June Book Reviews: Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer
I've liked Kritzer's snappy SF in the past, so when I saw my library had purchased a copy of her latest, I immediately placed a hold. In Obstetrix, gynecologist Liz won the trial but lost the job after performing a legal abortion. When a job interview unexpectedly turns into a kidnapping, she's forced across the country to act as the only doctor for an isolated fundamentalist cult.
One of Kritzer's strong points as an author is the immense readability of her prose, and Obstetrix is no exception. It's set in a near-future United States that's unfortunately familiar, as are the preoccupations of the central cult (Christianity and keeping teen girls pregnant, mostly). The doctor's kidnapping is an exquisitely calculated torture as she's caught between her calling to help her patients and her creeping doubt that she's enabling the abuse. While the premise is compelling, it does feel like the plot is wrapped up too briskly. With the limited space of a novella, it's inevitable that something is cut, and here it seems to be any hint of an escape arc. Still, what we do get is both chilling and compelling. May it become less relevant some day soon... Pair with Vaishnavi Patel's We Dance Upon Demons.
