There's a lot going on, and I'm still ruminating on this one weeks after listening but ultimately our heroine Peony is one that will stay with me forever. And in a Willy Wonka-esq twist, the happily ever after isn't delivered as a rescue from one's circumstances but in the promise of a lifetime of hard but fulfilling work. The moral of the story seems to arrive on the bus every month, when Peony's mother returns from the city for a visit, bristling with anger and wanting, and the more-than-occasional black eye (a warning for parents: domestic abuse is present here). But as oppressive as this sounds (and if you're looking for a way to explain indentured servitude to your children this might be the place to start) the family we meet-our heroine Peony, her sister Mags, and Gramps-are content and filled with a deep love for each other. In this dystopian future the bees have almost completely disappeared and "farm children" are enlisted to scramble from tree-to-tree, pollinating flowers to grow fruit, most of which ultimately gets shipped off to the city and the richer "Urbs". Bren MacDibble's enchanting children's tale, a best seller in Australia, is a hard one to size up. These stories felt like sisterhood, like companionship, and that's what I've been sorely needing these days. Each story is sharp and gripping in its own way, and performed perfectly, with the all-star lineup of narrators including Samira Wiley, Kristen Bell, and Lea Salonga. The title Out of Line is a reference to what happens when a woman steps 'out of line,' which comes in many forms, and how that inflection point is both a moment of rebellion and one of power, where she wrestles control of her own story. Though not all dystopian, each of these seven stories-by such amazing authors as Emma Donoghue, Cheryl Strayed, Roxane Gay, and Caroline Kepnes-simmers with the anxiety inherent in being a woman in the world. So I was thrilled to learn that this year they've followed it up with a new collection that seems perfectly designed to appeal to my love of The Handmaid's Tale. Jemisin went on to win the Hugo for the best novelette).
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