A review by ttodd86
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

2.0

An intriguing premise but a disappointing book. Cedar Songmaker's pregnancy during a time when evolution has begun to run in what is apparently reverse, sounded so intriguing and interesting -- especially given current events in the real world -- but the delivery missed the mark. The book is Songmaker's letter to the child she is carrying and, as would be expected, the book focuses on the challenges she endures while trying to protect herself and the unborn baby. The problem is, unfolding events have left the protagonist so isolated that you really never know what is going on in the outside world. On one level, I understand that as a comparison to any pregnancy where the focus naturally turns internal and fears of the unknown mount, but the problem is that throughout this book I felt like there were about a million more interesting stories happening in the rest of the world created by this novel that I wanted to read. As Songmaker keeps asking questions, and receives only confusing answers, it begins to feel more like laziness on the part of the author -- the story of anyone Songmaker interacts with would be far more interesting than her perspective. Very disappointing. It avoids being a one-star book because the early part of the book, just as events begin to unfold, was enjoyable.