Red Clocks Summary
Leni Zumas

Red Clocks Overview

Red Clocks, by Leni Zumas, depicts a world just like ours, with one exception: abortion is now illegal. The novel follows the lives of four women in coastal Oregon -- Ro, the the biographer and high school history teacher struggling to have a baby on her own, Susan, the wife mired in an unhappy marriage, Mattie, one of Ro's students who becomes pregnant, and Gin, the mender and town witch who becomes embroiled in a court case that outrages the other three women. The biography Ro is writing separates each section of the novel, and weaves the story of Eivor, a nineteenth century arctic explorer, into those of Susan, Gin, and Mattie. Red Clocks examines what happens when women's rights are pushed back, as well as the ways in which society dictates what a woman can and cannot do with her life. The characters in Red Clocks learn to push forward with hope and strength, and to fight for more than just what life hands them. Tackling issues like the female experience, abortion, women's rights, and motherhood, Red Clocks offers a glimpse into a dystopian future where Roe v. Wade has been overturned, and women must find new ways to resist after losing a major part of their autonomy.