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A review by gemmascott
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.25
Published in the early 90s, The Parable of the Sower is set in the 2020s, in a California where climate change has led to the collapse of society, more or less. Wealth inequality is massive, with the rich living in gated communities and the poor living on the streets or a form of indentured servitude managed be private corporations. Lauren, the main character, belongs to a small middle class - a precarious existence within a comparatively insecure gated community, limited education and an ever-present threat of scarcity or even collapse.
While clearly a work of fiction, the author offers a remarkably prescient view of life in the real 2020s - working from home and a fear of outside are now common to all of us, while wildfires and water shortages are becoming part of our new reality. The slave-owning corporations with monopolies across multiple industries have practices which echo those of companies like Amazon, as well as America’s south during the 19th century, it seems uncomfortably easy to imagine them moving further down this path in the aftermath of the Trump era.
What the book does surprisingly well is that it captures the experiences of a generation for whom progress has not happened, whose parents were able to access a better quality of life than their own. As a millennial born just a few years before the book’s release, I felt the sting of this keenly.
The religious aspects of the book felt a little forced at times, and I’m not sure how I feel about them, although the basic philosophy is sound. Some of the events in the book also felt a little far-fetched, in terms of the outcomes for its characters. The character also feels as though she has been written to be older than her age, by at least a few years.
I really enjoyed this book though and look forward to reading the sequel!
While clearly a work of fiction, the author offers a remarkably prescient view of life in the real 2020s - working from home and a fear of outside are now common to all of us, while wildfires and water shortages are becoming part of our new reality. The slave-owning corporations with monopolies across multiple industries have practices which echo those of companies like Amazon, as well as America’s south during the 19th century, it seems uncomfortably easy to imagine them moving further down this path in the aftermath of the Trump era.
What the book does surprisingly well is that it captures the experiences of a generation for whom progress has not happened, whose parents were able to access a better quality of life than their own. As a millennial born just a few years before the book’s release, I felt the sting of this keenly.
The religious aspects of the book felt a little forced at times, and I’m not sure how I feel about them, although the basic philosophy is sound. Some of the events in the book also felt a little far-fetched, in terms of the outcomes for its characters. The character also feels as though she has been written to be older than her age, by at least a few years.
I really enjoyed this book though and look forward to reading the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail