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A review by bookishevy
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Octavia Butler has yet to disappoint me. I finished Parable of the Sower (Earthseed #1) last night just as Women's History Month was drawing to a close, and I loved it.
The story starts in July 2024. Teenager Lauren Olamina and her family live in a gated community just outside Los Angeles. Beyond their wall is total social chaos. Diseases, drugs, everythjng's expensive, especially water, which has become scarce due to climate change. There's hardly any work, so vagabonds steal, kill, and set things and people on fire. On top of all this, Lauren suffers from hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extra sensitive to others' sensations Their community does all it can to keep dangers from breaching its barriers, but when things get dire, Lauren and survivors must venture outside and make their way north with hopes of a better future.
This is a different kind of book from Butler. It's science fiction, but, for me, with the exception of Lauren's ability to physically feel what others feel, it's too real. The world Butler envisions in 2024 is scary, and although we're not there yet, I can see it happening. Lauren's odyssey takes her and others she meets while migrating to northern California through many dangers. Everyone she meets has a story about what led to them hitting the road. Themes of these stories include racism, classism and slavery. The story paints a bleak picture of the future of humans. TW: violence, rape, canibalism. And Lauren feels everything around her. A disability.
But in a world that breeds hopelessness, Lauren is still optimistic about the future and is working on building a community that will live on principles she discovered. Even with all the anarchy around them, Lauren and her people still find ways to be kind and love on one another, which is hard to envision, because I was like, "How can they be having sex while surrounded by death?" But you know what? In situations like those, you have to grab happiness wherever and whenever you find it. Lauren's outlook and her willingness to trust others gave me hope, which is good because this is all very possible. LOL!
The story starts in July 2024. Teenager Lauren Olamina and her family live in a gated community just outside Los Angeles. Beyond their wall is total social chaos. Diseases, drugs, everythjng's expensive, especially water, which has become scarce due to climate change. There's hardly any work, so vagabonds steal, kill, and set things and people on fire. On top of all this, Lauren suffers from hyperempathy, a condition that makes her extra sensitive to others' sensations Their community does all it can to keep dangers from breaching its barriers, but when things get dire, Lauren and survivors must venture outside and make their way north with hopes of a better future.
This is a different kind of book from Butler. It's science fiction, but, for me, with the exception of Lauren's ability to physically feel what others feel, it's too real. The world Butler envisions in 2024 is scary, and although we're not there yet, I can see it happening. Lauren's odyssey takes her and others she meets while migrating to northern California through many dangers. Everyone she meets has a story about what led to them hitting the road. Themes of these stories include racism, classism and slavery. The story paints a bleak picture of the future of humans. TW: violence, rape, canibalism. And Lauren feels everything around her. A disability.
But in a world that breeds hopelessness, Lauren is still optimistic about the future and is working on building a community that will live on principles she discovered. Even with all the anarchy around them, Lauren and her people still find ways to be kind and love on one another, which is hard to envision, because I was like, "How can they be having sex while surrounded by death?" But you know what? In situations like those, you have to grab happiness wherever and whenever you find it. Lauren's outlook and her willingness to trust others gave me hope, which is good because this is all very possible. LOL!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Rape, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Cannibalism, and Child abuse