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A review by snugglor
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
An interesting story from a sci-fi perspective, but also deeply frustrating from a feminist perspective.
It seems like a great concept, to have a planet of humans who are androgenous for three weeks of the month and who then spontaneously develop male or female genitals for their sexual cycle, and to look at the impact it has when anyone can become pregnant, when no one is particularly stronger than anyone else, when sexual assault is a non-issue. But this wasn't really explored as much as I thought it would be, and every single character defaulted to referring to everyone as "he" rather than "they", which was really annoying. I know LeGuin has since said she regretted this decision and I agree with her on this. It was a missed opportunity and colours how we imagine every character.
It seems like a great concept, to have a planet of humans who are androgenous for three weeks of the month and who then spontaneously develop male or female genitals for their sexual cycle, and to look at the impact it has when anyone can become pregnant, when no one is particularly stronger than anyone else, when sexual assault is a non-issue. But this wasn't really explored as much as I thought it would be, and every single character defaulted to referring to everyone as "he" rather than "they", which was really annoying. I know LeGuin has since said she regretted this decision and I agree with her on this. It was a missed opportunity and colours how we imagine every character.