Naomi Kritzer has previously won the Hugo Award, the Edgar Award, the Lodestar Award, and the Minnesota Book Award for her writing. Her newest novel, Obstetrix, is not science fiction, mystery, Young Adult, or set in Minnesota, but her storytelling remains as poignant, relevant, and compelling as ever.

In the novel, Dr. Elizabeth Gwinn is kidnapped by a cult to serve as their obstetrician. It’s an isolated Christian community where the leaders exercise absolute control and force teenagers into marriage and pregnancy. Liz fulfills her duties to stay alive, but never stops searching for possible means of escape, or ways to help the other women and girls imprisoned there.

I liked how this book emphasized the quieter side of resistance, without the sort of violence or action we normally expect from genre fiction. The heroine demonstrates her competence, resourcefulness, and persistence, but she acts as neither fighter nor savior, which I found refreshing. Members of the community discreetly collaborate to provide support where they can.

I also appreciated that many characters draw strength from their favorite stories, in secret since books are banned by the cult leaders. It’s a story about survival and resistance, and the power of books to sustain us through difficult times. And this book feels like one I needed to read to get through this difficult year.

“‘Sleep when the baby sleeps’ was advice I always gave to new mothers. Prioritize your welfare, your healing. I needed to be ready for the chance to escape when it presented itself; I needed to be patient until then, and prioritize my own welfare as much as possible.” – Dr. Elizabeth Gwinn, Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer