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A review by bisexualwentworth
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Without a doubt one of the most chilling and true-to-life dystopias I've ever encountered. Octavia E. Butler understood American culture in ways that very few writers have I think, and so many of her predictions of the future still feel scarily possible.
However, I think that reading this book only one year out from when the beginning of it is set means that I also saw all of the ways in which this is NOT entirely the current trajectory of this country, or at least not one we're going to reach as quickly as Butler thought (thank goodness for small mercies or something I suppose?).
I love the journal entry format. I loved Lauren as a narrator. She's so intelligent and observant and sensitive and yet still so young, and that combination of factors means that she is very frank about the state of the world in a way that does a great service to us as readers.
This book broke my heart and made me angry. It made me get attached to characters without even realizing it and then ripped them away from me--and what a familiar feeling that is.
The cast does get quite bloated toward the end, and I almost feel like the book might have benefitted from a couple more chapters.
I think this is the first dystopian book I've read that mentioned tampons. And the gun presence was oh so very American.
The way this book handles race and gender is so sensitive and so REAL. God Octavia E. Butler was amazing.
I will definitely be reading the sequel soon.
However, I think that reading this book only one year out from when the beginning of it is set means that I also saw all of the ways in which this is NOT entirely the current trajectory of this country, or at least not one we're going to reach as quickly as Butler thought (thank goodness for small mercies or something I suppose?).
I love the journal entry format. I loved Lauren as a narrator. She's so intelligent and observant and sensitive and yet still so young, and that combination of factors means that she is very frank about the state of the world in a way that does a great service to us as readers.
This book broke my heart and made me angry. It made me get attached to characters without even realizing it and then ripped them away from me--and what a familiar feeling that is.
The cast does get quite bloated toward the end, and I almost feel like the book might have benefitted from a couple more chapters.
I think this is the first dystopian book I've read that mentioned tampons. And the gun presence was oh so very American.
The way this book handles race and gender is so sensitive and so REAL. God Octavia E. Butler was amazing.
I will definitely be reading the sequel soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Classism
Additional warning for a relationship with a really big age gap (older adult and eighteen-year-old), plus I'm sure I'm missing other potentially triggering content. Basically, read this book with care. It is VERY heavy.