The Carhullan Army by Sarah Hall

The Carhullan Army

Sarah Hall

Set in a post-apocalyptic England which is struggling to survive, there is no power, no food and the government has crumbled. Sister is searching for a better life and seeks out a community of women living self-sufficiently in the hills. This is her story.

This world is closer to our current reality than I care to think, and it had me spellbound. The story is fast paced and not your usual science fiction fare. Thought provoking, disturbing and enjoyably addictive.

Extract
My name is Sister.
This is the name that was given to me three years ago. It is what the others call me. It is what I call myself. Before that, my name was unimportant. I can't remember it being used. I will not answer to it now, or hear myself saying it out loud. I will not sign to acknowledge it. It is gone. You can call me Sister.
I was the last woman to go looking for Carhullan.
It was a wet rotting October when I left. In the town the leaves had begun to drop and their yellow pulp lay on the ground. The last belts of thunderstorms and downpours were passing through the Norther region. Summer was on its way out. The atmosphere felt as if it was finally breaking apart, and at night and in the mornings something cooler had set in. It was a relief not to wake up sweating under the sheet in our terrace quarters, coming out of some hot nightmare with milky dampness on my chest.
Parallels
  • 1984 by George Orwell
  • Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  • The Handmaiden's Tale by Margaret Atwood
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Violence
Explicit sexual Content