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A review by singlier
Outlawed by Anna North
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Outlawed by Anna North 3.5 🐎s
Outlawed is an story with world building unlike any I've ever seen: set in an alternative, theocratic nation that emerged after a plague toppled the government of United States, it uses the setting of the frontier west to tell a story rich with satire, political commentary, and religious fanaticism. In this society, women's worth is dependent on their ability to bear children, and those who do not or can not are accused of being a witch and hung. Ada is the daughter of a midwife in the small town of Fairfield, who after failing to become pregnant following marriage to her husband, manages to escape fate by joining up with an Outlaw gang known as the Hole in the Wall gang. Run by an outlaw known only as the Kid, Ada learns about the lives and histories of each member: some, women who are infertile, some women who love other women, some not women at all. She also learns about the Kid, who is the child of a pastor who seeks to turn the valley in which they reside into a haven for people outcast from society. Yet, the Kid is not well: struggling with insomnia, night terrors, and bouts of psychosis all while maintaining the facade of a fearless and unfettered leader. In order to make the Kid's plan a reality, they stage a heist of the largest bank in the area, only to end in a fierce fire fight as the gang must fight for their life in the valley they call home.
I liked this book. I liked the setting, I loved the world building, I loved the descriptions and exploration of a world different yet familiar. I also loved the exploration of gender and sexuality without ever using such terms. But...this story ends so unsatisfyingly 🥲 few of the questions it brings up are ever resolved (especially wrt to the Kid and the fate of the gang). In addition, there are way too many characters introduced at once that I struggled to keep track of who was who and didn't form much of an emotional connection to any outside of two (the Kid and Elzy).
Outlawed is an story with world building unlike any I've ever seen: set in an alternative, theocratic nation that emerged after a plague toppled the government of United States, it uses the setting of the frontier west to tell a story rich with satire, political commentary, and religious fanaticism. In this society, women's worth is dependent on their ability to bear children, and those who do not or can not are accused of being a witch and hung. Ada is the daughter of a midwife in the small town of Fairfield, who after failing to become pregnant following marriage to her husband, manages to escape fate by joining up with an Outlaw gang known as the Hole in the Wall gang. Run by an outlaw known only as the Kid, Ada learns about the lives and histories of each member: some, women who are infertile, some women who love other women, some not women at all. She also learns about the Kid, who is the child of a pastor who seeks to turn the valley in which they reside into a haven for people outcast from society. Yet, the Kid is not well: struggling with insomnia, night terrors, and bouts of psychosis all while maintaining the facade of a fearless and unfettered leader. In order to make the Kid's plan a reality, they stage a heist of the largest bank in the area, only to end in a fierce fire fight as the gang must fight for their life in the valley they call home.
I liked this book. I liked the setting, I loved the world building, I loved the descriptions and exploration of a world different yet familiar. I also loved the exploration of gender and sexuality without ever using such terms. But...this story ends so unsatisfyingly 🥲 few of the questions it brings up are ever resolved (especially wrt to the Kid and the fate of the gang). In addition, there are way too many characters introduced at once that I struggled to keep track of who was who and didn't form much of an emotional connection to any outside of two (the Kid and Elzy).