Review: Red Clocks by Leni Zumas

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I struggled a bit with this rating – my feelings fall somewhere between 3 and 4 stars but I rounded up because I ultimately felt that it was an interesting exploration of women’s rights and the impact to life and liberty. Given our current political climate, the various pieces and parts of this novel are particularly scary as they constitute the hopes (and plans) of many conservatives in America. This is a dystopian novel that posits a world where abortion is illegal, in vitro fertilization is banned and a Personhood Amendment grants rights of life, liberty, and property to every embryo. The story is told through the experiences of five women in one community and how these new realities impact them. I found this book to be rather unsettling – I think that was perhaps because of how close to home this book is to what’s happening politically in America but it also came from the fact that this novel focused so much on the small, day to day aspects of the narrative.

Although I’m glad that I read this novel, it was not a perfect book. The writing style never completely connected with me as a reader. It felt choppy and cloudy in some way. It made it more challenging for me to connect with the women in the novel. But, I was able to overlook some of these aspects given that the rest of the novel really did resonate with me. The one thing that made a huge impression on me is the fact that the effect of complacency had on where the story went – it reinforced the need for political commitment by all of us. The cautionary tale in this novel is scary – and it should be. We lose when we ignore the signs … when we assume that certain things won’t ever happen. They can and do happen. We need to keep our eye on these cultural and political issues that can impact all of us so much.

I definitely think this book is worth reading but do know that the language and writing style may not connect with you. It’s something I’ve heard from a number of my bookish friends about this book. However, I do think it’s a good book that will remind you how important it is that we engage politically and not just let things happen.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.