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

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Whew, this was hard to read. Butler created a very brutal near-future for these characters, and she does not pull any punches in her descriptions of that world. Big CW for just about any tough topic you can think of; I won’t list them here, but if there’s anything that’s particularly triggering for you, you may want to do a little research before picking this up. But if you’re able to, it’s very much worth reading.

I kept thinking of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road as I read this. The post-apocalyptic world is just as well-developed and you root for the main characters in the same way as they struggle to survive. I’d even say it’s a more interesting book because it considers race, gender, social inequality, etc. (not to mention the main character, Lauren’s, hyperempathy). It seems like the only reason Parable of the Sower is not as widely read as The Road is because it’s by a Black woman author with characters that are mostly people of color. I think it’s more worth reading for that reason.
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