Iâm currently listening to Maren Uthaugâs book 11% about a world where most men have died. I should probably wait until Iâve finished the book but Iâm so fascinated by the world building.
As of now itâs still unclear why the men died but when the story takes place thereâs a mix of older women who fucking hates men and young women who have only met drugged up men at âbreeding centersâ and imagine âmalesâ as violent boogeymen but otherwise donât really care and just want to live in the new seemingly perfect society their grandmothers fought for. The only people who still fight for menâs rights are witches who believe masculine energies are as natural and Of Nature as feminine energies, but even they sound more like animal rights activists, standing outside breeding centers with signs every Friday. Their most provocative sign is a picture of a man with Human written on it.
Christianity has been completely transformed and is now run by priests (they donât call themselves priestess) who can only hold ceremonies when they have their periods and snakes are their most sacred symbol because they gave knowledge to Eva and God is called The Mother.
Trans men exist but are referred to as Man Women and they all seem to be sex workers who have functional silicone penises, though Iâm not far enough into the story to know if they have other jobs. They generally also still have breasts because working as a wet nurse is another source of income for them. Testosterone treatments is not an option because it would make them too masculine and dangerous to be allowed into society but they all have male names and everyone use male pronouns for them.
A really fascinating aspect of the world is how people want to get rid of the old âpatriarchal architectureâ of straight lines and boxes but refuse to tear it down with machines, instead insisting on letting Mother Nature reclaim it. Only Rat Girls are actively trying to destroy the old buildings by releasing hoards of rats into them and planting bamboo to break up the concrete. New buildings have round shapes and are build in ways that make them blend in with cultivated nature and inside theyâre painting in beautiful colors with no hard edges. They sound a lot like colorful hobbit homes. Also, locks are considered uncivilized and of a time when violent men roamed the earth and made life unsafe so nothing, from front doors to bathrooms, have locks. For a while after most men died women would go for Night Walks to relish in the fact that they no longer had to be afraid, though they liked to visit the witches at night because it felt a little spooky, which the witches thought was good fun.
The story is naturally about a middle aged witch who is hiding a young boy illegally and gets milk from one of the trans men in the red district while also sleeping with a Christian priest who struggles with her sacred job because her periods are irregular.
Iâll come back with follow up thoughts once Iâve finished it. Unlike what you might think, Maren Uthau isnât a scary man hater. Iâve listened to most of her other books and this isnât a recurring trope so clearly she has something to say specifically with this story and itâs rated pretty highly by both male and female readers. I think Iâm in for quite the ride.
