I needed a break from fantasy so I decided to read something from the post-apocalyptic genre, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison. I typically don’t read these types of stories because they can be depressing and that’s just not my vibe but I do like to branch out occasionally. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t what I particularly expected, or wanted, it to be. This review will have spoilers.
Synopsis:
When she fell asleep, the world was doomed. When she awoke, it was dead.
In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth’s population—killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant—the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new one. Gone are the pillars of civilization. All that remains is power—and the strong who possess it.
A few women like her survived, though they are scarce. Even fewer are safe from the clans of men, who, driven by fear, seek to control those remaining. To preserve her freedom, she dons men’s clothing, goes by false names, and avoids as many people as possible. But as the world continues to grapple with its terrible circumstances, she’ll discover a role greater than chasing a pale imitation of independence.
After all, if humanity is to be reborn, someone must be its guide.
My Thoughts:
- Rating– ⭐⭐
As I said above, this book wasn’t what I expected it to be. Of course, that’s not a fault of the book but I still can’t rate this one higher than two stars. I read the synopsis and assumed that this story would be about a midwife helping to rebuild society. I thought she would be this maternal figure that would figure out how to keep mothers and babies alive. Technically, that is what happens but not in a way that I particularly enjoyed.
The unnamed midwife is honestly pretty unlikable. She’s crude and selfish, which I get because in this new world, you have to be tough to survive. Unfortunately, though, this made me really not enjoy being in her head. She’s cynical and doesn’t go out of her way to help anybody. She also doesn’t seem to really care about mothers and babies all that much… which is so strange. She is very much an “I’m not like other girls” kind of woman and I greatly dislike that.
I also expected to get some answers and they never came. What caused the fever? Why does it kill all the babies? Why does the fever suddenly hit during childbirth? These questions are never answered. I expected for the midwife’s boyfriend, who was a doctor and researcher, to discover the answers to those questions but no, he killed himself instead. I also wanted WAY more details about the start of the pandemic and what it was like working in the hospital as society crumbled but all of that was skimmed over. The midwife does end up with a group and delivers the first living baby twenty years after the start of the pandemic.
At the beginning and end of the book, there are a group of boys in the future being instructed to copy the midwife’s journal. I assumed, in the beginning, that her journal would hold a lot of key information about how to survive after the pandemic and that’s why it was so important for there to be copies. However, by the end of the book, I was pretty confused about why it was necessary for them to copy it. Her journal was primarily her complaining and didn’t hold anything useful.
Final Thoughts:
I was able to read this in just two days because while it does have issues, it’s a page turner. I really wanted to know what would happen next. This is the first book of a trilogy and while I don’t totally regret reading it, I’m fine not reading the other books. If you’ve read this one, I’d love to know your thoughts because my opinion seems to be in the minority. Thanks for reading and have a great day!
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