Harare Review of Books

176 pages.

First published in 2020.

Finished reading on June 19, 2021.

Genre: Fiction.

“That girl’s got more wrong notions than a barn owl’s got mean looks.”

Esther is a stowaway. She’s hidden herself away in the Librarian’s book wagon in an attempt to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her—a marriage to the man who was previously engaged to her best friend. Her best friend who she was in love with. Her best friend who was just executed for possession of resistance propaganda. The future American Southwest is full of bandits, fascists, and queer librarian spies on horseback trying to do the right thing.

Oh, dear.

Felt like it had promise, but the story didn’t really go anywhere, and I couldn’t engage with the characters. A lot of backstory was hinted at and never really explained. Also no real attempt to build a world (–There’s a war? Why? What are Librarians, really? You only find out later. Etc.) The audience enters the story at a point when some things have already happened, and it’s difficult to catch up. Don’t care enough about the characters to read a sequel, if there will be one. Very nearly dnf after a chapter or two.

May be for others, but not for me.

Rated: 2/10 for the setting that’s hinted at; but that’s all, really.