Review: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

Title: When She Woke
Author: Hillary Jordan
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Algonquin Books (October 4, 2011)

Book Synopsis (From Goodreads): Faith, love and sexuality have fallen prey to politics in this stunning creation of America in the near future, from the author whose international bestseller, Mudbound, so hauntingly recreated America’s past. Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family, but after her arrest, she awakens to a nightmare: she lies on a table in a mirrored room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new “chromes”—criminals whose skin color has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime— is a new and sinister form of reality TV. Hannah is a Red; her crime is murder. The victim, says the state of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she shared a fierce and forbidden love. Inspired by The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke is a dark fable about a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate a dystopian, theocratic America of the not-too-distant future, where convicted felons are no longer imprisoned and rehabilitated, but “chromed” and released back into the population to survive as best they can. In seeking a path to safety in an alien and hostile world, Hannah unknowingly embarks on a journey of self-discovery that forces her to question the values she once held true and the moral authority of a country that politicizes the personal.

About the Author: Hillary Jordan grew up in Texas and Oklahoma. She received her BA in English and Political Science from Wellesley College and spent fifteen years working as an advertising copywriter before starting to write fiction. She got her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University.

Her first novel, MUDBOUND, was published by Algonquin Books in March 2008. It won the 2006 Bellwether Prize for Fiction, founded by Barbara Kingsolver and awarded biennially to an unpublished debut novel that addresses issues of social justice, and a 2009 Alex Award from the American Library Association. It was the 2008 NAIBA (New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Assoc.) Fiction Book of the Year and one of IndieNext's top ten reading group suggestions. It was a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick, a Borders Original Voices selection, a Book Sense pick, and one of twelve New Voices of 2008 chosen by Waterstone's UK. PASTE Magazine named it one of the Top Ten Debut Novels of the Decade.

First Impressions: When I first read the book blurb, I knew that one way or another I needed to get my hands on this book. It’s not secret I’m a liberal, self-proclaimed hippie. Just read the book blurb and you will understand why I needed to get this book. Needless to say, the publicist happily obliged to my request for a review. I don’t think I could have waited for its October release.

First 50 Pages: Can I say hooked? Poor Hannah wakes up in a room surrounded by mirrors, with her skin the flaming color of red. Red for murder of her unborn child. It’s just utterly insane as we read what her character goes through in the beginning of this book. The complete lack of privacy and the humiliation Hannah undergoes is more than enough to make any sane person want to end their life. Somehow, she makes it through her first torturous ordeal, only to face even tougher obstacles.

Plot, and Style of Writing: Let me start this by saying that I adore Hillary Jordan’s unique style of writing. She has a way of placing the reader into her stories and making the characters truly come to life. You will feel every emotion the characters are experiencing. There were so many times throughout this book that Hannah’s emotions became my own, and I had to sit the book down and cry like a baby. I felt every bit of pain that she was feeling, every single blow to her self esteem and her identity as a human being was magnified a hundred fold, and so I just cried for her.

The plot itself is scary. Why scary? Because it is completely believable. It isn’t farfetched and it is totally plausible. That is what makes it so scary. This book welcomes you to America, set in the not too distant future where Roe VS Wade has long been overturned, there is limited funding for incarceration and the government has been taken over by socially conservative people, typically Christian Evangelicals. There is the brutal and shameful common practice of Melachroming convicts based on the severity of their crimes. Red for murder. Blue for child molestation (and blues don’t last long in this world). Yellow and Green for various other crimes. It is an America where there is no longer a separation between Church and State. Criminals of all kinds pay up with everything they have, their dignity, their homes, their families, their livelihood, and their lives. It is truly sick and twisted.

Forget about women’s rights in this book. They no longer exist. Murder of women who have abortions goes unchecked. Women are taught to submit to their husbands and authority figures. Sex before marriage is a big no-no. Women are just walking baby makers and home makers, nothing more. Sexuality is strictly heterosexual and everything else is looked down upon.

Final Thoughts: I have to put in a warning with this review. If you identify as an Evangelical Christian, you will probably be offended by the social topics this book covers. If you are pro-life, this book may or may not be a book for you to read. If you are in any way socially conservative, this book may or may not be a book for you to read. BUT… please read it. I urge every person to pick up this book when it is released, pre-order it, or borrow it from your local library. It is an eye-opener, a book with an outstanding message for change and a believable, highly emotional plot line. It is HANDS DOWN, the BEST new book release I have read this year.

In accordance with the FTC guidelines, I have not recieved in monetary gain with the publication of this article. Any and all materials provided were either provided for free from the publisher, author, or purchased by myself. All opinions expressed are that of my own.