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unsuccessfulbookclub 's review for:
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
by Meg Elison
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife is basically the perfect kind of book for me. It ticks all the boxes:
- Badass woman protagonist
- Plague
- Apocalypse
- Survival story
- Diary format with narrative between
- Great characters
- Gripping plot
In this novel, a plague sweeps the world that is very deadly for everyone but almost 100% fatal to women, children and especially pregnant people and newborns. The MC takes on many names and identities throughout the novel but we never know her real name. She wakes up in a hospital ward in San Francisco where she was working as a nurse when the plague hit. The world is dying. The MC has to think fast and change quickly to survive.
I read this book in two days, and mostly at night, which was a horrible choice because Meg Elison pulled no punches. This book is graphic and terrifying. It contained many themes common in apocalyptic fiction, including roaming bands of violent men exploiting the rapidly dwindling number of women.
I enjoyed how the MC tried on different identities for different reasons. I loved the variety of social structures in this book - everything from reverse harems to religious groups to militias. The MC is incredibly competent. She can shoot, raid, plan, negotiate and heal. It’s always fun for me to watch someone like that survive.
There is LGBTQIA+ rep in this book. The MC is bi, there are gay and bi side characters and polyamory is a norm in the post-plague landscape. There’s also an interesting exploration of gender via the MC because of the things she has to hide to survive.
⚠️CW: This book is graphic. I cannot stress enough that this is not a book to take on lightly! It includes rape, assault, child abuse, pregnancy loss, infant death, kidnapping, enslavement, plague, suicide, suicidal ideation and mentions drug abuse.
- Badass woman protagonist
- Plague
- Apocalypse
- Survival story
- Diary format with narrative between
- Great characters
- Gripping plot
In this novel, a plague sweeps the world that is very deadly for everyone but almost 100% fatal to women, children and especially pregnant people and newborns. The MC takes on many names and identities throughout the novel but we never know her real name. She wakes up in a hospital ward in San Francisco where she was working as a nurse when the plague hit. The world is dying. The MC has to think fast and change quickly to survive.
I read this book in two days, and mostly at night, which was a horrible choice because Meg Elison pulled no punches. This book is graphic and terrifying. It contained many themes common in apocalyptic fiction, including roaming bands of violent men exploiting the rapidly dwindling number of women.
I enjoyed how the MC tried on different identities for different reasons. I loved the variety of social structures in this book - everything from reverse harems to religious groups to militias. The MC is incredibly competent. She can shoot, raid, plan, negotiate and heal. It’s always fun for me to watch someone like that survive.
There is LGBTQIA+ rep in this book. The MC is bi, there are gay and bi side characters and polyamory is a norm in the post-plague landscape. There’s also an interesting exploration of gender via the MC because of the things she has to hide to survive.
⚠️CW: This book is graphic. I cannot stress enough that this is not a book to take on lightly! It includes rape, assault, child abuse, pregnancy loss, infant death, kidnapping, enslavement, plague, suicide, suicidal ideation and mentions drug abuse.