Started on 5.23.25, finished on 5.25.25

This is a dystopian novel that unfortunately feels way less distant from our current situation than I want it to. I honestly loved everything about it—it creates a deep sense of dread and helplessness while also doing a great job of feeling realistic and connecting us with the main character as well as the other women in the retention center. It’s very much the kind of book that makes you want to get out (i.e., get off the grid) while you still can.

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My favorite quotes:

“Sara makes an effort to read arts and culture news, though there are days when she can’t imagine ever going back to sitting in an office at the museum, cataloguing photographs or typing messages that begin with per my last email.”

“In any case crime is relative, its boundaries shifting in service of the people in power. Once upon a time, adultery and miscegenation used to be crimes, now they aren’t. Burning flags and collecting rainwater were once legal; now they aren’t. A crime isn’t the same as a moral transgression. The law delineates the former, never the latter.”