Eve (review)

Eve's cozy little dreams of service to her government and then eventual retirement are shattered in an instant when she discovers the truth: women in this post-plague world are primarily viewed (and used) as breeding stock, and Eve actually faces a special mission as the person chosen by the King of New America to carry his children. Carefully trained to trust only the school and to avoid all men and boys, and raised with a great deal of book knowledge (albeit skewed) but no survival skills, Eve is ill-equipped to venture out into the unknown world, but she is certain that danger is better than cooperating with a government that views women as "sows." The romance between Eve and a young man she meets on the road is poignant from the start, as readers will spot right away that it must end, even as they will likely wish as fervently as Eve that somehow normal life could still be achieved. Unfortunately, the strident, creepy, anti-male feminism shaping the education Eve receives makes women the culprits as much as anyone, resulting in a world so loathsome that it is unclear what is worth saving. In addition, few of the characters emerge as actual individuals, existing primarily to teach the protagonist important lessons about trust, faith, love, and loyalty. Nevertheless, readers who can't get enough of the flood of dystopian books will find this an interesting take on what could happen if the few remaining folks on Earth split up by gender.