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Afterland
by Lauren Beukes
The Human Culgoa Virus has ravaged the globe, turning into an aggressive and deadly prostate cancer in most men. Now, only a small percentage of men are left, including twelve-year-old Miles. The government wants to keep him and his mother, Cole, in Ataraxia, a secure facility for testing to learn why he is immune. On the black market, though, women will pay astronomical sums for semen or surrogate sons, since reproduction has been outlawed until the virus is understood.
Cole wants to keep Miles safe from both groups—and to do that, she decides to escape Ataraxia and head to her home, South Africa. Not only does she have to avoid federal agents, her biggest threat is her sister Billie who views Miles as a payday that will make her secure for life.
Once Cole and Miles break out, Miles must become Mila as they travel from the West coast to Miami in search of a way to leave the country. On the way, they take refuge with an anarchist cult devoted to dismantling borders and property rights. They hide among a traveling cult, the Church of All Sorrows, that is sure with enough repentance God will forgive them their sins and return men to earth. Along the way, Cole and Miles/Mila deflect natural disasters, federal agents, and women with too many questions as they try to stay ahead of Billie and her mercenaries and Cole wonders if there’s anything she wouldn’t do to protect her son.
The perspective alternates between Cole, Miles, and Billie, a sound narrative choice since the three characters have such different priorities and ways of seeing the world. Comparing how Cole and Miles see the same interactions differently is particularly interesting and probably will be very familiar to parents of teenagers!
While the primary focus is on the chase and the relationships among the characters, the post-virus worldbuilding is exquisite—it’s well-developed yet very subtle. To varying degrees, everyone in the book is reckoning with the absence of men and what it means for the future and to power dynamics.
The book is full of puns and word play with Billie being particularly sardonic so that I was frequently amused. At the same time, some observations were so cutting and resonant that I found lots of meaning in the book. And, of course, I loved the pit stop in Oklahoma.
Those who liked The Handmaid’s Tale, The Power, and The Red Clock will likely enjoy this, though I do think Afterland has a lighter tone and the genre mash-up gives it a fresh interpretation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for providing an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Aimee Dars Reads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Flickr | Pinterest
Cole wants to keep Miles safe from both groups—and to do that, she decides to escape Ataraxia and head to her home, South Africa. Not only does she have to avoid federal agents, her biggest threat is her sister Billie who views Miles as a payday that will make her secure for life.
Once Cole and Miles break out, Miles must become Mila as they travel from the West coast to Miami in search of a way to leave the country. On the way, they take refuge with an anarchist cult devoted to dismantling borders and property rights. They hide among a traveling cult, the Church of All Sorrows, that is sure with enough repentance God will forgive them their sins and return men to earth. Along the way, Cole and Miles/Mila deflect natural disasters, federal agents, and women with too many questions as they try to stay ahead of Billie and her mercenaries and Cole wonders if there’s anything she wouldn’t do to protect her son.
The perspective alternates between Cole, Miles, and Billie, a sound narrative choice since the three characters have such different priorities and ways of seeing the world. Comparing how Cole and Miles see the same interactions differently is particularly interesting and probably will be very familiar to parents of teenagers!
While the primary focus is on the chase and the relationships among the characters, the post-virus worldbuilding is exquisite—it’s well-developed yet very subtle. To varying degrees, everyone in the book is reckoning with the absence of men and what it means for the future and to power dynamics.
The book is full of puns and word play with Billie being particularly sardonic so that I was frequently amused. At the same time, some observations were so cutting and resonant that I found lots of meaning in the book. And, of course, I loved the pit stop in Oklahoma.
Those who liked The Handmaid’s Tale, The Power, and The Red Clock will likely enjoy this, though I do think Afterland has a lighter tone and the genre mash-up gives it a fresh interpretation.
Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for providing an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Aimee Dars Reads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Flickr | Pinterest