A Gift Upon the Shore in Apocalypse Whenever

Nov 30, 2010 Zach rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: religion, post-apocalyptic, science-fiction

Another novel of the nuclear apocalypse, focusing on the attempt of two women to stockpile as many books as possible in order to bequeath some semblance of culture and civilization to the descendants that they hope will some day rebuild humanity (note: based on everything else in the novel, this is a 100% foolhardy hope). The narrative is presented as a frame story where Mary Hope, aged 65ish, is telling a child the story of Mary Hope, aged 25ish, and her misadventures around the time of the col Another novel of the nuclear apocalypse, focusing on the attempt of two women to stockpile as many books as possible in order to bequeath some semblance of culture and civilization to the descendants that they hope will some day rebuild humanity (note: based on everything else in the novel, this is a 100% foolhardy hope). The narrative is presented as a frame story where Mary Hope, aged 65ish, is telling a child the story of Mary Hope, aged 25ish, and her misadventures around the time of the collapse of civilization-and misadventures they are. The younger Mary is one of those characters whose every choice makes you clutch your head and groan, but fortunately she has the much older and wiser Rachel to guide her (until she voluntarily leaves Rachel's guidance in the most exasperating of all the awful choices she makes). The narrative tension in both stories revolves around surviving after war (and focuses, more than many books of this ilk, on a return to the land and small farm-steading over scavenging, but more on that below), with the added struggle in the later sections of sharing the farm with a group of literalist patriarchal Christians.

The odd part, though, is that even with this book's unrelenting critique of patriarchy and reactionary religion, it isn't really a feminist novel. Not quite anti-feminist, but not quite in the place I'd like it to be, either... it could maybe be described as a conservatively essentialist pro-woman-but-only-a-certain-kind-of-woman work? (That isn't really a thing, I just made it up... although that Lefanu book that I'm currently reading makes a distinction between "feminist" sf and "feminised" sf, which I think it as good a way as any to look at it, and this certainly falls into the latter category). Even while the two protagonists are very strong and capable women (and not just at "women's work," which continually astonishes the Christians), the younger Mary is constantly fixated on the importance of childbearing, most of her awful choices revolve around the first man she meets post-apocalypse, and the book is aggressively heteronormative throughout, which is especially surprising given its focus on "relativism" and the impossibility of external truths. Further, the main villain isn't even one of the sexist Christian men. No? No. It's the leader of the Christian women, a totally flat and unsympathetic cardboard cutout of a character.* [spoiler below]

Anyway most post-apocalyptic books are, in one way or another, a meditation on modernity, and the other weird tension here is that Wren and her characters can't really make up their minds about whether they're happy to see it go or not (not that this isn't a valid point of confusion). This is a book steeped in romanticism, and lush descriptions of the beauty of nature makes up a large part of the text. The ruins of civilization, on the other hand, rarely merit much more of a mention than "There were some burned-out buildings," these buildings (and nature), of course, having become victims of the more impressively destructive impulses of modern technology. At the same time, however, this novel is one long ode to the cultural creations of modernity, and a more explicit examination of this dichotomy would have served this novel well.

* whose ultimate punishment, no less, is the death of her child at her own hand! ...more

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Jan 20, 2016 Susie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Have you ever felt like a book was written just for you? This would be the one for me. Loved every moment of this beautiful story!

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Jan 29, 2009 Dan rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As much as Wren wanted to make Rachel and Mary the tolerant ones the not so subtle disgust, although not explicit, of religion and the Bible makes her views on religion just as damaging and damning as the people that are blinded by religion.

Wren's overt opinions got in the way of the story at times. Preachy is a perfect word for some of her prose. I would have preferred if she tried to veil some of her thoughts so as not to dominate the story as much.

With that said it is Wren's book and opinions ...more

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May 11, 2017 Jak rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: post-apocalypse

I really enjoyed A Gift Upon the Shore (AGUtS) which is a post-apocalyptic novel of survival and hope. The story is in two parts with flash backs from the ‘present’ detailing what has already gone before.

The past is the quickly told tale of the apocalypse as an overburdened plant populated by greedy nihilists and run by fools and incompetents is eventually destroyed by nuclear war. The main protagonist Mary, by this point has found a companion Rachel, and is living in relative isolation on the N ...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Aaron rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: apocalyptic

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. At first the overly flowery descriptions had me doubting this book, but I pressed on. Good thing I did...I enjoyed it. Some great perspectives, on arguments that I didn't think were in the book. Nice job. Recommended for thought-provoking discussions. ...more

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Jul 24, 2009 Kristin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

Loved loved loved this book! Post apocalyptic atheists dealing with relegious fanatanics while trying to gather and preserve as many books as possible. Beautiful!

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Sep 03, 2007 Cindywho rated it liked it · review of another edition

I'm a sucker for end of the world stories. This one wasn't bad. Two women survive on an Oregon valley farm and preserve books as a tenuous link to the future after plague and nuclear war. Fundamentalists also survive. The story was engaging, but maybe I've read too many end of the world stories. I felt like I'd read other versions of it already. Am I just jaded to the apocalypse? (January 03, 2004) ...more

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