Simon's Reviews > The Female Man

This is my first and, most likely, last experience of the writing of Joanna Russ.

This is not so much science fiction that explores themes of gender but rather a feminist tract with occasional use of SF tropes. Large parts of the narrative form an undisguised polemic railing against the condition of women in society and the way that this condition is maintained by men.

The plot, such as it is, involves four different versions of the same woman but from different parellel planes of existence coming together. Joanna (perhaps the author herself?) from our reality. Jeannine from a reality in which the great depression never ended. Janet from a reality in which all men were wiped out by a plague. And Jael from a world that in which men and women live separately and are engaged in a long and bitter war against each other. The each see a little of each other's world and how different life is for each of them.

The narrative voice shifts nebulously between these four characters without any clear distinction, sometimes referring to themselves in the first person leading to a fair amount of confusion in the reader. This combined with the lack of any coherent plot and the intentionally provoking polemics will likely put off many readers. I managed to sustain my interest throughout but it wasn't exactly an enjoyable experience. Personally I prefer a subtler approach, a proper story that leads the reader to think about these themes without ramming them down their throat. But this is obviously what the author wanted to do in this book.