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A review by drtlovesbooks
Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
4.0
What it's about: In a near-future America in which abortion has been outlawed, five women's stories slowly intersect.
What I thought: In choosing shelves for this book, I went back and forth about whether it was "adult" or "YA". One of the protagonists is 15; the rest are older, though it's difficult to pin some of them down.
This is a story about being female, and the many things that can mean. It is about how being a woman can often be misunderstood not only by men, but by women themselves. It looks at a bleak future and wonders how it might affect women.
It also seems to be a bit of a meditation on race and privilege. One younger non-white character very specifically calls out the naivete of her white friend several times. And another character considers how she basically couldn't be bothered to add her voice to protests, but then had to live with the results when those protests failed - results she hadn't realize would become so personal to her. And, of course, this is a book about women as vessels for children - what that means when it happens, when it doesn't happen, when they don't want it to happen.
At its heart, this is a book about choices: The ones made, the ones that don't feel like choices, the ones that are taken away.
Having read this directly after reading Vox by Christina Dalcher, I was struck by several things: First, that they both seem to have written these during the Trump candidacy for President, and what that says about that campaign. Secondly, how differently they both approached a similar idea - how women might lose their rights if conservative politicians are given enough sway.
I also read both of these books at a moment when Georgia passed an anti-abortion bill, and when Alabama Republicans (all white males) are ramming through a similar law. I thought the legal penalties described in Red Clocks for those who sought an abortion were the work of fiction, but they seem to have been lifted straight from ideas that have been implemented. This is scary in multiple senses. I would never have thought such things were possible in real life; and it makes me wonder whether Vox's dystopia could also move from the page to the world.
Why I rated it like I did: This story is lovely. The writing is smooth and engaging, while having lots of interesting quirks; and the characters are well-realized. Although I enjoyed it, I found it easy to put down; it is more like a powerful but gentle wave than a rushing avalanche. It left a question or two unanswered, but it was on the whole extremely enjoyable and thought-provoking.
What I thought: In choosing shelves for this book, I went back and forth about whether it was "adult" or "YA". One of the protagonists is 15; the rest are older, though it's difficult to pin some of them down.
This is a story about being female, and the many things that can mean. It is about how being a woman can often be misunderstood not only by men, but by women themselves. It looks at a bleak future and wonders how it might affect women.
It also seems to be a bit of a meditation on race and privilege. One younger non-white character very specifically calls out the naivete of her white friend several times. And another character considers how she basically couldn't be bothered to add her voice to protests, but then had to live with the results when those protests failed - results she hadn't realize would become so personal to her. And, of course, this is a book about women as vessels for children - what that means when it happens, when it doesn't happen, when they don't want it to happen.
At its heart, this is a book about choices: The ones made, the ones that don't feel like choices, the ones that are taken away.
Having read this directly after reading Vox by Christina Dalcher, I was struck by several things: First, that they both seem to have written these during the Trump candidacy for President, and what that says about that campaign. Secondly, how differently they both approached a similar idea - how women might lose their rights if conservative politicians are given enough sway.
I also read both of these books at a moment when Georgia passed an anti-abortion bill, and when Alabama Republicans (all white males) are ramming through a similar law. I thought the legal penalties described in Red Clocks for those who sought an abortion were the work of fiction, but they seem to have been lifted straight from ideas that have been implemented. This is scary in multiple senses. I would never have thought such things were possible in real life; and it makes me wonder whether Vox's dystopia could also move from the page to the world.
Why I rated it like I did: This story is lovely. The writing is smooth and engaging, while having lots of interesting quirks; and the characters are well-realized. Although I enjoyed it, I found it easy to put down; it is more like a powerful but gentle wave than a rushing avalanche. It left a question or two unanswered, but it was on the whole extremely enjoyable and thought-provoking.