A review by gisl
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is a powerful book. It’s strange, because so many horrible HORRIBLE things happen, but the book somehow manages to end and leave me feeling hopeful. This book is a masterclass in drawing emotions from people; sadness, disgust, fear, but also hope, triumph, and affection. I like the main character a lot. She’s very thoughtful about her surroundings. She’s stoic and clever, but also very empathetic and caring. She feels like a real person: a good one. Overall, this feels like an important book that a lot of people should read. The reason I’m not rating it higher (and the reason I find it hard to recommend this book) is because of all the focus on pedophilia. I feel like it was happening a lot, and a reason wasn’t really given. I’d hope, even in a borderline anarchy, that that’s uncommon enough…predilection? disorder? that seeing that sort of child abuse would be a rare event.
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