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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Yes, this was basically The Handmaid's Tale 2.0 but it did have an interesting premise - backward evolution.
Except it did not delve further into the concept.
Except it did not delve further into the concept.
This book was terrifyingly amazing. The world is changing. As terrifying as changes is nature are, what is more scary to me is how the people react. The government collapses and people turn on each other. And because the fertility rate seems to be rapidly dropping, the government decides to control women's reproduction. Cedar, the protagonist, finds she is pregnant so she becomes a fugitive hiding from the authorities who seek to capture her and take over her pregnancy. Her journey is exiting and disturbing all the way. A very well-written dystopian thriller.
challenging
dark
reflective
Not for me, but well crafted
Apparently this is Louise Erdrich’s worst book so I will read more. There were parts of it that were beautiful and interesting, but overall, it was confusing and I don’t know ~why it was a book or what it was trying to say. Really beautiful and poignant portrayal of motherhood, though.
slow-paced
Two thoughts:
1. Touching, delicate, epistolary novel about the end of the worldish and motherhood. It dragged in parts as only a reflective, first person book can. I suppose I can't complain because I don't like first person books and that's my own issue. But the narrator was a personal, strange, well-written character. Lots of religious reference and imagery, irony, and thoughtful characters otherwise. I wish it had ended differently. I wish that about a lot of books. It makes you sad. It makes you wonder if that's how it'll all end anyway. Staring out the window, wanting for the bureaucratic systems that lead us along to well lead us further. Hopefully not. And even with the end, this book was filled with so much hope even as everything falls down. Remarkable, really, that Erdrich could see all these facets of humanity. I'm not making sense and that's fine. Good book.
2. Tl;dr — reject modernity return to monke
1. Touching, delicate, epistolary novel about the end of the worldish and motherhood. It dragged in parts as only a reflective, first person book can. I suppose I can't complain because I don't like first person books and that's my own issue. But the narrator was a personal, strange, well-written character. Lots of religious reference and imagery, irony, and thoughtful characters otherwise. I wish it had ended differently. I wish that about a lot of books. It makes you sad. It makes you wonder if that's how it'll all end anyway. Staring out the window, wanting for the bureaucratic systems that lead us along to well lead us further. Hopefully not. And even with the end, this book was filled with so much hope even as everything falls down. Remarkable, really, that Erdrich could see all these facets of humanity. I'm not making sense and that's fine. Good book.
2. Tl;dr — reject modernity return to monke
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Surprising even myself, I read the entire book in two long sittings over two days. The plot is gripping, and the prose is easy to digest. If you’re a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale, Future Home of the Living God is a must-read. This is my second Erdrich novel, and I’m eager to read through her her entire catalogue. This book has sat on my shelf for a year or two now, but I’m glad I read it when I did. Living through the COVID-19 pandemic gave me a new and deeper insight into how humans react when the entire world suddenly turns upside down. The events of the book are of course much more extreme, and the characters are unreliable narrators when it comes to exactly what happened to cause this dystopia, but the quick descent into chaos and a new world order (after years of a slow cultural shift, it seems) felt very realistic. As always, Erdrich leaves me with a lot to think about even after I’ve turned the last page.