Finished May 4
The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson
Generally categorized as science fiction, this book is so much more. It is a commentary of the earth and the way humanity has behaved over time. It is about the past and the future, about the inevitability of man's destruction of his world, and about the hope that humanity can get past that and work together for a better outcome.
Winterson touches on today's hot topics of technology, global warming, war, globalization, corporate control and individual rights. She includes social and class issues as well as political ones, but you never feel that you are being preached at or forced to a particular point of view. Here, the possibilities are many. The story takes place in three main parts.
The first is a world where people can have themselves "fixed" at any age they want. It is a society based on consumerism. Billie is a bit of a rebel. She runs an old-fashioned farm and while she works for the large corporation, she does speak her own mind. She agrees to travel to a potentially habitable planet with a group looking at planning a colony.
The second part takes place on Easter Island and is told from the point of view of a sailor left there who analyzes the behaviour of the natives.
The last part is from the view of another character names Billie in our world "post 3 war" where again she works for the big corporate entity that runs things, but steps outside the standard behaviour.
This will be on my list of favourites for the year.
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