Earth Abides

This was a hard book for me to finish.

The premise is simple. A disease claims 99% of the human population. A survivor and his struggles. But this novel focuses more on the future of the humankind as a society. The instant implications are explored, but this book takes us some generations down the road when no one alive remembers civilization, but the narrator.

A worthy subject avoided by the majority of post-apocalyptic novels. But... is there a future where the women aren't becoming baby-machines? I know, this book was written in 1949. But, is it that hard to imagine a lead female character that isn't a mother goose? I know, different times, different views and a male author.

The whole novel was based on the need for reproduction to save the species. Only the narrator had the need to sustain some portion of civilization. I don't mean cars and airplanes. I'm talking about the ability to read, repair, build. I might ask a lot from a bunch of randomly picked people, dragged together by the disaster. But I have the right to be more optimistic.

I usually say, hate the writing style, don't hate the ideas. I really tried to follow my own words. I kinda failed this time...