A review by tracymreadsbooks2
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

3.0

Margaret Atwood's latest book The Year of the Flood is another of her dystopian offerings. It's many years in the future, and humans have finally managed to destroy much in the natural world. Many animal species are extinct, pollution is rampant, weather is out of control, and society is breaking down. Into all this comes the "waterless flood", a disaster that has wiped out nearly all the humans in the world. At least two have survived: Toby, the manager of a high-end spa who has barricaded herself inside; and Ren, a dancer/prostitute who was in the "sticky zone" (a type of sick bay) when the disaster hit. Now, separately, the two have to try to survive. Will they ever find each other? And, the bigger question - did anyone else survive? This book is very thought-provoking. The story is told with flashbacks to Ren and Toby's former lives, which added a lot to the book; it made an interesting contrast to see what things were like before the waterless flood.