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A review by jtasker
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
4.0
I love a good dystopian thriller, and When She Woke did not disappoint. In this futuristic take on The Scarlet Letter, terrorists and climate change have destroyed America and led to a takeover by the religious right. With prisons overflowing and money to support them dwindling, scientists develop a virus that changes the color of a convicted criminal's skin to indicate the type and severity of his or her crime. After 30 days in nationally televised seclusion, the melachromed convicts are released into society, where they are shunned, abused, and treated like third class citizens. Hannah's skin is turned red after she is convicted of murder--murder of her unborn child. The father is Aidan Dale, her married pastor. Shunned by her family and friends, Hannah embarks on a physical and spiritual journey to redemption and self-realization.
While at times some events and dialogue seemed contrived, I enjoyed this book. Although I seem to share the author's political and religious views,even I felt that they seemed a little preachy and awkwardly inserted into the story sometimes. In the case of Hannah's personal realizations, the awkwardness was warranted because she comes from such a naive sheltered existence, her exposure to discrimination and attempts at survival naturally would prompt statements such as (paraphrased)"just because I am well made and wearing well-fitting clothing does not mean I am inviting sin."
I also found the novel's treatment of homosexuality to be quite awkward. Given the emphasis on sex and religion, I did wonder how this society viewed homosexuality. Not surprisingly, the moral majority condemns it and GLBT people are not accepted. In fact, when Hannah realizes that one of her saviors is a lesbian, she has a strong negative reaction expressing her discomfort. A short time later, Hannah has an intimate experience with this woman. While I completely understand that a same-sex intimate experience can signify ultimate comfort and ownership of one's sexuality, this particular episode seemed thrown into the story without an anchor. Unfortunately, I think the author was trying too hard to make a statement and lost her characters at this point.
I did, however, appreciate that this story is not a condemnation of all religion, but a criticism of belief systems that preach exclusion, judgement, and punishment over love, forgiveness, and acceptance. When She Woke still wins four out of five stars for me because I found it to be a powerfully moving, self-affirming story. I can't wait to read more from Hillary Jordan.
While at times some events and dialogue seemed contrived, I enjoyed this book. Although I seem to share the author's political and religious views,even I felt that they seemed a little preachy and awkwardly inserted into the story sometimes. In the case of Hannah's personal realizations, the awkwardness was warranted because she comes from such a naive sheltered existence, her exposure to discrimination and attempts at survival naturally would prompt statements such as (paraphrased)"just because I am well made and wearing well-fitting clothing does not mean I am inviting sin."
I also found the novel's treatment of homosexuality to be quite awkward. Given the emphasis on sex and religion, I did wonder how this society viewed homosexuality. Not surprisingly, the moral majority condemns it and GLBT people are not accepted. In fact, when Hannah realizes that one of her saviors is a lesbian, she has a strong negative reaction expressing her discomfort. A short time later, Hannah has an intimate experience with this woman. While I completely understand that a same-sex intimate experience can signify ultimate comfort and ownership of one's sexuality, this particular episode seemed thrown into the story without an anchor. Unfortunately, I think the author was trying too hard to make a statement and lost her characters at this point.
I did, however, appreciate that this story is not a condemnation of all religion, but a criticism of belief systems that preach exclusion, judgement, and punishment over love, forgiveness, and acceptance. When She Woke still wins four out of five stars for me because I found it to be a powerfully moving, self-affirming story. I can't wait to read more from Hillary Jordan.