Femlandia

May 1, 2021

When her husband brutally abandons her even as their homeland descends into economic chaos and violence, Miranda Reynolds does the unthinkable: she moves with her 16-year-old daughter to Femlandia, a women-only colony founded by Miranda's mother. Decidedly off the beaten path, the colony is safe and thriving but presents an increasingly disturbing mystery for Miranda: with no men allowed, how are babies being born, and why are they all girls? Readers of linguist Dalcher's attention-getting Vox and Master Class will appreciate the ongoing themes of women and children's rights and issues of control.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 23, 2021
Dalcher (Vox) puts a delightfully dark dystopian twist on Herland, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s 1915 feminist utopian novel. In the near-future, America has fallen into chaos after the collapse of its economy. Against a backdrop of failing infrastructure, looted grocery stores, and widespread death, Miranda Reynolds—whose husband recently abandoned her and her 16-year-old daughter, Emma—is homeless and hungry. With nowhere else to go—and facing starvation or worse if attacked by roving gangs of thugs—Miranda reluctantly decides to take herself and Emma to Femlandia, a self-sufficient “womyn’s commune” her estranged mother founded decades earlier. Emma embraces the thriving settlement and its progressive culture, but Miranda finds troubling moral failings in the colony’s pioneering way of life. Exploring speculative responses and remedies to toxic masculinity, objectification, and systemic patriarchal oppression, this wildly provocative glimpse into the future is sure to spark lively discussions about humankind’s past, present, and future. The incendiary epilogue compensates for the relatively superficial worldbuilding. Dalcher remains a writer to watch. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary.

September 1, 2021
Dalcher's third outing, following Master Class (2020), has, like her first two books, a dystopian premise. This time, she dramatizes the complete breakdown of society following a financial crisis. Forced out onto the road after her husband's death by suicide, pregnant Miranda and her 16-year-old daughter, Emma, have no choice but to seek refuge at one of the feminist communes her estranged mother, Win, founded years ago, Femlandia, which only opens its doors to those born with female chromosomes. Once there, Miranda is forced to confront her complicated feelings for her allegedly deceased mother, her fraught relationship with a woman who supplanted her in her mother's affections, and her former best friend, who has been living at the commune since before the fall of society. When Miranda learns that some of the women of Femlandia are getting pregnant despite having zero contact with men, she attempts to uncover the dark secret of the commune. While not as emotionally resonant as her previous novels, Dalcher's latest is a cogent and timely exploration of the dangers of misandry and groupthink.

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October 1, 2021

Dalcher (Vox) is a master of the feminist dystopian novel; her latest asks readers to consider if society would be better if women were in charge. It opens on a world in which the economy has collapsed, food and supplies are scarce, and no help is in sight. After learning that her husband has overextended their accounts and abandoned his family to fend for themselves, Miranda Reynolds and her teenage daughter head for their last hope: Femlandia. Founded by Miranda's estranged mother decades earlier, Femlandia is a women-only haven for those who have been abused or neglected or who have nowhere else to turn. Upon arrival, Miranda discovers that Femlandia is not the hardscrabble hippie commune she imagined, but neither is it the utopia it purports to be. Strict rules and harsh punishments are just the beginning. As Miranda digs into Femlandia's secrets, she learns just how far her mother would go to create her ideal society. VERDICT A no-holds-barred thriller and thought-provoking read for fans of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Naomi Alderman's The Power, and Kim Liggett's The Grace Year.--Portia Kapraun, Delphi P.L., IN

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.