Media

PRESS RELEASE

To Live or Let Live by S J Vivant
We’ll live to 150 in the future… But there’s a catch.

Published on 24th September 2024 by Wherry Publishing
£7.99 (paperback) and £3.99 (eBook)

There’s next-to-no crime. The climate has been tamed and weather is managed. We can live to 150. But everything comes with a cost, and the younger generation pay the highest price.

  • We’re implanted with chips which make our lives easier and safer, but tell the authorities where we are at all times.
  • Countries that benefit from arms sales in war zones must accept refugees from those conflicts.
  • There’s a Department of Excessive Wealth Management, and we all do regular community service to break down social barriers.
  • Contraception is now compulsory for all but prospective parents: Younger generations must choose between having a child and enjoying extended lives together.

Meet Nina and Caro, mother and daughter. Caro’s never had a maternal instinct in her life – until recently. Now, longing for a baby, she faces the prospect of growing old and dying not only before her husband, Dave, but also her parents. And she knows just how opposed her loved ones will be to this idea.

Now meet Nina’s psychotherapy patients, including:

  • Julia, a suicidal teenager, whose mother gave up Life Extension therapy (LE) to have her.
  • Lorraine, who chose a long life over motherhood only to find out, too late, she has an adverse reaction to the LE medication and
  • Andrew, a world-famous scientist who feels his extended life lacks purpose.

Nina is appalled at the prospect of outliving Caro and struggles with unsettling echoes of their issues while working with her patients. The family is strong, maybe strong enough to withstand what confronts them now. But the future is rarely simple, and more challenges lie in wait…

There have been many news articles recently about billionaires looking to extend their lifespans. To Live or Let Live looks at how living to 150 might affect us psychologically, and how society would need to adapt if billions of people living extended lives were to become a reality. It asks us:

  • How long should we live? Would 150 years be long enough for you?
  • Can you love someone without trying to control them? Where does influence end and manipulation begin?
  • What do we owe to the next generation, and the one that came before?
  • How can a couple survive becoming parents when one pays a much heavier price?
  • When are secrets good; when are they bad?

To Live or Let Live is published in the UK by Wherry Publishing in September 2024. For further information or a hard copy, please contact Matthew Wherry

    About the Author

    S J Vivant asks: “Having read this book without preconceptions, what can you deduce about me? What is my age, my gender, my background? Is this my first published novel? What else have you gleaned about me?” Join the conversation at ToLiveorLetLive.com