As the leaves begin to fall and the year winds down, it's only natural for our thoughts to turn introspective. The same holds true for November's must-read new books, where mothers-to-be fight for bodily autonomy, a shape-shifter ponder the nature of identity, a memoirist with PTSD considers the fate of survivors, and a journalist debates the status of the life-altering novel.
‘Future Home of the Living God’ by Louise Erdrich
Perhaps it’s telling that so many incisive works of social analysis come in the form of speculative fiction. Certainly, it’s hard not to feel a spiritual kinship to the likes of Margaret Atwood and George Orwell in National Book Award-winner Louise Erdrich’s latest novel. Set in a dystopic near-future where plants and animals seem to be evolving in reverse, Cedar Hawk Songmaker is forced to fight back against the pseudo-religious government regime corralling pregnant women like herself into birthing centers for some unknown purpose. Framed as a letter to her unborn child, Cedar’s struggles transform into an exploration of the concepts of family (both her white adoptive parents and her Ojibwe birth family), spirituality, and freedom that feels both pointedly current and timeless.
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich, $19, amazon.com on November 14. BUY
