Jane Rogers' novel has had a wide impact, with widespread discussion of science and genre arising from its publication. It was long-listed for the 2011 Man Booker and 2012 Portico Prize, and awarded the 2012 Arthur C Clarke Science Fiction Prize.

The book has contributed to the enhancement of cultural life and public critical discussion, especially by raising questions in narrative about the politics and ethics of scientific research in relation to identity, power, gender and reproduction, and by enriching debate about possible differences and similarities between 'literary' and 'science' fiction and how these are valued.

The basic concept of the novel was that a teenage girl should volunteer her life to help save the human race, this is based on the plot of Iphigenia in Aulis and also has parallels with the story of Christ.

Research into first–person voice involved systematically examining a range of voices (especially first-person teenage voices) in recent literature, in search of a model which would allow the protagonist to speak in a way which is convincingly teenage and yet able to be articulate about complex ideas; a voice which is accessible and yet at a slight remove from today's idiom. The most helpful model turned out to be the diary of Anne Frank, as Jane discussed in a Guardian interview.

Jane's book has impacted on readers of literary and science fiction, radio listeners and blog contributors all over the world. There was a five–part serialisation for BBC Radio 4 as part of the major Dangerous Visions season of dystopias by seven contemporary writers. This dramatisation extended the reach of the novel, as did a BBC blog about the adaptation by the author and her discussion of scientific and ethical issues in the narrative on Start the Week.

The novel has been published in German, Hungarian and Swedish translations during 2013, and translations into French, Japanese, Korean and Turkish will appear in 2014. Jane has appeared at numerous literary events where she has read from and discussed the novel.

Press reviews – including in the Guardian, the Independent and the New York Times – and individual readers' responses in blogs show the novel's national and international impact.