Just because I’m in a reading slump doesn’t mean we can’t talk about books! I was 80 pages into Red Clocks by Leni Zumas, before I just stopped?
I was really hesitant to pick this book up. I can’t explain why. I guess the timing just didn’t feel right. Or maybe I was really really skeptical. You know how it is with over-hyped books like this, there's a 50/50 chance they'll disappoint.
Red Clocks has promise. It’s timely, atmospheric and straight up bizarre. The writing style is surely unique and one of the book’s biggest strengths. Other than that, I don’t know that I’d say Red Clocks is by any means revolutionary. I feel bad for saying that, but someone’s got to. For being so timely, Red Clocks’ feminist message feels static and stuck in the era of second wave feminism. What you'd expect from a 21st century feminist author is something transformative, progressive and inclusive. Red Clocks isn't. This book could have used a diverse cast of characters that were layered, multi-faceted and complex. Instead we have five very limited perspectives from five privileged women where there's no real threat or consequence or adversity.
Red Clocks reads like a prophecy. The current political climate is what ultimately makes this book so uncomfortable, but I'm not going to say it's timeless, because as a feminist text Red Clocks plays it safe. And for me, that's been kind of disappointing because the concept itself is so impactful but the execution doesn't have that same oomph.
What I'd love to see as I continue Red Clocks by Leni Zumas is hopefully some build up, tensions high, and the final crescendo.
Read my review for Red Clocks by Leni Zumas here.
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