The Book of Etta: The Road to Nowhere, Book 2

It was a bit more difficult to follow than book 1, but the story is great and I loved the characters. I really enjoy the discussion and the thought-provoking inner monologue and dialogue regarding sex, gender, and sexuality. There is so much depth to several of the characters, and I hope I see a few of them them again in book 3.

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.

THE BOOK OF ETTA (THE ROAD TO NOWHERE 2) is a heavy piece of dark, post-apocalyptic fiction.This story picks up about 100 years after THE BOOK OF THE UNNAMED MIDWIFE. The Unnamed created the city of Nowhere and now they have developed their own way of life. Since the plague that started everything, women are scarce and children even more so. As such, Nowhere honors women and to keep the human race going, women there have created hives-a group of men/lovers who help that woman with chores and who also provide regular loving- with the hopes of childbirth as the result. According to the elders of Nowhere, this is the chief role of women now. Period.Here, we meet Etta, who feels constrained in Nowhere. Etta has no time for hives or for childbirth, and she wants no part of it. She goes out as a raider instead-looking for goods from the old world which can be made useful again. On her travels, she binds herself up to pass for a man and calls herself Eddie. There are more reasons for that other than the plain fact that it's safer to travel as a man, but I'll let you discover those reasons on your own. As Eddie, he comes across several towns, all with their own ways of doing things, (the world building here is impressive), and then he comes across the town of STL. (I see other reviews calling it Estiel, but I listened to the audio and I just assumed it was STL, so I'm sticking with that.) In STL reigns a man called "The Lion." What he has going on in HIS city is a travesty and an injustice-one that Eddie cannot let stand. Will he be successful in putting an end to the practices of The Lion? Will he survive? Will humankind survive? You'll have to read this to find out!I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first, but I think that's because it took me a little time to get used to the voices of Etta/Eddie. Once I did, though, I settled down and let the story wash over me. As I said above the world-building here is so interesting, each town having their own beliefs about women and children and how to keep the humanity going, it provided a lot to think about. Also, it was sad to see what happened to America in the wake of the plague-how many things had been forgotten, the uses for implements lost to history, and of course, what happened to personal freedoms and choices. It's hard for women to live in this world right now, just imagine how hard it would be in a world with no medicines, no birth control, no choices at all for women in general. These were the aspects of this world that interested me the most.As a note of caution to potential readers-there are all kinds of unpleasant happenings in this book. None of it surprised or shocked me, avid horror reader that I am, but it might shock some. Rapes, pedophiles, genital mutilation, child abuse and other things are part of the post plague world and if those things really get to you, you might want to take a pass.That said, I recommend this book if you enjoyed the first in the trilogy. No, it's not the same as THE UNNAMED, and no, it's not even the same world as the first book because things have changed so much, but Etta and Eddie have a lot to say and I, for one, was happy to listen. I'm intrigued and excited for the last book THE BOOK OF FLORA, which I've already requested from NetGalley.I bought this audiobook with my hard earned cash and this is my honest opinion.

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.

Great sequel

This could have been such a great novel. The storyline is rich and I enjoyed the way it was written but there was a lot of unnecessary thought on gender bending that did not need to be part of the story. It took away from the identity of the lead character rather than enriching the plot, seemed like an attempt at propaganda rather than anything else. First novel was really good and focused on the plot, this one was just disappointing

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.

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.