Red Clocks

Books | Fiction / Women

3.8

(210)

Leni Zumas

In this ferociously imaginative novel, abortion is once again illegal in America, in-vitro fertilization is banned, and the Personhood Amendment grants rights of life, liberty, and property to every embryo.Five women. One question. What is a woman for? In a small Oregon fishing town, five very different women navigate these new barriers alongside age-old questions surrounding motherhood, identity, and freedom. Ro, a single high-school teacher, is trying to have a baby on her own, while also writing a biography of Eivv?r, a little-known 19th-century female polar explorer. Susan is a frustrated mother of two, trapped in a crumbling marriage. Mattie is the adopted daughter of doting parents and one of Ro's best students, who finds herself pregnant with nowhere to turn. And Gin is the gifted, forest-dwelling herbalist, or "mender," who brings all their fates together when she's arrested and put on trial in a frenzied modern-day witch hunt. Red Clocks is at once a riveting drama, whose mysteries unfold with magnetic energy, and a shattering novel of ideas. In the vein of Margaret Atwood and Eileen Myles, Leni Zumas fearlessly explores the contours of female experience, evoking The Handmaid's Tale for a new millennium. This is a story of resilience, transformation, and hope in tumultuous -- even frightening -- times.

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More Details:

Author

Leni Zumas

Pages

368

Publisher

Little, Brown

Published Date

2018-01-16

ISBN

0316434809 9780316434805

Community ReviewsSee all

"This book was written as a dystopian novel in 2018, yet I sat here reading it in 2023 where it’s reality is our own. Roe v Wade was in fact overturned in America and I am sure the stories and experiences in this book are in reality felt and lived by MANY individuals every single day. At times while reading this book I was like “eh, I’m not blown away,” but reminded of this fact (as stated above) it made these words more important and beautiful. I also completely appreciated how a different and honest perspective is given, emphasizing a dichotomy, between how others perceive you, your role, your life, your mental state etc etc. “Perfect mom” and “perfect relationships” were expressed in this book, but then behind closed doors everyone has their issues, desires, and secrets. Nothing is as it seems and some people do NOT want to be moms, some relationships are NOT perfect. This was so important, as is the message of how we are all interconnected. This was an interesting book, one that made me think about those around me, especially in 2023 in America. "

Mariah

"Interesting social commentary on women’s reproductive rights, and current social norms. It’s seems frighteningly possible to see women’s rights restricted. "

Lisa Morris

"Super drawn in by the idea of this book, especially because of how the situation in the United States currently is. However, I think there’s some wasted potential here. As much as I love a book that intertwines stories, I feel like there wasn’t enough connection across stories. Yes, they all knew each other in some way but I yearned for more building on these relations, either directly or indirectly. I don’t care which. Additionally, I feel as though the struggles of what laws like this would do would’ve been so powerful if they’d built on them a little more or provided more insight into other stories where people did go to jail or die or etc. Also, I really need to stop reading the backs of books because they can be so misleading. It says five women navigating new barriers in the small Oregon town. And I was supposed to understand the fifth was the woman in the biographer’s book. How is she navigating the new amendment??? I spent literally the entire book waiting for this fifth woman to bring it all together. But she never came and neither did the togetherness. "

EmmaJean Rowan

"RED CLOCKS - ⭐⭐⭐/5. I liked it. <br/>I have to admit, I had a hard time deciding what star rating to give this read. It was a toss up between 2.5/3. I gave it 3 stars because I enjoyed most of the individual stories of the 4 women. I won't lie, I didn't pay any attention to the snippets of Eivør Mínervudottír. At times, I had to say "what is going on?". I found some of the novel tangential, disorganized, and I had to frequently remind myself what was going on. .<br/>It was an interesting read though! The concept of living in America, where they are striving for the right to life, but taking away rights of women, was intriguing. I can see where this is considered a "modern day The Handmaid's Tale", but I wasn't 100% convinced they're on the same level."

Sarah Camus

"Good premise, but it could have been executed better. The writing style was terrible. I couldn’t stand the choppy sentences. Also, the subplot about the polar explorer was pointless. The only interesting characters were Gin and Mattie."

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"Loved the book. Not loving how it is increasingly mirroring American society. "

Shelby

"incredible social commentary, but i found it a little slow"