Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
(Little, Brown and Company, 2018, 356 pages)
Red Clocks is a novel told from the alternating perspectives of four different women. Set in coastal Oregon in a not-so-distant future we are now in a world where abortion is illegal and attempts to have one result in you being charged for murder. Efforts to obtain legal abortions in Canada are blocked thanks to the “Pink Wall” – the Canadian government will return anyone trying to cross the border for illegal purposes. Connected with this, adoptions are in the process of being limited so that only two-parent households qualify. With these reproductive restrictions come understandable stress and risk.
The book starts off a little disjointed because you’re not given the names of the main characters right away. As the book progresses, though, you get a better understanding for why Zumas chose this tactic. Interspersed throughout the accounts you also get excerpts from a biography-in-progress about a 19th-century female polar explorer. These excerpts of the explorer’s life provide an interesting parallel to the limitations society continues to place on women in the present day.
If you’re a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale (book or show) I would definitely recommend this book to you. This was a timely read… some might find it a little too close for comfort, but there’s a motivating message behind the text.
4/5 stars