Review: Red Clocks, Leni Zumas

I tend to resist buying hardcovers, mostly because I’m cheap, but it can be a real struggle. I was an only child for 18 years so I’m all about immediate gratification. As an adult, I deny myself nothing. Hardcover books create a sort of perfect storm in me; I want to read this book, but I would like to do it for about 15 bucks cheaper. When I buy a hardcover, it’s because the premise is just too enticing. Pro tip: hardcovers are always cheaper online 😀

TL;DR, spoiler-free review: The premise of Red Clocks frightens me because of its possibility but it comforts me by illustrating how we would resist such a future. Leni Zumas’s writing style is unique and enveloping and her story will hold onto you until the very end.

You’re-verbose-and-I-like-it review: Each chapter begins with the title of one of the women, such as The Biographer or The Mender (with the exception of Eivør; her chapters are differentiated from the others by font). I noticed right away that the women were referred to by title rather than name (ex: “The daughter knew…” or “the wife’s jaw tenses”). It is not until later chapters that the women indirectly introduce each other by using another woman’s name in the context of her story (ex: the biographer might call on the daughter in class by name, or the wife might address the biographer and invite her for dinner).  I think this is a really compelling way of connecting the women and unifying their cause. They do not have the same agenda (one wants an abortion, one wants to be pregnant, etc.), but they want the same thing: autonomy over their own bodies and lives. By having the characters name each other, it brings them, and all women, together in the struggle for their basic human rights.

With a couple exceptions, the men in Red Clocks are pretty obnoxious. Susan’s (the wife) husband actually made me want to punch him when she comes home with the kids and he whines about having to make his own lunch. While that’s irritating, Ro’s (the biographer) fertility doctor is almost negligent in that he doesn’t think of testing her for a disease of which she exhibits symptoms until she asks him too. It is Gin (the mender) that brings this to Ro’s attention. These examples are not to say that men are entirely useless, but it does illustrate how often and in how many insidious ways a patriarchal system works against the best interests of women.

Perhaps most importantly, Zumas does not end her book with a happy little bow. SPOILERS AHEAD IN 3… 2… 1… Ro realizes she can’t be selfish and instead must support her frightened student carry out the choice Ro believes she has the right to make; Susan, after much agonizing, leaves her husband (who has the nerve to act shocked. Seriously want to punch that guy). This is not to say that the book ends on a negative note. The dust jacket copy asks the question, “what is a woman for?” The book quietly answers that question in the end, responding with: women are for a cause that will ensure it is no longer acceptable to ask that question.

Week 5: Red Clocks, Exit West, The Boat People

I refuse to admit defeat but this three books a week business is kicking my ass. Last week was pretty busy for me though so I’m hoping this week, which sees nothing more exciting than the crochet class I’m taking with my mother, will be more successful. I didn’t manage to finish The Power of Habit last week and while I’m surely going to continue listening to it while I complete my crochet homework, I’m going to turn my attention to three new books.

Red Clocks, Leni Zumas: I’m ever the sucker for a good cover! This book’s back cover copy asks the question, “what is a woman for?” It takes place in an future where abortion is illegal and in vitro fertilization is banned. The copy compares it to The Handmaid’s Tale which I really enjoyed so here’s hoping it has a better ending than anything Atwood herself as written (tangent: I hate Atwood’s endings. I almost always love the book but the end feels so rushed to me, as if she got bored and wanted to move on to something else. So frustrating).

Exit West, Mohsin Hamid: Fun story: I have a friend who is a very practical gift-giver. He will only get you something that you will actually use. Even if it’s totally superfluous, he’ll get it, but it has to have a function. He knows exactly how bad my book shopping addiction is and he also knows that I haven’t read even half the books I own, so when he asked what I wanted for Christmas, and I said books, he said, “hahahahaha NO.” I promised that the book would go into immediate rotation for the blog, skipping past all others, and he finally agreed. I gave him a list of a few to choose from and so I present to you, the Adam-approved selection, which will likely be the only mandatory reading on my book list. 😀

The Boat People, Sharon Bala: This book is on the Canada Reads 2018 longlist and, while I’m waiting to order the shortlist (it’s being announced tomorrow!!), I didn’t want to wait for this one. Whether it makes the shortlist or not, I’m using it to get ready for Canada Reads, which I always want to participate in but then don’t read fast enough and forget when the debates are. Anyway, this book is about a father and son who are refugees from Sri Lanka landing in British Columbia. Instead of asylum, they find themselves imprisoned as government officials suspect terrorists were aboard their ship. I chose this book as part of my desire to expand my reading selection to perspectives I have not read before.

Housekeeping: I want to start paying attention to where I hear about books. When I sit down to write, I’m like, “duuuhhhhhh…. Instagram told me too?” This might sound strange but I’m not a big browser. I don’t trust random books on the shelves or in the “you might also like this” recommendations on Indigo/Amazon. I need a trusted source to say, “Hey, here’s a 35 dollar shredded and bound tree, you should take this home.” What I’m saying is, I want to cite my sources so you know that I’ve properly vetted this recommendation and it’s not some sloppy algorithm spitting out nonsense. 🙂

More housekeeping: I finally got my social media connected here (buttons on the right side of the page) so come say hello on Twitter or Instagram! I think I’m funny there too 🙂