Red Clocks

By Leni Zumas,

Book cover of Red Clocks

Book description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE INAUGURAL ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION

'Intense, beautifully crafted . . . Her talent is electric. Get ready for a shock' Guardian

FIVE WOMEN. ONE QUESTION: What is a woman for?

In this ferociously imaginative novel, abortion is once again illegal in America, in-vitro fertilization is banned,…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

4 authors picked Red Clocks as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I’ll read anything with motherhood as an overarching theme.

Set in a near-future America, this novel explores the lives of women dealing with the consequences of legislation restricting reproductive rights. Multiple narrative threads and alternating perspectives offer a complex and interconnected look at the lives of its characters.

America, not long from now. Abortion is banned, so is in vitro fertilization, and a new Amendment to the Constitution grants the right to life—to every embryo, that is. Red Clocks follows the impact of this new regime upon the lives of five women, all living in a small town on the Oregon Coast. The focus is on the personal—but then the personal is always political. 

In this novel, abortion is illegal, in-vitro fertilization is banned, and the Personhood Amendment gives the constitutional right to life, liberty, and property to a fertilized egg from the moment of conception. Abortion providers can be charged with second-degree murder, abortion seekers with conspiracy to commit murder. I find this scenario terrifying. Of the five women depicted in this novel, a teacher who is single is trying to get pregnant through intrauterine insemination while writing a book about a female Arctic explorer; her student becomes unhappily pregnant; her married friend is overwhelmed by motherhood; and the other is an herbalist…

From Ames' list on reproductive freedom.

This is one of those books that gives you an unsettling sense of “this could happen tomorrow.” Abortion is banned nationwide; in-vitro fertilization is illegal, and a constitutional amendment grants full rights to every embryo. Women are not turned into handmaids a la Margaret Atwood’s imagination; life goes on much as it does today, but these societal restrictions—and the intense penalties for violating them—hang heavy over each character’s head. There is darkness aplenty in a world like this, but a close look also reveals kindness and connection.

From Alexandra's list on dark futures with hope.

Want books like Red Clocks?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Red Clocks.

Browse books like Red Clocks

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in reproductive rights, dystopian, and women?

Dystopian 595 books
Women 642 books