It's not really science-fiction, ... It's the world 30 years from
now, [a time] in which for 18 years no human child has been born, for unknown
reasons. Civilizations are falling apart. England is the last remaining
civilization as we know it, because it's an island that's insulated itself from
Europe, which is in civil wars and complete pandemonium. So the story takes
place in that context. It's a story about hope and faith.