Guardian reviews Camilla Cavendish's Generation Maybe on the fertility gap
The Guardian has put falling birth rates in focus with a review of Camilla Cavendish's Generation Maybe, published on 13 October 2026. The review is headlined 'Generation Maybe by Camilla Cavendish review – what's really behind the fertility gap?' It presents the book as an examination of why birth rates are falling sharply around the world. The Guardian
Cavendish is a Financial Times journalist. Her full title is 'Generation Maybe: Why We're Having Fewer Children, and What It Means for Us All'. The fertility gap is simple. It is the difference between the number of children people say they want and the number they actually have.
The book ranges widely for answers. An earlier Guardian feature, published on 17 September 2026, said Cavendish links having fewer children to factors from dating apps to unaffordable housing. Penguin Random House Canada describes it as an investigation into why people across continents, classes, cultures and religions are having fewer children. The Guardian
One example cited in the 13 October review is personal. United States Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez began freezing her eggs at age 36. She shared the process with her online audience.
The book has drawn a cluster of press attention in Britain. The Times published a review on 3 October 2026 titled "The 'baby bust' is coming — and here's how to stop it", which described the book as warning of an impending 'demographic winter' as birth rates collapse. The Independent, on 28 September 2026, ran a piece titled "It's not Gen Z's job to make sure Britain has enough babies" and called Generation Maybe a "definitive investigation" into why people are not having children. iNews reported on 1 October 2026 that the book sets out how pressures facing a generation have led to a global fertility crisis.
For readers, this means shelf dates matter. Penguin Books UK maintains a dedicated page for Generation Maybe. In Canada, Penguin Random House Canada lists a paperback, a soft-cover edition usually sold at a lower price than a hardcover, available for pre-order, meaning readers can reserve a copy before it ships, on 24 November 2026. That Canadian listing gives the price as $37.99.
