When She Woke (2011)

First, a confession: I've not read "[b:The Scarlet Letter|6193937|The Scarlet Letter|Nathaniel Hawthorne|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328118276s/6193937.jpg|4925227]" yet (though it is on Mount TBR), but I did see quite a lot of parallels with "[b:Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit|879422|Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit|Jeanette Winterson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1324415307s/879422.jpg|1411520]" which I read recently: a girl brought up with a fixed belief system in a highly religious family must question these beliefs when she becomes an outcast from her church and community. ( )

Please note: I read and reviewed this in February 2012 from a copy received from the Amazon Vine program, but didn't post the review here. I'm copying it over.

My Synopsis: Hannah Payne committed the unforgivable sin; she aborted her pregnancy. After the Scourge - the STD that turned so many women sterile - Sanctity of Life laws were passed in the majority of the states making abortion not only illegal, but a felony. Then the melachroming laws were passed, and those who had murdered someone - including their unborn children - were turned red. Because Hannah refused to name the person who performed her abortion, nor the father of the child, extra time was added to her sentence. To make matters worse, there is a group named The Fist that took it upon themselves to kill women like her, and she has been targeted. Will she be able to escape? Will she be able to be free?

My Thoughts: I was impressed with this book on many levels. Obviously I felt the overall message - about a person's right to choose, and about the dangers of rampant fundamentalism - were worthwhile. But at the same time, the book not only does not bash faith and Christianity, it is actually sympathetic to them. Aidan Dale is a truly Christian man, humble and caring, but also human and fallible. At one point Hannah is succored by an Episcopal priest, an earthy woman who is nonetheless another truly good person. Throughout the book, Hannah faces the fact that her former faith was a weak and wavering thing, one that could not stand against her questioning nature because it was based upon what other people felt was best and right, not upon what she, herself, felt was right in her own heart. When she found her own faith, it is a strong and sturdy thing, because it acknowledges the need for questioning and personal revelation.

The characters in this book are strong and well-developed, unique and interesting. While there are a lot of strings left, the story was enthralling - I've had a difficult weekend finding a good book, spending two days on two different books, neither of which I could finish, before starting this one a scant 8 hours ago and finishing it with only a couple short breaks to fix myself tea. Highly recommended for ANYONE and EVERYONE - you MUST read this book! ( )

Set in the not-to-distant future and in a society that has sought to redress its issues with religious fundamentalism, When She Woke features Hannah Payne, a young woman convicted of aborting her unborn child. She is sentenced to sixteen years living as a red Chrome, meaning that she has been injected with a virus that turns her skin blood red. Its plot line is very similar to that of The Scarlet Letter (by Nathaniel Hawthorne) and might be considered a homage to the Classic and/or a re-imagining of the tale from the woman's (Hester Prynne as Hannah Payne) point of view.

Hillary Jordan has taken care to cast her characters in a realistic and human way. Hannah Payne expresses her doubts, angers, insecurities and new convictions in way that is believable. The reader may not find her logic unassailable; but her actions and new awareness bear the pedigree of experience. Aiden Dale, as the modern iteration of Hawthorne's Arthur Dimmesdale, is a morally complex man drawn with true pathos and much less of a villain for his cowardice than the original. Jordan has fleshed out the emotional landscape of this story without excessive melodrama and provided a way to connect with the Classic. That is not to say that the story doesn't stand well on its own, because it does. Without having read The Scarlet Letter, a reader would be interested in the characters' psychological development and perhaps question his or her own convictions as they travel with Hannah on her literal and interior journey:


"Was that all her religious beliefs had ever been then, a set of precepts so deeply inculcated in her that they became automatic, even instinctive? Hear the word God, think He. See the misery of humankind, blame Eve. Obey your parents, be a good girl, vote Trinity Party, never sit with your legs apart. Don't question, just do as you're told."
What might give a reader pause is that there is a fine line between honoring a Classic such as The Scarlet Letter and, being unoriginal. The Scarlet Letter certainly provided the creative impetus for Ms Jordan; and despite her claims that The Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood) was not an influence, the comparisons are inescapable. The influence of The Handmaid's Tale may not have been direct, but Ms Jordan's invites the comparison by creating scenes that are strikingly similar in tone and substance to Ms Atwood's own dystopian novel. Drawing so heavily upon the Classic, and coincidentally upon Ms Atwwod's work, for plot points and character creation may give credence to the charge that Ms Jordan may have borrowed too heavily. Still, what Hillary Jordan brought to the table was a fresh, credible voice to the plight of a woman caught between a rock and a hard place.

Heather Corrigan is renders the text very nicely. The listener will be easily able to discern between interior thought and dialogue and, the mood(s) of the protagonist, Hannah Payne, from whose POV the story is told. Though Heather Corrigan sounds younger than the protagonist, her skill set in bringing Hannah to life is not to be denied. One minor quibble is that the word is "Chrome," not "Crone." Once you know what the word is supposed to be, it's all good :-)

Redacted from the original blog review at dog eared copy, When She Woke; 01/26/2012. ( )

When She Woke will be one of those books that will stay with me a long time. I predict it will invade my mind sporadically, inducing random discussions and thoughtfulness. Jordan is not an author who shies away from the ugly side of human nature. Rather, she brutally, shockingly slaps the reader in the face. Although Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter is Jordan's platform, the story unfolds in a very Margaret Atwood style. The book is not perfect, but very compelling and well paced. I can see this as a book you either love or hate. Probably not the kind of book that will induce middle-of-the-road kind of feelings. ( )

An interesting and engrossing dystopian take on The Scarlet Letter that takes place in a near future America that has become an oppressive Christian fundamentalist theocracy. Contrivances make the ending a bit of a disappointment. Although published for adults, this is a story I can see older teens liking, especially those who are fans of dystopian fiction. ( )