Conflicted response to feminist time travel epic
Although Annalee Newitz's second novel, The Future of Another Timeline, is an intelligent experiment in speculative fiction, my reaction as a reader remains mixed.
And I'm having a tough time explaining my conflicted response to the book. At first glance, The Future of Another Timeline should be a solid match for me - it's a feminist alternate history that echoes some literary predecessors I have experience with (H. G. Wells' The Time Machine), and some I even LOVE (Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale). However, "on the ground", my, I guess, academic investment never fully kicks in. And the emotional investment's not entirely there, or consistent, either.
The aspect I love most about the book is author's voice. Whether spinning scientific theories or revising turning points in history, Newitz's erudition and investment shine through in the writing.
Ultimately, I think the book's biggest issue is its scope. It's an ambitious story, and it tries to do too much - to cover too much. If the focus is meant to be on women's health and reproductive rights, it helps to remember that the personal is political; there's a lot that could be addressed within Beth's storyline. At what point does the epic layering of timelines mean losing focus - mean possibly obscuring central message(s)?
There's one other concern I want to mention - I think the book's descriptions of violence, committed both against and by girls and women, is gratuitous. And when I say violence, I'm referring to physical as well as verbal attacks. They didn't negate my interest in the book, but they will prevent me from putting it on my classroom shelves.
Thank you to Annalee Newitz, Tor/Macmillan, and Bookish First for my ARC of The Future of Another Timeline.
And I'm having a tough time explaining my conflicted response to the book. At first glance, The Future of Another Timeline should be a solid match for me - it's a feminist alternate history that echoes some literary predecessors I have experience with (H. G. Wells' The Time Machine), and some I even LOVE (Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale). However, "on the ground", my, I guess, academic investment never fully kicks in. And the emotional investment's not entirely there, or consistent, either.
The aspect I love most about the book is author's voice. Whether spinning scientific theories or revising turning points in history, Newitz's erudition and investment shine through in the writing.
Ultimately, I think the book's biggest issue is its scope. It's an ambitious story, and it tries to do too much - to cover too much. If the focus is meant to be on women's health and reproductive rights, it helps to remember that the personal is political; there's a lot that could be addressed within Beth's storyline. At what point does the epic layering of timelines mean losing focus - mean possibly obscuring central message(s)?
There's one other concern I want to mention - I think the book's descriptions of violence, committed both against and by girls and women, is gratuitous. And when I say violence, I'm referring to physical as well as verbal attacks. They didn't negate my interest in the book, but they will prevent me from putting it on my classroom shelves.
Thank you to Annalee Newitz, Tor/Macmillan, and Bookish First for my ARC of The Future of Another Timeline.