Kindred

Oh my word! One of the greatest books I've ever read!

I can only imagine what it was like to be a slave, but the artful wresting with issues related to slavery and more general in nature, the portrayal of many different perspectives and survival mechanisms, the mystery within which the entire story is framed, the counterpoint relationships... It is just brilliant.

I've been a fan of Octavia Butler for years, having most recently read the Xenogenesis series (Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago) and felt they were solid, imaginative, compelling, and provocative. This one is head and shoulders above those. Rave. Rave. Rave. Cannot say enough, so I'll stop saying more.

 Strengths: -Powerful Themes: Butler masterfully delves into the harsh realities of slavery and the lingering effects of racism. The novel challenges readers to confront the past and consider its implications for the present, making it a powerful and thought-provoking read. - Engaging Concept: The time-travel element is not just a gimmick but a central thing that Butler uses to explore the intersections of history and personal identity. It creates a sense of urgency and tension that keeps me engaged. - Character Complexity: Dana is a strong, relatable protagonist. Her courage, resourcefulness, and moral dilemmas make her a compelling character, and her evolving relationship with Rufus adds layers of complexity to the story. - Emotional Impact: The novel effectively conveys the emotional and psychological toll of slavery, both on those who endure it and those who witness it. Butler's vivid descriptions and thoughtful character development allow the reader to feel the weight of Dana's experiences.
Weaknesses: - Pacing: While the story is engaging, there are moments where the pacing slows, particularly in the middle sections. Some scenes feel repetitive, which makes one feel like it starts becoming relative and the flow in my reading stops up. - Narrative Structure: The back-and-forth between the present and the past, while integral to the story, occasionally disrupts the narrative flow. 

Short Review: This is a fabulous book. I have only read one other of Butler's book (Fledgling her last book). Kindred was her first book that really sold so they are book ends of her career. I have not really read anything quite like it. A 26 year old newlywed African American woman from 1976 gets sucked into 1815 to save the life of a young white boy in antebellum Maryland. There is a relationship between them and for a reason that is never explained Dana keeps returning to him every time his life is in danger. It is at great danger to herself that Dana has to act on his behalf.

What really stands out about this book is that for all of the very real descriptions of slavery, this is not a book that unfairly looks at pre-Civil War whites. They are real people, tainted by the culture that allows for slavery, but still real people. And the slaves are real people as well. They are stuck in their situations, but still are real.

This is a book that you need to read. The narration of the audiobook is also excellent but I don't want to describe the book as much as strongly encourage you to read it. Slavery is a part of American history that we need to explore and understand and this is a book that looks at in in a different way than any thing else I have read.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/kindred-octavia-butler/

The conceit is simple enough. It's 1976 and Dana Franklin is moving into her new apartment when she is suddenly transported to the antebellum South of 1819 where she saves a young boy named Rufus. A boy that is a pivotal branch in Dana's own family tree that must be kept alive to ensure Dana continues to exist.

Dana wrestles with her modern day understanding against the backdrop of casual violence. She is far and away more educated than any of the slave holding landowners and yet physically cowed by the merciless whipping she receives. In her words you feel the abject fear that prevents her from making the attempt at escape again. You understand, in a way that wasn't available to you before, the compromises that she is willing to make, and those she accepts in others. It brings the casual cruelty of that time into sharp focus and Rufus is as compelling a villain as you will ever find on the page.

It's as harrowing a read as it is informative, and each side informs the other. An incredible accomplishment that is just as powerful now as it must have been nearly half a century ago.

4.2/5 stars

One of the few things that ruins a book for me is having to read it in class. Usually, when this happens, I end up hating the book because I am forced to read at the pace that the teacher has us read in class. Putting that aside, Kindred is still a great book to read. Time traveling can be confusing at times, but overall we see the author develop these characters well enough to be able to sympathize with even the worst characters in the series. I really liked the ending as well, because it wasn't what I expected. I had expected them to return to the future and stay there, but the reason why this happened was surprising.

I hadn't expected her to burn everything down and for Dana to kill Rufus. Throughout the book, we see Dana feel sympathy for Rufus and try to get him to be a better person, but she fails. We not only see her go back to the future, but we see that she holds no remorse over killing Rufus. 

Although it was a good book because of how I was introduced to it, it'll take a while before I pick this book up again.

I read this for book club and because my daughter has to read it for school. Powerful and thought-provoking. I've been hearing about Octavia Butler a lot lately, so I was surprised to realize that she wrote 30 years ago and died years ago. I'm interested to learn more about how her books were received and what prompted the renaissance.
I listened to this, and it went pretty fast.
Some of the dialogue seemed forced, and there were a couple of very small historical errors, but should be good for discussion!

Short review: Kanye should read this book.

Long review: The only other Butler novel I've read is Dawn, which I basically couldn't put down. I'll say right off that I enjoyed that book a lot more than this one and felt that her Butler's very logical, methodical writing style better serves sci-fi with a lot of moving parts. The very unadorned prose felt a little bare in this case, with Dana often feeling one-note and almost perversely logical. But that's just style and really only affected my enjoyment of the story and less the story itself.

The story is fascinating. Slavery is one of those historical horrors that have been rehashed over and over in popular culture so much that it almost doesn't seem real. The subtleties of it are often lost in the historical retelling, becoming a horror show that your mind shuts off. Kindred is all about the subtleties of slavery, really bringing home a power imbalance that perverted both master and slave. I've never read Uncle Tom's Cabin, but I'd never really thought that much about the relationships that would form between people on opposite ends of the power spectrum and all the complications that that entails. The human in people recognizes the human in others, but that voice can be shut up.

At points I did want to shake Dana for what she forgave Rufus for, and it did stretch my suspension of disbelief, but I can see it as a coping mechanism. It's exhausting to live in anger, to fight back constantly, much easier sometimes to forgive and let things happen, an instinct that Dana has to actively fight against.

There's a lot more going on in this book. It's definitely one I'll be chewing on for a while, and while I didn't always love the writing, the subjects explored have so much dimension that I know I'll keep coming back to it.

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