Goldilocks by L.R. Lam

“It hadn’t happened in a moment, but a series of moments, as slow and insidious as the melting of the ice caps. Women had been ushered out of the workplace, so subtly that few noticed until it was too late. There had been no grand lowering of an iron curtain, with passports voided and bank accounts emptied. There had been a few men in sharp suits quoting scripture with silver tongues, but it was cursory, just enough to wrangle part of the Christian vote. Really, they were afraid of women. Or hated them. Wasn’t that much the same thing? The country saw those angry men as a fringe movement right up until one was elected president.”

Goldilocks by L.R. Lam

Goodness, this book….I finished this over a week ago but have been contemplating it ever since. It was not an easy book to read but it was such an important one, but it was also a weirdly scary one as the current political climate has not been amazing and it’s a scary future we’re headed into if things do not change.

This book is described as The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Martian and that’s a pretty fair comparison. Naomi is part of a small crew led by Valerie Black that steals a spaceship to be the first people to set foot on a planet that can sustain life- Cavendish. They should have been part of the original mission to begin with to establish a colony on this planet. They helped plan it, develop the technology to do it, but women in this book were slowly pushed out of the workforce, forced to stay home and take care of their family, no longer able to pursue their dreams or careers. 

This book alternates between the present and past moments of Naomi and the crew. It shows how they came to be there, stealing a spaceship. I was riveted from page one, and as the story unfolded I found myself growing panicked, worried and sad. It’s an amazing book, but it has ALL the feels. 

I really don’t want to spoil too much, which is maybe why I have taken so long to write a review. Naomi lives in a world where men are dominating every field, where women are only allowed to have one child but abortion is illegal and a second child will cost you half your yearly income just in taxes. It’s a world that shows how disastrous humanity is to our planet, how much we destroy by not doing simple things like recycle (PLEASE recyle it’s so easy). 

We spend more time taking from our planet than giving to it, and L.R. Lam really highlights this in their book, and it just really reminded me of how important is to think about more than just ourselves and our families but about this beautiful planet we’ve been lucky enough to call home. I challenge everyone reading this to do something that gives back to the ground you’re standing on, the air you breathe. I am trying to remain concious of this as well as I move through some of the most vibrant seasons of the year. Let’s make sure our children and their children (and so on) get to see it too. 

I really loved this book, and I highly recommend it. My review is more of a ramble than a review but trust me, this is one it’s best to know less going in!