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Fontana author probes euthanasia, population control in futuristic new novel

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"Directive 99" by Fontana author Judith Rolfs.

Fontana author Judith Rolfs has just finished her latest novel, "Directive 99." Terry Mayer/staff.

FONTANA -- Judith Rolfs had been toying with the idea of a futuristic plot for her first adult novel years ago, when suddenly the future caught up with her.

The author, who has a home in Fontana, but is spending time in Florida, had long been thinking about a story that touched on euthanasia and population control, but the ideas seemed more suited to science fiction than a contemporary novel. Then came last year’s legislative push for health care reform, spurring public debates about end-of-life issues, and the novel’s plot seemed more credible, she said.

“Directive 99,” released earlier this month, is a mystery-thriller that takes place in the near future — 2015 — but with an eye toward where the present might be leading us.

“The book looks at how we treat people, what values we place upon life when we have some really tough decisions to make about the young and old, based upon some of the trends unfolding now in society,” Rolfs said in a phone interview. “It examines what we as a people could become as some of our values in society are now shaped and as certain trends seem to be snowballing.”

She continued, “But this isn’t a one-issue book. It looks at quite a few pertinent life issues that people face.”

Read the full book review in the e-edition of Walworth County Sunday, HERE.