BabyWorld deals with disturbing subject matter. As you see in Keeley’s review, this can be difficult for some readers to process. Her perseverance as an avid and scrutinizing reader inspired my publisher to reflect on some of the difficult themes BabyWorld explores in a brief commentary.

Publisher’s Commentary on BabyWorld’s Content:

From a publisher’s perspective, BabyWorld by Jonathan Martin Dixit is a unique yet dangerous debut novel. His book contains elements of multiple genres (crime mystery, soft science fiction, dystopian literary), which give rise to its complex storyline but also to the challenges of marketing it, as books that fall neatly within one genre are more easily matched to a reader group. The same goes for the content of the book. When I read the first draft of BabyWorld, I was fascinated by the dark universe the author created to reflect on culturally relevant themes related to family relationships impacted by trauma. I understood that the world Sinika lives in is a violent and dangerous one. As a (child) prosecutor, she is in charge of bringing to justice an offender of a violent sexual crime against a child. In her personal life, she also encounters threats of violence and abuse. As a publisher, I understand that anytime a book focuses on themes of violence, sexuality, and child exploitation, the author runs the risk of marginalizing her work. For valid reasons, many readers feel uncomfortable with the disturbing nature of these themes, especially when they are explored from the perspective of a child protagonist. Being fully aware of this risk, I was still convinced of the importance of BabyWorld’s core theme, for we live in a world in which violent crimes against children and child exploitation are rampant. Given this sad reality, I believe it is vital for literature and art not to shy away from reflecting on problems so epidemic in society. I highly value the reflections of readers like Keeley, who, despite her unsettled reactions to the difficult themes in BabyWorld, was able not only to read the book, but also appreciate and enjoy the originality of its storyline and writing. I am hoping more readers will share their thoughts.

The AffenTheater Inc.