Official Review: Spunk, a Fable by Helen OReilly

[Ejerwing]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Spunk, a Fable" by Helen OReilly.]

Rating: 4 out of 4 stars

Spunk: A Fable by Helen O'Reilly was an interesting change of pace for me. Fashioned somewhat in the vein of Lord of the Flies, it explores human nature through a group of survivors cast away from their own civilization. The book is well-written, with few to no editing errors, and a varied and interesting structural style.

The basis of the story, told through flashbacks in the beginning of the novel, is that a bus-full of women bound for a 1970's abortion-rights demonstration suffer a bad accident on the road. This accident seems to have been caused by a catastrophe effecting (at the very least) the area surrounding New York City. The survivors of the accident, some of whom seem to think the event was meant to be, quickly organize themselves into various groups within the mysteriously fast-growing forest that has taken over for miles around the crash site.

The largest and strongest group, deciding they have been given a chance to create a society not dominated by men, soon begin to make some rather drastic changes: by the middle of the book, many years later, the women and their daughters (male children don't last very long) capture, “ride,” kill, and eat any men stupid enough to wander into the forest from the broken remains of NYC.

While the premise of the book isn't very fair in its treatment of the groups involved (of course a group of 70's feminists would turn into man-killing cannibals if given half the chance!) Spunk has an otherwise very believable and realistic cast of characters. People, as in real life, have many sides and personality quirks that often appear at the most unexpected of times. They feel real, that that really brings the story to life for a reader.

I found myself more and more fascinated by the setting of the forest. It completely dominates the areas inhabited by the characters, and is in fact worshiped as a goddess by many. This seems to have no basis in fact initially, but it soon becomes clear enough that there is some sort of guiding consciousness int eh wooded area around them. Even the more sane and reasonable characters, ones who do not support or take part in the rather disturbing activities of their neighbors, recognize that the forest is very much aware. It adds some interesting, if somewhat concealed, undertones that held my interest.

In closing, while it was by no means a perfect piece of social commentary, Spunk: A Fable was an excellent read that I have no trouble recommending to others. I give it 4 out of 4 stars.

***
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[HelliePie]

Thank you so very much for getting past the rather lurid or sensational aspects of my story to appreciate the story as a whole. I'm glad it held your interest and that you enjoyed yourself. I'm gearing up for a sequel now, and I hope you'll enjoy that as well. Blessings! Helen