Akiva Reads

by Octavia E. Butler

Er, I wound up staying up until 1:30am to finish this one and now I'm writing a review, so that should give you some idea. I haven't done that in a while.

Most other books I've read that dealt with mind control and mental privacy draw a broad, dark line between right and wrong, and mind control is always on the wrong side. Since it's so clearly wrong, its shades and subtleties don't get much exploration. Mind of My Mind is frank and open on the subject, and the results are often disturbing. Butler's heroes and villains seem clear-cut, until suddenly they aren't. Or maybe they are. What do you think?

The idea of Doro and Mary being the male- and female-socialized versions of the same coin is also interesting. Yes, Doro thinks his abilities are different because he didn't come through the transition properly, but what if he's wrong---what if men are socially shaped to dominate, by force or cunning, and women are socially shaped to make interpersonal connections and give of themselves? The worlds they create around themselves are different, sure, but is one really morally superior to the other?

There are quite a few moments, especially towards the end of the book, where I was silently yelling "show, don't tell!" The first two thirds were much better about that. The premise and plot are enough to carry the story when the writing fails, however. The ending is not exactly reassuring, and I'm curious to see what the rest of the series does with it.