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The Book of the Unnamed Midwife

The Road to Nowhere, Book 1

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The Book of the Unnamed Midwife

By: Meg Elison
Narrated by: Angela Dawe
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Philip K. Dick Award Winner for Distinguished Science Fiction

When she fell asleep, the world was doomed. When she awoke, it was dead.

In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth's population - killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant - the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new one. Gone are the pillars of civilization. All that remains is power - and the strong who possess it.

A few women like her survived, though they are scarce. Even fewer are safe from the clans of men, who, driven by fear, seek to control those remaining. To preserve her freedom, she dons men's clothing, goes by false names, and avoids as many people as possible. But as the world continues to grapple with its terrible circumstances, she'll discover a role greater than chasing a pale imitation of independence.

After all, if humanity is to be reborn, someone must be its guide.

©2016 Meg Elison. (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Action & Adventure Adventure Dystopian Genre Fiction Medical Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller & Suspense Fiction Exciting Scary Emotionally Gripping
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This is a pretty excellent dystopian novel, almost like an amalgamation of The Road and The Handmaid's Tale, exploring women's role in an apocalyptic setting.

After a fever kills most of the Earth's population, specifically women and children, making childbirth deadly, a midwife attempts to survive an extremely precarious situation for her gender. In the new world, women are routinely raped and sold, used as baby making machines and commodified as a bartering tool.

Her only option is to disguise herself as a man and attempt to make her way across the country in search for a beacon of hope. She faces age-old prejudices, such as religion and patriarchy, while trying to be a guide to humanity.

No doubt, it is extremely dark, and some of it is very disturbing, so brace yourself for feeling a little queasy.

A dark dystopian tale about prejudice

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good narrator great story with a steady pace not very exciting but really held my attention and and got quite emotional.

Very different, enjoyable

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absolutely loved this and couldn't stop listening, gripping from the very beginning and kept the pace, already looking forward to the next in the series, first audio book that's really had me hooked!

gripping from the very start

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Loved this book. Best book I’ve read this year and the audio was great too.

Atmosphere and overall plot amazing

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A beautifully written story, I found the beginning more difficult to stick with especially with the diary entries being read out but as the book went on and into more dialogue it was excellent. A sad and scary reflection of how fragile life and society is, especially for women.

Dystopian fiction

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