#ClassicLSFBC
It was good to read a post-apocalyptic novel that didn't dwell on violence & murder (though it acknowledged those things), but rather told of how people went about surviving, preserving family and building community.
The study of the slow decomposition of the body of modern culture was interesting.
Stewart's presentation of xenophobia arising from a hygienic fear of disease & cultural contamination was plausible & sadly relevant. ⬇️
The outdated attitudes I found most disturbing were ableism and eugenic “purity“, the consequences of which ⬇️ (edited) 4d
Getting off my soap box, this was a slow-paced, thoughtful book that took me a while to get into, but which I found rewarding. The last section about the Last American was an ⬇️ (edited) 4d
Finally, I'm possibly unduly influenced by having recently read the Elder Edda, but rather than the cliché Adam and Eve, the names of Ish and Em were suggestive to me of Ask and Embla, “Ash and Elm“, the first man and woman of Norse myth, roots of the family tree, the Father and Mother of Nations. I've no idea if this was intended, but I do like the idea. 4.5⭐ (edited) 4d