Review: The Book of Etta by Meg Elison

The Book of Etta (2/21/17 from 47North)

Goodreads Summary: 

In the gripping sequel to the Philip K. Dick Award-winning novel The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, one woman undertakes a desperate journey to rescue the future.

Etta comes from Nowhere, a village of survivors of the great plague that wiped away the world that was. In the world that is, women are scarce and childbearing is dangerous…yet desperately necessary for humankind’s future. Mothers and midwives are sacred, but Etta has a different calling. As a scavenger. Loyal to the village but living on her own terms, Etta roams the desolate territory beyond: salvaging useful relics of the ruined past and braving the threat of brutal slave traders, who are seeking women and girls to sell and subjugate.

When slavers seize those she loves, Etta vows to release and avenge them. But her mission will lead her to the stronghold of the Lion—a tyrant who dominates the innocent with terror and violence. There, with no allies and few weapons besides her wits and will, she will risk both body and spirit not only to save lives but also to liberate a new world’s destiny.

My Review:

I loved The Book of the Unnamed Midwife (read my review here) and was excited to read the next book in the The Road to Nowhere series. The "books" that are referenced in the titles are journals kept by women after a plague wipes out 99% of the female population. Etta's book begins about 140 years after this plague and includes her stories of the cities she visits on her "raids". What she is really doing when she leaves her city is dressing as a man to partake in trade, like the unnamed midwife of the first novel. Etta is not only doing this for her own protection but also because she identifies as "Eddie". As the second book in the series, The Book of Etta expands on themes of societal constructions, slavery, reproduction, identity, and sexuality. Traveling between newly established communities, Eddie learns of places where women keep multiple male lovers, places where men plunder villages if they aren't given sex slaves, and places creating their own new religions. Foremost in almost everyones' minds and in each community is some sort of newly constructed breeding practice. Marginalized people who are not included in these practices are often not trusted by the communities and different practices between communities are rarely accepted or understood. This book made me stop and think about so many aspects of gender, sexuality, power, and society. A wonderful work of LGBTQIA+ speculative fiction.