Reviews

Louise Erdrich's Future Home of the Living God is a novel with such immense potential, and I couldn't help but be immensely disappointed when it completely underdelivered. The story follows a pregnant woman in the midst of a biological apocalypse, and considers the importance of motherhood, Native American indigeneity and its interactions with Catholicism, and gender-based and racial oppression. In my opinion, this novel fails due to both its plot and its politics. The novel is absolutely riddled with plotholes- characters appear out of seemingly nowhere to advance the plot, characters are reintroduced only to disappear completely (in some cases literally only pages later), events that seem as if they should be significant are robbed of narrative value, and in one case there is an event so ridiculous and nonsensical that there isn't even an attempt to contextualize or develop it further. I was deeply interested in the religiosity of the novel, which focuses intensely on Catholicism and the protagonist's relationship to Catholicism, as well as Protestantism with the creation of a new Christian government, but ultimately this religiosity essentially just acts as a device to advance the plot without any proper resolution. As mentioned, the politics of the novel have the potential to be deeply concerning. There is a bizarre sense of gender essentialism present throughout the novel, which goes so far as to suppose that all women instinctually know some kind of 'song of motherhood.' Furthermore, there is an argument to be made that this book is anti-abortion, which I think is kinda cringe. Don't read this book, it is not very good.

suzablam's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Wow. Will be thinking about this book for a long, long time. One of the most intricately crafted dystopias I’ve read in a while.

nooneyouknow's review against another edition

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3.0

Atypical Erdrich. Sometimes funny, sometimes deep, and sometimes just a bit of a mess.

lammy_howl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

brdgtc's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

raygersh's review against another edition

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4.0

Louise Erdrich has created a captivating tale of speculative fiction that I could not put down. Genre-bending and deep, the story follows Cedar Hawk Songmaker, a pregnant woman navigating the apocalypse and devolution of the world. The sudden reversal of the natural order is a fascinating science fiction premise, but Erdrich leaves what is actually happening to the world primarily in the background. The main story is one woman's progression through this onslaught of change.

Both heartwarming and devastating, the story was so layered and tackled so much. Each of the characters was well-constructed and most were a little quirky. They confront issues of race, religion, justice, and family dynamics, all while facing down the question of the survival of humanity.

Overall: A unique and compelling read that was breezy but also requires some pondering. 4.5 stars

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