Book Review | "The Shutouts" by Gabrielle Korn
A Queer Dystopian Novel: Global Warming Is Coming for All of Us
The Shutouts is a queer dystopian novel chronicling a fictionalized version of our current and future environmental issues. This global warming tale is right on track with our current real-life trajectory, rooted in science and truth, ringing eerily authentic.
The novel involves parallel storylines nearly 40 years apart: one in 2041 following Kelly’s dangerous trek across the States and the other in 2078 where Max leaves a strict commune searching for a life on the outside.
Kelly’s story is one of a young mother with a history of involvement with resistance movements, mainly aimed at ending global warming and fighting big business and the government choosing money over humanity. Kelly’s path is met with heartache and loss, both romantically and familiarly, all for the greater good.
Max finds themself safe and sound in a commune-type society where technology supports their Earth-saving efforts in a highly regulated and oppressive way but that wasn’t always the case. Max breaks free of their chains and discovers the real world outside.
As the reader flips back and forth in time and narrative, we find out how these stories meet, weaving a tale of the United States’ downfall and status decades later—detailing the normality of intense storms, flooding, wildfires, and heat waves and the repercussions. Sound familiar?
Is there hope for survival or is it too late?
Although The Shutouts is a standalone novel set in the world of Korn’s previous book Yours for the Taking, I can’t help but wonder whether I should have started with the latter. The experience was fraught with moments of disorientation, circling back to discover if I’d missed a chapter. This resulted in a choppy intake of the story, playing catchup consistently throughout.
However, the disorientation was balanced with deep, robust vignettes full of ripe detail, unleashing a cinematic adventure in my brain. Gabrielle Korn’s ability to transplant the reader into her vision is uncanny, delivering pockets of literary joy. In the moments of confusion, Korn’s writing saved the day and reeled me back in.
I was left longing for more, desperately needing the rest of the story to be filled in. The novel felt like it had finished prematurely, leaving more questions than answers. The concept is intriguing but the story development left something to be desired, plagued with gaps between the brilliant pieces. It’s safe to say you will complete the novel wishing you had more of this interesting queer dystopian adventure.
And if you choose to listen to this novel, Narrator Gail Shalan knocks it out of the park, breathing life into each distinctive character. Shalan delivers an engaging and skillful performance, masterfully tackling all voices and narratives.
Gabrielle Korn has created a scary but rich world where our consumption will result in real consequences. Somehow global warming has become a political conversation, becoming controversial in nature—but Korn bakes it in rather than throws it in your face. The topic is the fabric of the novel, set as the foundation on which we build and this is performed beautifully.
Overall, I want to know more about this world and Korn’s characters and I want to continue the journey as I feel we have not reached the end of this story.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Purchase your copy HERE.
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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