This is a great speculative novel about a dystopian California in 2026, where the climate crisis has caused havoc, and society has collapsed. Lauren lives in a small middle-class gated neighborhood, but when they eventually become overrun by addicts, arsonists, and looters, she starts her journey north in search of a better life than modern slavery.

The book deals with many themes, and an interesting one is religion. Lauren grew up as the daughter to a protestant pastor, but ended up developing her own religion partly when faced with the failure of conservative religions in the current world. Her religion centers around "God is Change", and that one should "Shape God" to achieve a good life. It is an interesting spin on religion, and her religious texts during the book were always thought provoking.

Another theme is about marginalized groups. Lauren is both female and black, both being disadvantageous on her travels. Furthermore, she has hyper-empathy, a condition where she feels others pain as if her own. How these factors affect her, and her companions, feels quite realistic and well thought out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The characters were believable, the world was interesting, the religion was clever, and the writing felt right. I have read that many look up to Butler for the pioneering work in the genre, and definitely see why with a book like this.