A review by apollinares
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I can't believe I haven't discovered Butler's work sooner - it had been recommended to me and I'd just kept putting it off until now. 

To say I loved this book would not be correct. It's a challenging read, delivered matter-of-factly by a narrator whose very existence, framed by the atrocities she'd witnessed, speaks to how far this fictional America has fallen. I had to put it down a number of times; aspects of it turned my stomach. But I believe it is a necessary read, and I'm surprised at how long ago it had been written. I dread to see some aspects of this specific dystopia realised within my own lifetime. 

Immersive, profound, and hopeful despite it all, Parable of the Sower will stay with me for a long time.