In Leni Zumas’s Red Clocks, women’s reproductive health in a near future America looks much different than it does today. In-vitro fertilization is now banned, abortion is illegal, and once the “Every Child Needs Two” law goes into effect, only married couples will be able to adopt children.
Navigating these muddy, murky waters are four women, each facing a problem of her own. There’s “The Biographer,” who in her 40s wants more than anything to have a child. A teacher, she’s been writing the biography of Eivor, a female polar explorer, in between appointments at her doctor’s office where she is attempting to become pregnant through artificial insemination. “The Wife” finds herself in a crumbling marriage with two young kids in tow, a shell of the person she once was. On the brink of a nervous breakdown, she often considers tumbling her car over the edge of the cliff side near her home, bringing an end to the madness. “The Daughter” is in a sexual relationship with a boy who is really not all that into her apart from her body. When she becomes pregnant and decides she doesn’t want to keep the baby, she faces the toughest decision of her life. Is she willing to risk everything and face jail time to illegally terminate her pregnancy? Lastly, there is “The Mender.” Known as the “witch,” she mixes up potions and poultices to heal the ailments of the local women who seek her care. Whether or not some of these potions are used to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the question a jury faces when the Mender is put on trial for medical malpractice and conspiracy to commit murder.
Red Clocks has been touted as a modern day Handmaid’s Tale, a precarious cautionary story about a future where women no longer have say or choice when it comes to their own bodies. Red Clocks reads like a contemporary piece of literary fiction. The writing is detailed and lyrical, and focuses largely on the lives of the women as opposed to what’s going on in the outside world. Where it differs from novels such as The Handmaid’s Tale is that Red Clocks is lacking in shock value. The women of this world have become pretty complacent, considering that they no longer have reproductive rights. It seems that women have just accepted that this is the way the world is, and are taking this fight lying down. Therefore, the characters really don’t take risks, and they lack some of the oomph you would expect to see from American women left without choice. In all, this book is a beautiful, effortless read, which provokes thoughts and questions, but doesn’t provide many answers. Readers who enjoy character development and interconnected stories will find Red Clocks to be enjoyable, but should not enter into the novel expecting there to be much world-building.
Red Clocks is available at our Thibodaux Branch, and can always be requested to a branch near you! Happy Reading!
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GENRE: Adult Books for Young Adults; Literary Fiction; Dystopian Fiction; Multiple Perspectives
TONE: Atmospheric; Thought-Provoking; Darkly Humorous
STORYLINE: Character-Driven; Intricately-Plotted
WRITING STYLE: Compelling; Lyrical; Richly-Detailed
CHARACTER: Complex
LOCATION: Oregon
SUBJECT: Homeopathic Physicians; Misogyny; Near-Future; Sexism; Small Towns; Social Change; Trials; Women; Women's Role
I gave Red Clocks **** stars! What will you rate it?