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A brilliant queer dystopian novel from the author of Yours for the Taking, following a cast of characters on the margins of a strange and exclusive new society.
The year is 2041, and it's a dangerous time to be a woman driving across the United States alone. Deadly storms and uncontrollable wildfires are pummeling the country while political tensions are rising. But Kelly's on the road anyway; she desperately needs to get back to her daughter, who she left seven years ago for a cause that she's no longer sure she believes in.
Almost 40 years later, another mother, Ava, and her daughter Brook are on the run as well, from the climate change relief program known as The Inside Project, where they've spent the past 22 years being treated as lab rats. When they encounter a woman from Ava's past on the side of the highway, the three continue on in a journey that will take them into the depths of what remains of humanity out in the wilderness.
At the same time, way up North, weather conditions continue to worsen and a settlement departs in search of greener pastures, leaving behind only two members, drawn together by a circumstance and a mystery they are destined to unravel together.
Set in the world of Gabrielle Korn's Yours for the Taking, The Shutouts tells the captivating story of those who have been shut out from Inside, their fight to survive, and an interconnectedness larger than all of them.
"[A] tense tale of climate collapse, survival, and conspiracies... The narrative is made harrowingly plausible by the author's skillful exploration of alarming choices made by people in power and survivors' attempts to forge communities. It's another winner from Korn." ―Publishers Weekly
"As the novel races to a finish, the dual story lines converge satisfyingly, if a bit too conveniently. However, Korn's worldbuilding and character development (especially Kelly) breathe life into the novel as it explores societal collapse, political conspiracies, and the pliable nature of historical narratives. The novel ends with a perfect blend of sadness and hope that refuses to downplay the dangers of climate change nor discount humanity's desire to survive. A page-turning queer, feminist dystopia." —Kirkus Reviews
"[The Shutouts] shifts its critique from corporate white feminism to the sinister side of activist culture and cults of personality...Readers seeking cli-fi that celebrates queer characters and survival will find this a hopeful look at the future even after disaster." ―Library Journal
"With The Shutouts, Gabrielle Korn has established herself as one of the brilliant dystopian writers of our generation. This book broke my heart but it also gave me immense hope. It made me cry and laugh and hug my babies and believe in people and in all the ways we take care of each other." ―Marisa Crane, author of I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself
This information about The Shutouts was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Gabrielle Korn is the author of Everybody (Else) Is Perfect and the former Editor-in-Chief of Nylon. She recently led LGBTQ+ strategy at Netflix, and her writing has been published across the internet since 2011, with bylines in Instyle, Coveteur, Autostraddle, Nylon, Refinery29, Oprah, and more. Originally from New York, she now lives in Los Angeles with her wife, and together they run The Pink Door artist and writer residency.
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