The Windup Girl (2009)

Bangkok's fragile arrangements for food, energy and survival are entangled with the power of biotechnology companies. Bacigalupi makes the conflict between local protection and global commercial pressure felt through people with sharply unequal freedoms, including the engineered Emiko. A dense, violent choice for readers interested in systems under stress, with sexual exploitation central to its disturbing account of power. The environmental crisis is compounded by deliberate political and economic decisions.