This was not an ordinary pandemic: it wouldn’t be contained after a few hundred thousand deaths, then obliterated with biotools and bleach. This was the Waterless Flood the Gardeners so often had warned about. It had all the signs: it traveled through the air as if on wings, it burned through cities like fire, spreading germ-ridden mobs of terror and butchery. The lights were going out everywhere, and now the news was fading away; systems were failing as their keepers died. It spelled total breakdown which was why she’d needed the rifle. Rifles had been illegal for years, but laws were no longer a factor. – from The Year of the Flood, page 18 of the ARC -
The year is far in the future, a time when animals are becoming extinct at a rate faster than people can document, and the level of pollution requires individuals to don nose cones in order to go outside. The government is horribly corrupt – creating weird animals like liobams (part lamb, part lion) and embedding diseases into vitamin supplements. Criminals are either executed or sent to serve months “playing” Painball, a deadly form of today’s paintball.
Welcome to Margaret Atwood’s latest dystopian novel which serves as a prequel to her previous work Oryx and Crake. The Year of the Flood takes place roughly during the same time period as Oryx and Crake, but jumps back and forth from the post-pandemic months and the years leading up to the disaster. Jimmy (Snowman) makes a reappearance in The Year of the Flood, but the main characters are two women – Toby and Ren. The novel is narrated first in Toby’s voice then in Ren’s, alternating chapters to provide significant background on not only the state of the world, but each woman’s personal story as well.
The heroes of the novel are members of a (mostly) pacifist, eco-friendly group called the Gardeners. Headed up by a Christ-like man called Adam One, the Gardeners rescue people off the streets (and from morally reprehensible lives), prohibit meat eating of any kind, document the animals being lost to extinction, and work underground to gain information about the various corrupt practices of the government. Both Toby and Ren become members of the Gardeners – Toby as a healer and eventually one of the Eves (female members who take on a leadership role in the group), and Ren who joins the group as a child.
Nobody does dystopian literature better than Atwood – and in The Year of the Flood she provides complex female characters who are faced with futuristic horrors which involve women as sexual tools for men, plenty of violence, and lots of cynicism. There is also Atwood’s signature sense of humor embedded in the story which is often graphic while exploring serious subjects such as pandemics, government corruption, and loss of our natural resources.
I love Margaret Atwood’s writing. I am always astonished by the brilliance of her prose and her ability to tell an engrossing story. But The Year of the Flood is not without its faults. I could have lived without the insertion of Adam One’s sermons and song lyrics from the Gardener’s “hymn” book. I also felt the ending was rather abrupt and left the reader wondering what the future held for the characters (in this way, it was a lot like Oryx and Crake).In some ways, I felt Atwood wrote the ending to connect the novel to Oryx and Crake – it felt a bit contrived.
Despite its faults, The Year of the Flood will appeal to readers who enjoy an engaging dystopian tale and who have read and liked Atwood’s previous work. I would be interested to see if Atwood is planning a third book in the series…and if so, where she might take her characters next.
FTC Disclosure: I received this Advance Readers Edition from the publisher for review.
= Excellent
= Good/Very Good
= Okay read
= Not recommended
= Ugh! Don't waste your time.
I’ve got this book, but my son insists I should read Oryx and Crake first so I haven’t read it yet. Thanks for your review.
I loved Oryx and Crake but I was bothered by how shallow Oryx’s character was compared to the two main male characters (Snowman and Crake). It’s great that this novel centers on women.
I’ve also been considering The Handmaid’s Tale. I always thought it sounded too over-the-top but I guess many dystopian novels are.
I guess the organic movement never gained much momentum in the Oryx/Flood universe.
Wendy – A third novel? I hadn’t thought of that. It would be very interesting to see what point of view Atwood chose to tell it from. I did enjoy the sermons and the hymns, they felt rather playful to me. Thanks for this great review.
I felt pretty much the same way and gave a similar rating. Though I didn’t find Adam One Christ-like at all! I found the religion very Old Testament. I also didn’t enjoy the sermons and especially the hymns but I read them carefully to figure out the religion.
I had never thought of a third book! Interesting concept! Perhaps one that picks up from where these left off and goes forward.
I read The Hand Maid’s Tale and that is enough Atwood for me
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on her latest book though.
I love Atwood! I rushed out and bought this book in September and still haven’t gotten to it. LOL!
Kathy: I don’t think it matters what order you read the books…they could actually “stand alone” …
El Fay: I actually LOVED the Handmaid’s Tale – it is one of my favorite Atwood novels. I liked that this one had women playing central roles – Atwood does female characters great.
Gavin: You’re welcome – oh I think I could see her writing a third novel which would start where this one ended…but we’ll see!
Nicola: It is always so interesting to see how different readers interpret characters! I agree that IF there were a 3rd novel, it would be a natural choice to have it pick up where this one left off.
Staci: Sorry you didn’t enjoy the Handmaid’s Tale
BUT, that said, Atwood does not just write dystopian stuff…and you might give another of her novels a try at some point.
Teddy: *laughs* Yes, I love her too! Will be interested to read your review of this one sometime.
I haven’t read any of Atwood’s book since “The Handmaid’s Tale” but this review is making me rethink that.
Jenners: I loved The Handmaid’s Tale…I’ll be interested to read your thoughts on this one if you get to it.
Apparently this is the second of a trilogy. For someone who insists that she is not writing science fiction Margaret Atwood uses all of the standard structures of the genre, including the omnipresent trilogy. In the back of the Vintage Canada paperback edition of “Oryx and Crake” is a page saying “Don’t miss the second book of the MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD.”
Dystopian literature is by definition unrelentingly grim. It’s probably best to put an uplifting kernel of hope and salvation, a bit of Hollywood ending, if you really want to keep the majority of people coming back for more. Just look at the Book of Revelations. However if you don’t mind good songs that start out kind of slow and then fizzle out altogether, try Doris Lessing’s Canopus in Argos series.
Chuff: My copy said nothing about this being the second in a trilogy…but it makes total sense that it would be. I am not a huge fan of science fiction or dystopian literature, but I do think Atwood does these genres very well. Thanks for weighing in!