The Book of Etta: 2 (The Road to Nowhere, 2) Paperback – 21 Feb. 2017

One of the best books I’ve read in a long time, and I read a lot. So well written and interesting from start to finish. Please read this book!

I enjoyed this sequel and I found the dynamic between Etta/Eddy to be very compelling. I love the representation of women’s struggles within the novel, with the queer and transgender themes, creating a very unique novel. in my personal opinion, it was not as good as the first novel in the series yet is still a compelling read

A great book, really enjoyed it. Great concept, well written and not tired like other books in the same post apocalyptic genre.

A few chapters into the first in this series I was thrilled that I may have stumbled across an inadvertent dystopian feminist novelist.By the end of book 2 I was sorely disappointed as I realised that the next in series (3) was to be from the perspective of a male masquerading as a woman (very unfeminist and quite appalling given the context of the stories and the 'genderist landscape of today 2024).I'm not sure if I can bring myself to read the final book for I only care about the women.

Writing my review for The Book of the Unnamed Midwife made me want to read the next book in The Road to Nowhere series as soon as I could. As I had put myself on a book buying ban, and I thought I would have to wait a while but when I checked on Amazon, I had already bought this book so I took it as fate that I was meant to read this book straightaway! As for The Book Of The Unnamed Midwife, this book has these genres listed for it Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian which I agree with but, would add it also has action and suspense.So, this book centres on Etta, daughter of Ina who goes by the name of Eddy when out raiding and rescuing young girls & women. Ina still wants Etta to settle down and either have a child or become a midwife. Etta doesn’t want either of those things for her future, she wants and identifies more with the male Eddy who goes out raiding and/or rescuing women and girls and killing slave traders. Those who live in Nowhere think Eddy travels to Estiel to trade for old world goods and things they need. Eddy has not been to Estiel since an incident there when she/he was seventeen. Ina also strongly encourages Etta/Eddy to write in a journal to keep a diary of where he/she travels and who he/she meets along the way, but Etta/Eddy doesn’t do this for a long time. Etta/Eddy has a ritual for getting the raiding pack ready. Riccardo & Errol, had long since disappeared now but Etta/Eddy remembers what these older raiders who trained Etta/Eddy always told him, you must always carry enough, but never too much. Think about what you know you cannot replace. Etta/Eddy misses Errol & Riccardo they were like older brothers. When Etta/Eddy did begin to write in the journal he/she always wrote in it at the beginning of the day. It is during one of his raider journeys that Etta/Eddy heard music and felt drawn to follow it to find out it’s source. When he enters Jeff City the first person that speaks to him is a woman called Deborah & her daughter Myles. Deborah looks at Eddy as she sees a male in front of her, the identity that Etta/Eddy is presenting to the world outside of Nowhere. Eddy is also the identity that Etta/Eddy feels the most comfortable with being. Deborah asks Eddy what he wants to trade to which he replies reeling off Metals, Vegetables and herbs he doesn’t already have, information, skilled tradesman if they want to move to Nowhere. Deborah asks if he wants women, Eddy replies he wants women who wish to come willingly only, and states he is not a slaver and nor does he steal girls. Deborah shows Eddy cloth that has been made in Jeff City. Which is a good find as the raids for old world clothes will only provide for a short time. It is valuable to know how to make fabric for clothes, blankets etc. Later Eddy meets the elders/council of Jeff City and discuss teaching children, learning to read and write etc. They each learn more about the differences of each other’s settlement’s, how they rule and successful birth rates. It is here in Jeff City that Eddy meets Flora who is a horsewoman, and who becomes an important person in this book and the following one too. When the Lion of Estiel’s men called “the claws” come into Jeff City and simply take Deborah’s baby girl Etta as a woman and Eddy as a man has a very difficult time coming to terms with the fact no one stands up the claws. Those that live in Jeff City simply hand the little girl over without complaint and no one even attempts to trade or do a deal, let alone have a show of force to stop the baby being taken.My favourite and the main character of this book is Etta/Eddy who though is born a female identifies more as a male. She actually hides her feminine attributes as the unnamed midwife used to. The thing about this character is that they are a she so Etta when at home in Nowhere but is a male so Eddy when outside of Nowhere. Both as a female and a male Etta/Eddy continually compares themselves to the Unnamed Midwife, the way she rescued females from slave traders and when she couldn’t do that she would provide the women with birth control to prevent them from becoming pregnant and losing their child and their own life as was the normal occurrence in her time. Etta/Eddy is a kick butt character whether presenting themselves female or male. Etta had been chosen as a candidate to become a midwife early in her life, it was sort of presumed that as her mother was a midwife so would she. Etta had read all the Unnamed Midwife journals and the handbooks that Nowhere had so could have been a midwife. In fact, it would probably been an easier way of life for Etta than what she ultimately chose to do. Even though this character sometimes struggles with being who he/she wants to be I found her interesting, brave and loyal to those who she cares for.I don’t want to reveal much more about this post-apocalyptic set plot, but there are plenty of twists and turns and secrets to be found out or revealed that keep you hooked and wanting to continue reading. The book is fairly mixed pace and yes, I found myself wanting to shout get on with it a couple of times when the pace had slowed down but it is worth sticking with. I liked how the survivors of “the dying” kept the old-world phrases such as when people are introduced it is Etta, daughter of Ina, or David son of Jenn etc. The term for having a child is having a “living child”. You can’t help but laugh at some of the descriptions, such as, “Her mouth had the sunken look of a recently filled grave” The names of the places were kind of fun to think of their real counterparts, such as Florda was Florida and there was Manhattan and Womanhattan. There are lots of “traditions” some from the old-world others from the new world. In Nowhere the mother of a living child such as Ina mother of Etta wears a wooden pregnancy bump. Its kind of like a symbol to show respect. When girls have their first blood, they are presented with a journal to write in recording their stories for the future. The gun and the book were the tools of the Unnamed Midwife and the tools of Eddy, though he is better with one than the other.Once again, I found myself pulled in and my interest held throughout. There were the occasionally “flat” or “slow” sections but I felt compelled to read on. The book and series certainly aimed at 18+ adults due to its content and the issues it deals with. Though the book is fictional but it does touch on some difficult scenarios and issues that are relevant to present day situations. The book certainly makes you think about what you would do yourself in the various situations the characters in the book find themselves in. I enjoyed discovering the different settlements as Eddy came across them. It was interesting to compare the places with each other, what they did the same and what was completely different. It’s quite intriguing learning the different rules, hierarchy and ways of the different communities.I found The Book Etta to be another addictive installment in The Road To Nowhere Series. It still reminded me a little of the Aftertime series by Sophie Littlefield , The Dominion Trilogy by Joe Hart or an adult grittier version of The Breeders series by Katie French.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, the first time I have read a story where the main character cars out two parts. Very interesting. Thank you

This begins a good hundred years after the Unnamed Midwife, and the midwife's journals have become part of the recorded history and folklore. In some ways the world has changed, yet in others it is still a dark and brutal place, the same world and yet one with both more hope and still less.Once more there is a definite focus on gender roles, fluidity and sexuality. The defined roles of females in various make-shift societies; some in near worshipped roles of Midwife or Mother, as Prophet and Priest others as object and status symbol, plaything and owned. I did find that this lost some of what made the first instalment so unique; instead of one woman on a survival mission alone, this is a colony of survivors with all the ingrained rules that come with a newly enforced society.In The Book of Etta, you are following Etta and Eddy as they travel around this still desolate land, foraging, scavenging and raiding. Their main aim is to free and rescue trapped females, but Etta has an expected role to play at home that she cannot find in herself to fulfil. It's an interesting story but I found the continued focus on gender fluidity to be irritating. The Unnamed was doing it for a very specific reason, this is far more focused on choices instead of necessity.I also struggled somewhat with the additional mystical elements that take centre stage. It was quite interesting to see the evolution of the mystical sects that were introduced previously, however the skepticism of the first novel has gone, replaced instead by a mysticism that seemed out of place and certainly threw me off kilter. Either way, I enjoyed this and am intrigued to see where it goes next. It wasn't as good as its predecessor, but it's a worthwhile journey regardless.

Again, a gripping storyline, complex characters and a thoroughly enjoyable read. It's a great sequel to the book of the unnamed midwife.

The first book was a brilliant survival narrative, but this focuses redundantly on onedimensional characters and unrealistic social issues noone would give a damn about in a postapocalytic scenario.

You know how when you finish reading a really really good book, you want to read another book right away? So you pick up a new book but put it back down after a few paragraphs, and you open another book but close it quickly, too. And you realize that your head is still full of the really really good book, and you’ll have to wait for it to clear.Reading Meg Elison’s The Book of the Unnamed Midwife followed by its companion novel The Book of Etta did that to me.The two books, which together form the first two parts of The Road to Nowhere series, are satisfying on many levels.The books explore gender both overtly and subtly, as it affects the characters and societies and plot. In the fragmented groups that the main character in each book encounters, we get to see a variety of responses to the scarcity of women caused by the worldwide plague. Those responses seem natural because Elison handles them deftly; they unfold as organic elements, supported by solid worldbuilding and thorough character development. And each of them shows us something different than the others, something complex, about gender, personhood, difference, and agency in our societies today. Many of the responses pose questions. Some questions are answered, and some are perhaps unanswerable.The books have heart. The characters are round and full of life; their emotions feel real, sometimes surprising but always true, even when the characters are hiding or struggling with truth.The books’ prose balances detail and restraint; meaningful detail is sometimes purposefully underplayed, which rewards close reading and offers the attentive reader the pleasure of fitting puzzle pieces into place.This review may sound stuffy and academic and clumsy, but I promise you, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife and The Book of Etta are deeply personal and mesmerizing.

Sometimes you find a book, or a series, that is outside the norm, but that is much more thoughtful and insightful than you could have imagined. Many years ago I read The Handmaid's Tale, and these two books are in the same vein, post apocalyptic but with depth and a sense of the profoundly murky nature of what it is to be human.

I enjoyed the characters and plot. The people felt real and there was great description and detailing of the world and its history. I'm. Looking forward to the next book. This was a good second book, and you can't always say that about the middle of a trilogy. I was satisfied with the ending of the first book, but this one built onto the world in interesting ways. A great read.

I read over one-hundred books in 2016, but the predecessor to this book, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, was my favorite of them all. And even though that’s one of the most powerful books I’ve still ever read in my entire life, it’s also one of the heaviest books I’ve ever read. So, I’ve been putting off this second installment for far too long. But, friends, I finally picked it up and I’m so happy that I did. But again, as much as this book was also powerful, it’s also so very heartbreaking.In The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, 98% of Earth's population of men and 99% of Earth's population of women have died from an autoimmune disease. Even though most of the Earth's population was wiped out, the ratio of men to women is immense. And even in the future from the initial outbreak, women are still the most sought-after thing. In this second installment, the timeline is many generations in the future (approximately one-hundred-years), but we get to the community that the unnamed midwife helped build. This current community has adapted so many of the things that we saw in The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, and we get to see that not a lot has changed in this post-apocalyptic world.“I’m Eddy on the road, and I’m Etta at home. I’m both.”And we follow Etta when she is with her community, Nowhere, and we follow Eddy when he is scavenging outside of his community. I am going to use they/them pronouns for the rest of this review, but I believe our main character is nonbinary and genderfluid, even though those words are never used on page. This entire book really puts gender at the front of this story, because Etta/Eddy doesn’t want to be what is expected of a woman in this world. They don’t want to become a mother, they don’t want to raise children, and they do not want to deliver babies. They want to hunt, and forage, and rescue girls that aren’t even given a choice in this new and cruel world. Also, Etta/Eddy is black and also sees how racism hasn’t ceased, even with the world almost ending.“Boys can be anything. Girls can only be one thing.”We also are introduced to a transwoman in this book who becomes such a pivotal character. Flora completely made my heart break in this book, but she was also such a bright beacon of hope. She honestly deserves the entire world, and she better be given it in the final book, The Book of Flora.But we get to see Etta/Eddy travel to different communities from their own and see how the different groups and people live and prosper. Some treat women lower than currency, some treat them like mystical saints, but we get to see all the in-betweens, too. Etta/Eddy meets Flora rather quickly, and they soon travel together to the worst city Etta/Eddy may have seen yet. When they reach the stronghold of the Lion, they aren’t entirely sure what to expect. But even their nightmares wouldn’t prepare them for what this tyrant ruler is truly like.This is a very dark and heavy book. Please use caution before reading and make sure you are in a safe headspace. Major content and trigger warnings for rape, sexual assault, genital mutilation, pedophilia, sex trafficking, slavery, murder, death, loss of a loved one, miscarrying, torture, misgendering, racist comments, misogynistic comments, abduction, captivity, violence, animal death, and war themes.“On the map, all the roads led to Estiel.”Overall, Meg Elison writes the LGBTQIAP+, feminist, inclusionary literature of my heart. This book is important, and powerful, and empowering. It’s hard, and brutal, and heartbreaking, but I promise it is so rewarding. The reason I am giving it four stars is because the ending felt rushed to me. And even though I loved this entire ending with the soul of my being, it just happened in the blink of an eye. Yet, I am so excited to see where the next book picks up, because I am sort of obsessed with their location! But friends, if you are in the right headspace, please give The Book of the Unnamed Midwife a try. It’s truly a masterpiece, and this entire series means more to me than I have words for.