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Writing style:
I praised Octavia Butler’s lean and precise writing style in my Parable of the Sorrow review. This novel continued the seamless and easy-to-follow journal entry style that captivated my interest in the first book. Regarding that, I don’t recall ever reading a story in a journal entry format, so if anyone has any book recommendations written in that format, then please share them in the comment section.
Narrative voice:
Parable of the Talents is told in two first-person narrative voices. The novel begins with future recounts from a new voice, Lauren Olamina’s daughter Asha Vere (Her birth name was Larkin). In addition, there are a few passages where Taylor Bankole (Lauren’s husband) and Lauren’s brother Marc share their story. Lastly, the main protagonist Lauren, narrative continues where the last novel ended. Regarding that, Butler did a remarkable job maintaining the continuity from the first novel by incorporating a new narrative voice that added a fresh and introspective perspective that complimented Lauren’s narration.
Content:
Although the novel has bleak storylines, it is still a hopeful, poignant, courageous, riveting, and harrowing tale that doesn’t capitulate to the darkness and oppression that envelopes and endangers its peace. Disclaimer, this book contains situations of sexual assault, enslavement, torture, violence, child abuse, murder, and homophobia. These situations are not gratuitous, but there are some disturbing moments.
Parable of the Talents drastically amplifies the dystopian calamity from the first novel and it delves deep into the unforgiving relentless brutality of opposing forces, specifically an overzealous fundamentalist Christian organization called “Christian America” who are terrorists and use religion as a facade to commit their atrocities. Furthermore, these Christian terrorists begin to invade Lauren’s Acorn community under the orders of a presidential candidate (his character won the election) who is eerily similar to Donald Trump. Moreover, these Christian terrorists abduct the Acorn community children so suitable Christian families can raise them because they believe esoteric heathens such as Earthseed believers do not deserve to raise children. Equally important, the slogan “Make America Great Again” is mentioned a few times, and this book was released in 1998! That being said, these Christian zealots use tactics to enforce Christianity through subjugation and dehumanization, and their devious and evil motives for reform (they refer to themselves as “teachers”) are nothing short of terrifying.
Themes:
Class disparities, Religious extremism, Fractured family dynamics, Societal deconstruction, Political theology, Discrimination/Bigotry
Overall thoughts:
In summary, I highly recommend this novel because it correlates with the current conditions in the U.S. It’s stories such as this that provide a peek into the underbelly of a volatile society that constantly preys on and demonizes individuals who are different and deviate from what is deemed normal. Parable of the Talents tells an array of perilous situations that can be tough to read at certain points. However, it’s the determination of Lauren and her devout belief in Earthseed that gave her the power to be a vessel for change and a champion for freedom. Even though she was a victim of violence, she didn’t allow it to break her spirit. She found it imperative that her message wouldn’t be intimidated or corrupted because the generations that followed her needed to discover Earthseed, including readers of this novel. Moreover, if the goal of Earthseed is to live amongst the stars and embrace change, then we must commit to change without refusal and ignore distractions as we look to improve our conditions. By the same token, we must ensure the protection and safety of our physical and psychological well-being so they are not violated or displaced.
Lastly, it’s surreal that many of the suffering and injustices in today’s America parallel many of the events in both novels. We need to be more attentive to Butler’s astute observations and profound details as we move forward.
Book rating : 4.5/5
Book grade: A
Real Free - Flowing Words 