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Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Pregnancy
I first read this book a couple of years ago and when browsing my Kindle notebook noticed a highlighted quote from the 3rd book in the Road to Nowhere series and decided to reread the series.
The premise is a virus that sweeps (at least) America that kills 98% of men and 99%+ of women, particularly during childbirth. The US becomes a degenerative hellscape, where the straight men of the world battle for the few women left alive, and generally do horrible things to them.
The main character is assaulted within a handful of pages. There are in depth descriptions of FGM, sexual assault, miscarriage, stillbirth, child death, death during childbirth, child sexual abuse, and general violence against women.
But it's still a deeply interesting book that draws you in. Written in a mix of direct storytelling and frantic journal entries, the 'Unnamed Midwife' is a complex and intriguing character who will do (nearly) anything to survive. We're introduced to concepts expanded on in the next books, the idea of these journals being copied over and over again to preserve both the story and the medical information, the 'wooden belly' that Ina wears, the settlement of Nowhere.
The main character, the 'Unnamed Midwife'- she gives a different name to everyone she meets, and is an experienced midwife- goes through a long and complex journey to find her way to Nowhere, an ex military base. I don't know much about American geography but the people she meets, and the stories that she tells through them, are all incredibly gripping and while they don't always move the story onwards, they move the character onwards and build the new world up (or tear it down just that little bit more).
It's really hard to recommend this book because of how deeply dark the content is. I enjoyed this book in a very complex, rough way, but whether you want to read this needs to be a personal choice, based on whether you can process the content in a safe way. I'd advise taking breaks when you need to, even in a reasonably short book.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Vomit
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Medical trauma, Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Trafficking
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic
Several plot points hit me like a gut punch, but in the end the plot felt rushed, like they'd run out of book to struggle in, rather than running out of struggle.
One thing that was missing for me was the acknowledgement of trans people, and how they were impacted by a virus that was more deadly for women. In fact, they might have held some clue- was the virus more deadly based on about organs, or hormones, or purely capacity for pregnancy?
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Biphobia, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion