The Book of Flora

A ripping second half made up for a slow start. A worthy companion to The Midwife and Etta.

I was very much looking forward to reading the third instalment of the Road To Nowhere trilogy, and thanks to NetGalley I got to do it even earlier than I'd hoped.

The Book of Flora continues the tale first started in The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, and links directly to events from The Book of Etta. Fair warning to those new to the series, I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed this book as much as I did had I not actually read the two preceding novels.

Though the Road to Nowhere series is set in a very grim dystopia, The Book of Flora felt less dark to me. Flora, the protagonist and narrator's journey is the main focus, and we follow her exploration of the world, her place in it and how it relates to her. I loved learning more about Flora, she was such an interesting character in the previous novel. I just wish (as always) life wasn't so hard for her. Elison and her world can be very rough on her characters. I did feel the end was a little rushed, and I really wanted to delve into both the happier, more peaceful times implied in Flora's retrospective narrative passages, as well as the revelatory change discovered at the very end.

I find the Road To Nowhere novels quick reads, but not because they are easy. On the contrary they are set in a grimdark world full of terror and violence which strike me as uncomfortably plausible. Even so, the first novel, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, remains my favourite of the trilogy, and one of my all-time favourite novels.

Anyone who has enjoyed any of the other novels in the series should definitely read The Book of Flora, and those who haven't should give them a try! Meg Elison's writing is compelling, flows well, and her ideas are as fascinating as always.