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

dark reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

It's not often a dystopian novel haunts me the way that Parable of the Sower did/does. Octavia Butler paints a clear, terrifyingly realistic picture of where modern society could be headed - it is a cautionary tale; a strong warning to anyone living under late-stage capitalism. Harrowing depictions within the book -- hyper-individualism & in-fighting, forced labor & corporate enslavement, dangerously dwindling resources due to unsolved climate catastrophes, bloodthirsty & useless law enforcement, and a crumbling government -- all feel somewhat inevitable (if not already present in some form) as today's elite ruling class plunges us all further into disaster. 

I took a small quarter-star off because, though Butler made pretty clear the causes of a crumbling America in her book, I found myself wanting to know more of the timeline of & details behind its deterioration. Though perhaps that would have detracted from the primary story she was aiming to tell - one of brave resistance, community-building, and persevering hope in a bleak & tragic world. That story is extremely compelling, and I think anyone reading it can take its lesson of radical optimism and apply it to today's world.

I will be reading the sequel posthaste!
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