Adulthood Rites (Xenogenesis, #2)
by Octavia E. Butler
[b:Dawn|60929|Dawn (Xenogenesis, #1)|Octavia E. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388290339s/60929.jpg|1008111] was so painful to read that it took me a long time to get back to the rest of the Xenogenesis series. They kept staring at me from the bookshelf, however. So eventually I picked up Adulthood Rites, and I'm glad I did.
Adulthood Rites is a complex book that works on many different levels, and I'm not going to try to touch on it all here. Morality is central to both this and Dawn, and the moral problems are intense and difficult and fascinating. They range from questions about the future of the Human species to the tiny particulars of everyday life.
As in Dawn, the alien biology and culture of the Oankali is an unbelievably brilliant creation. Having a half-Human, half-Oankali narrator who has insights into (and some level of bafflement about) both worlds gives us a much more intimate view of what it's like to be Oankali than was possible in Dawn.
It wasn't a major part of the book, but I was really interested in the subplot where we finally meet Akin's sort-of-twin sibling. Alternate systems of gender are an obvious theme of Xenogenesis, but the story of his sibling's choice of adult gender is the closest thing in the book to a trans narrative. I liked that its choice was partly about Oankali gender roles but was also shaped by its relationship to Akin.