Review: Red Clocks

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Imagine a world where abortions are illegal. Beyond that, in vitro fertilization is illegal and soon only married couples will be able to adopt. Red Clocks takes us into a future where all these things happen and explores the impact that would have on the lives of women. There are four women featured in this story (and a pseudo narrative of a fifth woman). Each one seems to represent women at different stages in their maternal development or lack thereof. This is further cemented by the fact that they are very infrequently referred to by name. Each one has a role that defines them: the Daughter, the Biographer, the Mender, and the Wife.

These women are all named at some point in the story, but I think it speaks to their importance in the book that I don't really remember any of their names. Instead, it is the role that they are assigned that seems to define who the are. I found this kind of off-putting. Perhaps the dehumanizing of the characters through this decision is purposeful. It seemed like too much considering how the aforementioned legal changes in their world already strip the women of certain choices, almost relegating them to a lower status.

I am a big fan of characters in a book. A well written character can carry an otherwise poorly written story at times. These characters had a ton of potential, and I found myself rooting for them in each of their stories. Yet, there was something lacking from them. This is partly due to the writing style. Some of the sentences are just awkward. It made it hard to get into the book on top of the already difficult presentation of women in general. And that is part of what makes this book good. It tackles an eerily plausible subject matter and explores how it would play out.

One moment that stood out to me, which happens to be fairly late in the book, actually flips those dehumanizing elements on their head. Two of the central characters are having a moment and one recognizes genuine fear in the other. This is in the context of a situation where fear isn't typically a consideration. It's difficult to convey the impact without spoiling the book, but it was something that made this book worth reading to me even though I didn't like how the characters were treated (by others or themselves) and the writing style didn't work for me. It was a little creepy to read this book as political discussions turn more toward abortion rights again.

View all my reviews