After reading Nomansland, a dystopian tale about a civilization without men that was written by a woman, I was interested in the comparison of a similar tale written by a man. Epitaph Road, by David Patneaude (pronounced "pat-node"), is a dystopia about life after a plague kills most of the male population on earth and how the world copes with such a rocking change.
Kellen is a young man in a woman's world. A generation ago, a savage virus swept through the world and wiped out 97% of the male population. Whole governments were decimated, leaving the women to pick up all the pieces. Surprisingly, the result was a peaceful existence worldwide, but very limited rights for men. Some men live within the civilizations and are even allowed professions if they score high enough on the gender biased trials. Some men, however, live on the outskirts of society as loners who want nothing to do with the woman-run world.
Kellen's father in a loner who works on his fishing boat, but his mother works for the government. When Kellen overhears a virus is going to be released in the area where his father lives, he and two young female friends take off to save him from the government outbreak that will be made to look like a natural occurrence of the virus, but will actually be the government's way of ridding themselves of conspirators. In their travels to find Kellen's father, the trio find a whole lot more about the original pandemic's origins, what rebels are doing to stop the virus, and a "companion" virus that would wipe out the female population the same way the men were decimated a generation ago.
This is a very interesting story full of feminism and sexism. It was an interesting spin on "women Take Over" compared to Nomansland, but I think this novel was more interesting and more readable. The women in this book were more calculated and ruthless; they even regulated how many men could "contribute" sperm and how many boys would be born through fertility controls. I really liked the idea that while women considered themselves more humane and level-headed compared to the previous generation's male-led governments, and were in many international diplomatic scenarios, they were just as sexist and oppressive to men as men were to women in generations in the past. It was an interesting examination of sociology, gender relations, and humanity.
This was a very readable book with background knowledge of the plague presented in a gripping manner. The action of the plot begins quickly and is gripping enough to hold the reader in. The reading level would be best for high skilled middle-schoolers to high school students. It is a great book to use as an examination of gender and sexism. This story paired with a historical novel about women's suffrage would create some interesting discussions.
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