found in plants, genetics, basic brewing microbiology and ingredients, physical properties of fluids, origins of elements, amino acids and so much more. All of these contribute to the story in one way or another. It took me a little while to recognise the images that separate the chapters.

Overall, an enjoyable read.

[Reading is Life · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yuck

Poorly written jumble with disconnected dialogue strung together by what passes for science. No clue why the writer thinks any of this would be interesting and I am a scientist.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! Sassy and irreverent, “Mixed In” is a desperately needed breath of cool, fresh air in an over-crowded genre.

Read full review in the 2017 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.