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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
It’s is hard not to compare Future Home of the Living God to The Handmaid’s Tale for obvious reasons— it centers around a dystopia in the not so distant future where a Christian regime has taken control and locked down all pregnant women (as well as many women of child-bearing age). I appreciate that, despite the similarities, Erdrich was still able to tell a different story.
The book itself was entertaining, sometimes in beautiful ways and at other times for horrific reasons. Action keeps the reader engaged and makes the story flow at a fast clip. At times, Erdrich even breaks into beautiful prose that cannot go unnoticed. However, it is hard not to wish for a little more fleshing out: Exactly what IS happening to throw the world into so much chaos? Why doesn’t Cedar, the main character (and a Catholic), ever grapple with her religion in terms of the new Christian regime? Of course, some vagueness is expected but I finished the book feeling like it didn’t go deep enough.
The book itself was entertaining, sometimes in beautiful ways and at other times for horrific reasons. Action keeps the reader engaged and makes the story flow at a fast clip. At times, Erdrich even breaks into beautiful prose that cannot go unnoticed. However, it is hard not to wish for a little more fleshing out: Exactly what IS happening to throw the world into so much chaos? Why doesn’t Cedar, the main character (and a Catholic), ever grapple with her religion in terms of the new Christian regime? Of course, some vagueness is expected but I finished the book feeling like it didn’t go deep enough.
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Super creepy, super compelling
3.5 stars rounded up
By the time Cedar begins to understand how deeply the world is changing, how desperately evolution seems to be going backward, it is too late. She's already pregnant. It isn't long before she can see the writing on the wall: if you are pregnant, you no longer have autonomy and in order to evade capture, Cedar makes plans. Reconnecting with her Ojibwe roots, she tries to find people among whom she can be safe in a world that is quickly disintegrating into a dystopian nightmare.
I really enjoyed the dystopian slant of this book, the twist on the sort of disaster that our own biology could create. Cedar's journey is harrowing and for me, the plot device of the entire novel being a letter to her unborn child worked really well. All we know is what Cedar knows (or believes she knows) and every once and while the book has this sort of hallucinatory feeling, where I'm not sure that what's happening is real or a dream or a vision, and sometimes it worked and sometimes it made me feel like I didn't have my footing in an unsettling way. I found myself very engaged in the novel and the ending left me feeling a little unsatisfied after all I'd been through with Cedar, but I don't think it was a BAD way to end the book. I'd just have liked fewer loose ends. I appreciate how Erdrich makes me as a reader be more aware of Tribal issues and that her Native American characters are nuanced and capable. Interesting book.
By the time Cedar begins to understand how deeply the world is changing, how desperately evolution seems to be going backward, it is too late. She's already pregnant. It isn't long before she can see the writing on the wall: if you are pregnant, you no longer have autonomy and in order to evade capture, Cedar makes plans. Reconnecting with her Ojibwe roots, she tries to find people among whom she can be safe in a world that is quickly disintegrating into a dystopian nightmare.
I really enjoyed the dystopian slant of this book, the twist on the sort of disaster that our own biology could create. Cedar's journey is harrowing and for me, the plot device of the entire novel being a letter to her unborn child worked really well. All we know is what Cedar knows (or believes she knows) and every once and while the book has this sort of hallucinatory feeling, where I'm not sure that what's happening is real or a dream or a vision, and sometimes it worked and sometimes it made me feel like I didn't have my footing in an unsettling way. I found myself very engaged in the novel and the ending left me feeling a little unsatisfied after all I'd been through with Cedar, but I don't think it was a BAD way to end the book. I'd just have liked fewer loose ends. I appreciate how Erdrich makes me as a reader be more aware of Tribal issues and that her Native American characters are nuanced and capable. Interesting book.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5
I dug the action, but I wanted more - more background, more world building, more character profiles.
I dug the action, but I wanted more - more background, more world building, more character profiles.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not a good pick for the current moment in my life. Will find this again in the future when it won't hit a smarting place