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When She Woke

by Hillary Jordan (Goodreads Author)

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 11,174 ratings · 2,489 reviews

I am red now. It was her first thought of the day, every day, surfacing after a few seconds of fogged, blessed ignorance and sweeping through her like a wave, breaking in her breast with a soundless roar. Hard on its heels came the second wave, crashing into the wreckage left by the first: he is gone.

Hannah Payne’s life has been devoted to church and family. But after she’...more

Hardcover, 344 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

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Best Cover Art 2011 (Non-YA)

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May 12, 2012 Jeanette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-fiction, cultural-and-social-commentary, science-fiction, america

This was a four-star book until the last 80 or so pages, and then it lost its way. So 3.5 stars it is.

The novel starts off strong with a tale of private shame made very public, and gleeful cruelty masquerading as religious piety. I saw some spooky parallels with the way Warren Jeffs was controlling the FLDS Church a few years ago.

Jordan takes the basic themes from Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and brings them into the future with the addition of abortion and extreme fundamentalist rule. Hanna...more This was a four-star book until the last 80 or so pages, and then it lost its way. So 3.5 stars it is.

The novel starts off strong with a tale of private shame made very public, and gleeful cruelty masquerading as religious piety. I saw some spooky parallels with the way Warren Jeffs was controlling the FLDS Church a few years ago.

Jordan takes the basic themes from Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and brings them into the future with the addition of abortion and extreme fundamentalist rule. Hannah Payne (Hester Prynne) and Aidan Dale (Arthur Dimmesdale) have had an affair. She's a young innocent parishioner. He's a married preacher with a huge following and a spotless reputation. Hannah has aborted their love child. Instead of a scarlet letter, she is punished with a scarlet body.

In this version of America, most criminals serve out their sentences among the general populace rather than behind bars. Their skin is "melachromed" red, yellow, green or blue, depending on their crimes. Being marked in this way makes them outcasts, subject to derision, physical attacks, and even death threats. Prison would seem a more merciful punishment.

After her initial chroming and public humiliation period, Hannah stays in a halfway house meant to prepare her for re-entering society as a "Red." She then makes a series of stops along a sort of futuristic underground railroad. Here is where the novel begins to go off the tracks, so to speak. It slowly collapses on itself with a tedious journey and a rushed ending that is too inconclusive to warrant the buildup. The quick foray into lesbianism is awkward and unrealistic, and thus feels obligatory rather than purposeful.

I was disappointed that Hannah didn't emerge more strengthened by her ordeal. I think Jordan hoped to show a transformation from a mousy, obedient evangelical girl into a fearless, bold, and resourceful woman. Whatever transformation does occur is too fast to be plausible. Hannah never quite reaches the state of maturity and self-knowledge we might wish for her. She's left mired in that late-adolescent stage of defiance versus dependence.

I do recommend the book, despite my middling rating. Just don't expect a strong finish to match the powerful beginning.

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Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia-utopia, 2012, ya-na

I wish I could write two reviews for When She Woke, one for the first half of the book and another for the second. Unfortunately, this is not one of those books that I can say starts off not so good but finishes on a high note; on the contrary, the first half was one of the strongest dystopian openings I've read in a long while and the second was just, well... a mess.

The first half of this book was at least a solid four stars. It was well-paced, fast without feeling rushed, and it was very clea...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Meghan rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 04, 2011 Hillary rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

"If you must read one book this year, make it WHEN SHE WOKE." —Hillary's mom

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Sep 09, 2011 Kara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Kara by: Jessica Donaghy

Shelves: big-issues, owned

I really loved this book. Not only was the plot compelling and fast-paced, but the issues explored in the story (abortion, religion, justice, feminism, individualism, etc) were pretty thought-provoking.

The author also did a fantastic job creating complex, believable, intensely human characters. Hannah's personal development through the course of the novel in particular was well done.

Great read, highly recommended.

23 likes · like · see review

Oct 21, 2011 Mike rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, future, moral-issues, religion, self-discovery

The premise hooked me, a modern day Scarlet Letter meets Margaret Atwood, and the beginning few chapters had me intrigued as to what type of world this woman lived in. I especially liked the idea of her receiving red skin for the 'murder' of her unborn child. I thought, "hmm, how will she fit into this dystopian society?" "What will this book say about the world in which we live?" Then the message is sent to the reader -- and it's sent pretty loudly.

Quickly, it became apparent to me that this wa...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Pam Vlieg rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished and a review will come later but for now I have very few coherent thoughts as I process everything that I have read in this fabulous and amazing novel.

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Nov 11, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, 2011, dystopia

When She Woke is in essence a modern version of The Scarlet Letter, but instead of the letter A, her skin is turned bright red. The book is set in the not so distant future, where religion is in control, and everyone is a religious fanatic; that’s right, its set in Texas. Imagine a world where the Westboro church is in charge and you pretty much have an idea of this dystopian society. This is a rather good modernisation of the classic Nathaniel Hawthorne story; it has taken all the key elements...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Where I got the book: purchased on Kindle. A book club read.

This is a modern reworking of The Scarlet Letter, which is a book I started but didn't finish. I think I need to get an audiobook version, as Hawthorne is one of those writers I find much more acceptable in narration (Thackeray is another). But I digress.

This dystopian is set in a future Texas where the religious right have absolute control, women are forced to be good little wifies and abortion = murder in the legal arena. Hannah, up t...more Where I got the book: purchased on Kindle. A book club read.

This is a modern reworking of The Scarlet Letter, which is a book I started but didn't finish. I think I need to get an audiobook version, as Hawthorne is one of those writers I find much more acceptable in narration (Thackeray is another). But I digress.

This dystopian is set in a future Texas where the religious right have absolute control, women are forced to be good little wifies and abortion = murder in the legal arena. Hannah, up till that point a good Christian girl, terminates her pregnancy to shield her high-profile lover from exposure, and gets caught. Her sentence is to be melachromed; punishment in this society is to turn your skin a bright color to make your shame visible to all, at which point you're an easy target for every nasty-minded person in the vicinity (i.e. most of them). Hannah wakes up fire-engine red, and passes out of respectable society into a halfway house which is probably one of the more evil settings I've ever seen imagined. The rest of the novel is about how Hannah fights her way into asserting her right to make her own choices.

As you would imagine from my short summary, the political overtones are huge and I'm sure this book club (to which I am new) will spend much time arguing the whethers and should-haves. It's that sort of book. What I liked most about it was Hannah's increasing consciousness of herself as an independent entity; she is saturated with conservative Christian values yet manages to negotiate the spiritual consequences of her actions and struggle for some kind of redemption without an unrealistic "omg I just totally woke up to the wrongness of things and became a new woman" epiphany. This means that some of her choices are going to tick off the reader (view spoiler) But she ends up coming across as real, and that made me happy.

The future setting is flawlessly imagined and convincingly chilling in an IT COULD HAPPEN kind of way. Secondary characters are plausibly well-rounded and the narrative is clear; I found myself wanting to read just a little bit more and then just a little bit more after that. My major issue is that I found the ending a little too glib; I could think of several ways I'd want the story to end with more bite. If there had been more tragedy in the end, I think I would have added an extra star, because I like my dystopians dark, dark, dark to make my real world seem just a little bit sweeter.
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Oct 02, 2011 Mindy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

It takes a special book to hook me into reading it in one sitting. Maybe it's the timeliness to the current political and faith debate, maybe it's my affinity for The Scarlet Letter, or maybe Hillary Jordan is just that damn good. Whatever the maybe, this book grabs you and drops you into a completely realized world that is both terrifying and familiar. If you enjoy books like The Handmaid's Tale, or even the more current and YA focused The Hunger Games Trilogy, this book is sure to grab your in...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Lyndz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, favorites, own, reviewed

First off, I do not just go around tossing out 5 stars all willy nilly. This is something I reserve only for my very favorite books. I predict that this book is going to be a hit with book clubs across the nation. It is an excellent read, it is provocative, enthralling, and thought provoking. This subject matter sticks with you. It forces you to take a closer look at your beliefs and see things from a different point of view. I highly recommend checking it out when it is released. Hillary Jordan...more

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Dec 17, 2012 Bonnie marked it as dnf · review of another edition

Quite an interesting storyline, I was very excited to read it when I first stumbled upon it. Only got a few chapters into this before I determined that unfortunately this was a bit too religious for my liking.

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Oct 18, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Cautionary tale about separation of church and state. As is KEEP THEM SEPARATE. Much like Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" this book is set in a future where a super STD has rendered most women sterile (and so) Roe vs. Wade has been appealed. Except, "When She Woke," is actually a retelling of the "Scarlet Letter." Instead of a big, red "A" Hannah Payne (Hester Pryne) is tinted red for having had an abortion after her famous (and married) BF Pastor Aiden Dale (Reverand Dimmesdale) gets he...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: america, contemporary-fiction, fiction, library, literary-fiction, prejudice, society

Hannah Payne lives in a dystopian version of America where conservative Christians are in control and criminals serve their sentences out in public, melachromed for easy identification. Hannah has commited the crime of having an abortion (classified as murder) and for that, every inch of her skin has been dyed bright red. Having spend some time on the Chrome Ward as part of a sinister reality TV programme, Hannah must now try to adapt to life as an outcast, subject to prejudice and abuse. Her ev...more Hannah Payne lives in a dystopian version of America where conservative Christians are in control and criminals serve their sentences out in public, melachromed for easy identification. Hannah has commited the crime of having an abortion (classified as murder) and for that, every inch of her skin has been dyed bright red. Having spend some time on the Chrome Ward as part of a sinister reality TV programme, Hannah must now try to adapt to life as an outcast, subject to prejudice and abuse. Her every movement can be tracked and she soon becomes a target for the Fist, a radical group that hunts out and punishes chromes. With her family turning away from her, can Hannah adjust to her new life?

When She Woke is a modern retelling of the classic The Scarlett Letter. Unfortunately, I've not read the latter so I can't judge how faithful to the original it was. Hannah does refuse to name the father of her unborn child but this isn't as integral to the plot as I had imagined it to be. When She Woke is more about the dystopia of Jordan's imagined American society than anything else.

It's hard to make a judgement of this book as the first and second halves are remarkably different. The first half is about the society Hannah lives in and the reactions of her friends and family to her having the abortion, whilst the second is more action packed as Hannah struggles to escape the Fist. I liked the first half but found the second implausible and a bit silly. I was most interested in the psychological impact on Hannah - what would it be like to be branded forever as a criminal? The passages where Hannah is free and trying to interact with members of the public were fascinating.

I think some of the impact of this book was dulled by me not being American. I'm British and whilst some people here may feel strongly about abortion, it's not a large issue and definitely not a political one. No one finds out whether our politicians are 'pro-choice' or 'pro-life' and it's rare to see a discussion or debate around abortion. Had I been in America, where I know abortion is more highly charged, abortion equaling murder would have been more powerful. Consequently I wanted to know more about Chromes that were different to Hannah - the blues, yellows and greens. Were they treated differently than she was?

As I mentioned above, the second half of the book was a bit of a let down. Hannah is targeted by a radical group and starts on an action packed journey to escape. I think Jordan is trying to portray Hannah's character growth as she starts to care less what others think of her but this comes across as rushed and unbelievable. There's even the inclusion of a lesbian scene that seems completely out of character for Hannah,given that only a few months earlier she was regurgitating all her evangelical parents' beliefs as facts. I truly hope the author wasn't associating feminism with lesbianism i.e because Hannah becomes a feminist, she must find other women sexually attractive. Hannah would have changed, but not as fast as Jordan made her.

On the whole, the premise of When She Woke was stronger than the execution. I'm still thinking about Chromes almost a week after finishing the book but the plot didn't measure up. A thought provoking read.(less)

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May 09, 2012 Amy Sturgis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21st-century, ya-dystopia, postapocalyptic-dystopia, science-fiction-contemporary

This novel surprised me at every turn, in the best sense possible.

I saw it promoted as a "reimagining" of The Scarlet Letter - which, let's face it, is quite a tall order - but it seems to me as if Hillary Jordan used The Scarlet Letter only as a fruitful springboard and inspiration. She isn't slavishly devoted to the text, although she certainly paid tribute to some of the Hawthorne's key insights into the human condition. This is all to the good.

Although the novel wasn't marketed as a "young a...more This novel surprised me at every turn, in the best sense possible.

I saw it promoted as a "reimagining" of The Scarlet Letter - which, let's face it, is quite a tall order - but it seems to me as if Hillary Jordan used The Scarlet Letter only as a fruitful springboard and inspiration. She isn't slavishly devoted to the text, although she certainly paid tribute to some of the Hawthorne's key insights into the human condition. This is all to the good.

Although the novel wasn't marketed as a "young adult dystopia," it easily fits into that category, as twenty-something Hannah Payne experiences a true coming of age as she grows into and accepts herself.

Set in a not-too-distant future United States that suffers from excessive surveillance, moral superiority, and inhumane "justice" (creating the dyed "Chromes" whose bodies telegraph their crimes), the novel manages to achieve a number of impressive objectives. Hannah is a deeply sympathetic character who gradually becomes aware of how small her world has been, and how many "boxes" she's willingly confined herself in (mentally, spiritually, and physically) over her young life. We experience the unfairness and brutality of her sentencing and ostracism, and yet the horror of what she chose to do -- abort the baby of a famous married minister -- is never underplayed. Despite the fact Hannah rejects the unquestioning fundamentalism of her upbringing, she fully embraces the central importance of religious faith in her life.

Every time I expected Jordan to descend into stereotypes -- about Southerners, Christians, straight or gay people, men or women, those who are made victims or those who refuse to become so -- she instead offered layered and complex characterizations and thought-provoking twists. The father who is loyal to his traditional church and nuclear family is painted with sensitivity, as is the lesbian revolutionary and her dedication to the underground movement that opposes the status quo. Even the weak-willed minister, the father to Hannah's unborn baby, is poignant in his shame, self-loathing, and lack of moral courage.

There are some true villains, but all of them are opportunists who exploit the system(s) for their own perverse and personal enjoyment of control over those who have no recourse or self-defense. In the end, this dystopia challenges us to examine our assumptions and to accept responsibility for our lives, souls, and decisions. I appreciate Jordan's ability to critique the deeply flawed institutions humans have created without casually dismissing the reasons they came to exist in the first place.

This novel is challenging in the questions it raises and unflinching in its warnings, as any quality dystopia should be. I'm very glad that I read it.

(Thanks to Jessica!)(less)

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Mar 12, 2012 Steph rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, reviewed

How absolutely cool is the premise of this book? In this dystopian society, skin is genetically mutated a certain color to paint convicts to represent their crimes. Red skin means murderer. In this society, red skin also means someone who has had an abortion, a procedure that has been deemed illegal now that Roe V. Wade has been overturned. This novel had the potential to be as frightening as Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, a novel that didn't seem entirely far fetched when it was published, and s...more How absolutely cool is the premise of this book? In this dystopian society, skin is genetically mutated a certain color to paint convicts to represent their crimes. Red skin means murderer. In this society, red skin also means someone who has had an abortion, a procedure that has been deemed illegal now that Roe V. Wade has been overturned. This novel had the potential to be as frightening as Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, a novel that didn't seem entirely far fetched when it was published, and still does not in a world where women still have to fight for their right to have complete control over their bodies. I think books of this nature are especially important given the current fight over birth control that has cropped up as candidates fight to challenge Obama in this year's election. People like Rush Limbaugh really exist. There are groups of people out there who want a world like this one to be the one we live in. Books like this one are almost realistic fiction when you think about it like that. Terrifying.

The novel starts out strong. Hannah Payne has recently been transformed to become a Chrome, her skin mutated Red, to represent her crime of abortion. She must live her days on camera inside of jail, where her every move is being broadcasted to people at home for their entertainment. Experiencing with Hannah her first moments as a Chrome, alone in solitary, is deeply intimate. Because of her perceived crime Hannah is subjected to humiliation and psychological torture. It was very interesting and painful to be inside of Hannah's head as she dealt with this experience.

Hannah is soon released and dropped off in a religious facility aimed at "curing" women chromes and bringing them back to the light of Jesus or whatever. This section of the book actually wasn't half bad. There were definitely some great points made using Hannah's experiences in that facility; perhaps Jordan should not have been so heavy handed with the message and allowed the "evil" characters to be humanized a bit. A particularly frightening thing about this facility was that Hannah and others were forced to create and carry around dolls that represented the "child" they aborted.

Once Hannah leaves the facility things get a little far fetched. She joins a sort of underground program put in place by those that oppose the new government and after that it is one unbelievable situation after another. Hannah's narrative is also a little weird. She still considers herself a murderer, even if she doesn't believe she deserves all of the ways she's been treated, and that is never resolved. I also didn't buy her loyalty to the father of her baby, or why she would put entire groups of people at risk just to see him one last time. Also, there is a brief segue into lesbianism that would have had more meaning if it had, well, meant anything at all and didn't seem to be just a convenient plot point to represent Hannah's supposed awakening.

I think this book would have been far better served if it had focused on Hannah being made an outcast by society as a whole, and the treatment she would have received trying to live a normal life as a Red, in a world where abortion is legally viewed as murder.

I'm mixed on whether or not I'd recommend this one. It was a fairly enjoyable read, the idea of chromes was fantastic, the feminist themes were important, but in the end it fell short of everything it was trying to accomplish. I'd much rather recommend The Handmaid's Tale instead.
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Mar 30, 2012 Mandy rated it 2 of 5 stars

The protagonist awakes dyed red for her crime...abortion. In this dystopian tale there is no separation of church and state, and even less separation between the author's personal political views and her story. This book is engaging, initially (until the last 1/3) well written, and explores some controversial subjects. It is not for the sensitive, faint of heart, or easily offended. Or even not easily offended, there were many parts i had to skip/skim. To me, it felt like 2 separate novels, with...more The protagonist awakes dyed red for her crime...abortion. In this dystopian tale there is no separation of church and state, and even less separation between the author's personal political views and her story. This book is engaging, initially (until the last 1/3) well written, and explores some controversial subjects. It is not for the sensitive, faint of heart, or easily offended. Or even not easily offended, there were many parts i had to skip/skim. To me, it felt like 2 separate novels, with the first one being just disturbing enough to be thought provoking and the second veering into the ridiculous and poorly concealed propaganda. I can't really recommend this book because I didn't like the way that religion and abortion are portrayed. There are very few "gray" people in this novel, everyone seems to be on one side of the spectrum or the other. Those who have a firm faith and strong moral convictions (specifically evangelicals, mormons, and catholics) are frequently portrayed in an unflattering way. The author placed every religious (and conservative) person on the extreme zealous end of the spectrum, which showed little understanding or respect, in my opinion. Then there is the very obvious and overwhelming pro choice tone of the book. I took it for what it was, an opinion different from my own. It was interesting to see another perspective, but this may bother some readers.

To the authors credit, she did me take a long hard look at the way we as a society treat one another, especially people who have committed crimes and force me to think deeply about my own convictions. The book was also a page turner, I finished it in one sitting. Her dystopian world was a little too familiar and felt almost too real. While I do not in any way agree with her opinions or obvious agenda, I did like the warnings of mixing church and state...I just think that warning goes both ways.

The last third of the novel was ridiculous and included elements I had to skip over. Very offensive and not true at all to the novel's protagonist.

In conclusion, an interesting novel that I will never read again. Made me think. Made me want to write a long review. Made me want to warn my friends that this is one you should approach with extreme caution if at all.(less)

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Nov 16, 2011 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 23, 2011 switterbug (Betsey) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hannah Payne is twenty-six years old and Red, with a capital R, her badge of shame. Her skin has been “melachromed” by the State for her crime of abortion, and for not naming the abortionist and not identifying the father, the celebrated pastor and TV (“vid”) evangelist, Aidan Dale, who is now the nation's "Secretary of Faith." Her sentence is thirty days confinement, and then sixteen years in the community as a Red, where she will be constantly ostracized and persecuted.

Other criminals of the s...more Hannah Payne is twenty-six years old and Red, with a capital R, her badge of shame. Her skin has been “melachromed” by the State for her crime of abortion, and for not naming the abortionist and not identifying the father, the celebrated pastor and TV (“vid”) evangelist, Aidan Dale, who is now the nation's "Secretary of Faith." Her sentence is thirty days confinement, and then sixteen years in the community as a Red, where she will be constantly ostracized and persecuted.

Other criminals of the same or different color (depending on the crime) are wandering through the prison of life, beyond the walls of crowded cells (this is the State’s answer for overcrowding), and many don’t survive--the Blue child molesters have especially low survival rates. Hannah is deeply in love with the married Aiden, and refuses to upbraid him or the doctor who was kind and tender to her. She is also a product of her religious upbringing, and when she wakes up Red, she believes that she deserves this punishment.

Many dystopian novels are noir and bleak—you can just hear Mahler’s symphonies in your imagination—the lost world of childhood, the yearning of fulfillment, life’s despair and discord. Therefore, Jordan’s more insistent, high-strung tone in reimagining a liberal interpretation of THE SCARLET LETTER, Hawthorne’s gothic melodrama, was unexpected. Her exuberance is like a lit match that never goes out. It has a pumping action, much like Dennis Lehane’s in his Kenzie and Gennaro series.

It also conforms to the margins of conventional genre more than the open-endedness of literature; Hannah is portrayed as a solid, misunderstood hero, and the demarcation of villain/hero-martyr is obvious and continuous with the secondary characters as well, except for a surprising and complex French radical named Simone, the most intriguing character in this tale. Much of the time, Hannah is on the lam with her newfound Red friend, Kayla, and heartily braves and overcomes dangerous hurdles at a page-turning glee.

In this near-future world, Roe v Wade has been overturned, and most of the fifty states have outlawed abortion. The government métier is fundamental New Testament, and is ruthless and unforgiving in its Kingdom-minded law. From reading this book, it appears that abortion is the primary preoccupation of the militant State, and that Aidan Dale is the only celebrity on the vid. Much of the novel takes place in the North Dallas area, where Jordan partly grew up. She knows the ingrained and forceful pieties of the area (the actual geographical area of Roe v Wade), and seems to draw on them. She started this book even before MUDBOUND, and it is left to wonder if she was shaking loose some demons from the Texas Red Oaks.

This is a commercial novel, unlike MUDBOUND, with a knowing arc and slender, reductive characters. She has a gift for thrumming action, even if it tends toward didacticism and a tidy outcome. This isn’t a novel that provokes thinking, as Jordan does much of the thinking for the reader, but it does provide action and visceral thrills and some poetic lyricism amidst the many indictments against religious zealots.

There is an exquisitely transcendent scene about two-thirds through, where a quietness and stillness pervades for a few pages, and Hannah reaches a key turning point in her life, and expresses it in a way that I hope others won’t fail to appreciate. It may seem lurid at face value, or even gratuitous, but it is anything but—rather, it is sublime in its implication. This was the high point of refinement in this not typically nuanced novel.

Twists and turns are relentless and exciting, although it is obvious, in this world of morally challenged monkeys running the State, who will finally prevail. Ambiguity is not a paramount trait in this heavy-handed story with potboiler themes. It is comfort food—like popcorn with a little too much butter, and addictive. The author will keep you fastened till the end, because Jordan’s thrall with her characters and exultance with her story is contagious and highly spirited.
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Sep 26, 2011 Donna The Happy Booker rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of dystopian, fans of The Scarlet Letter or The Handmaids Tale

Shelves: dystopian-or-post-apocalyptic, favorites, read-in-2011

When She Woke is a dystopian themed adult fiction inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. And like Hawthorne's book, the main character, Hannah Payne, is publicly condemned and ostracized for her perceived crime and forced to wear scarlet as a badge of shame, yet refuses to name the man responsible for her pregnancy. When She Woke also explores similar themes of religion, adultery, and criminality as did The Scarlet Letter.

After being convicted of murdering her unborn child, Hanna...more When She Woke is a dystopian themed adult fiction inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. And like Hawthorne's book, the main character, Hannah Payne, is publicly condemned and ostracized for her perceived crime and forced to wear scarlet as a badge of shame, yet refuses to name the man responsible for her pregnancy. When She Woke also explores similar themes of religion, adultery, and criminality as did The Scarlet Letter.

After being convicted of murdering her unborn child, Hannah goes through a process called melachroming which entails a convicted criminal having their skin color altered to announce the type of crime they committed. She wakes to find herself in a solitary room with only a shower, sleeping platform, and a camera in the wall that will, for her first thirty days as a “Chrome,” monitor and broadcast her every move to the entire world.

The dystopian society was one of extreme religious conservatism. The one aspect of this society that almost didn't fit for me was that in such an extremely Puritanical society, would they really rely so heavily on technology? Other than that, imagining a society built on the tenets of such extreme fundamentalistic Christian beliefs was downright frightening. Hannah was forced to contend with her guilt over making choices that not only went against every principal she had been taught to believe in her strict evangelical upbringing, but also put her in the untenable position of losing her friends, family, reputation, and possibly her own life. She struggled to reconcile her actions with her religious beliefs and wondered if she would ever feel a connection to God again.

I found When She Woke to be extremely thought provoking. The idea of melachroming intrigued me. There is some part of me that is not fully convinced that this is such a bad idea as it would effectively punish the criminal through public humiliation yet save the state the expense of housing all but the most violent offenders. In the book, there was a lower life expectancy for some crimes or “colors” such as Red (murderers) and Greens (Child Molesters) while those convicted of less serious crimes (Yellows) were less feared and hated but still ostracized. Right or wrong, it was certainly a fascinating concept to consider.

With all of the heavy and thought provoking themes in When She Woke, it still managed to be an exciting and engaging read. I devoured this book in just one day, unable to put it down. I knew before the first hundred pages that I wouldn't be getting any sleep that night until I finished it. It sinks its hooks in early and never lets go as it takes you on an action packed and emotionally stirring journey. When She Woke takes a fairly clear stance on the topic of abortion, however, I don't believe it was presented in such a biased way that those who differ in their beliefs would be unable to enjoy it. When She Woke tackles some pretty controversial and socially relevant subject matter from a passionately feminist perspective and this may be off-putting for some readers but I found it to be an inspiring story about the struggle from oppression to empowerment. This will definitely be shelved with my all time favorites. I would recommend this to fans of dystopian themed fiction, those who enjoyed the Handmaids Tale or The Scarlet Letter, and those who enjoy fiction that focuses on socially relevant issues.
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Oct 21, 2011 Cortney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia-is-not-for-me, 2011-favorites, disturbing, issues-religion, what-would-you-do, tragic-love-story, issues-choice, cover-love

This is one powerful novel.

Hannah Payne made a choice. That choice turns her world upside down.

This book touches on the issues of race, politics, religion, choice, and love. A very good read.

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 20, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian

A real life scarlet letter, Hannah Payne has been tried and convicted for the crime of having an abortion. She is sentenced to 'melachroming' where her skin, by injection of a virus, is dyed fire engine red for a period of 16 years (her sentence extended because she would identify neither the abortionist nor the father of the baby). After serving 30 days in a facility where the cameras in her cell broadcast her movements 24/7, she is sent out into the world with the clothes she came in with and...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Chance Maree rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Chance by: Goodreads Giveaway

Shelves: first-reads, dystopian

This is an important book for the political and spiritual questions it effectively addresses. I was intrigued by the very first page and found it difficult to put the book down at night. The characters, plot and writing were all well done. There is logic in the premise, and the outcome is easily imagined as possible. Certainly the repression of thought is contemporary and troubling.

Although I had quibbles at the end where I found myself skimming travel log type descriptions which added nothing...more

10 likes · like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Kelli rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, page-turner, recommended, autumnal-wintry-reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
This book started with a bang and ended by jumping the shark. Although I really did like the first two-thirds...the way the book ended was such a stinker that, I have to say, I ended up hating the whole thing!

Jordan's opening line, "When she woke, she was red. Not flushed, not sunburned, but the solid, declarative red of a stop sign," grabs a person for sure. She took me by the hand, and I willingly followed, into a Theocratic, futuristic-by-forty-years America. In this Brave New World, jail sp...more
This book started with a bang and ended by jumping the shark. Although I really did like the first two-thirds...the way the book ended was such a stinker that, I have to say, I ended up hating the whole thing!

Jordan's opening line, "When she woke, she was red. Not flushed, not sunburned, but the solid, declarative red of a stop sign," grabs a person for sure. She took me by the hand, and I willingly followed, into a Theocratic, futuristic-by-forty-years America. In this Brave New World, jail space is limited due to failing economies so criminals are branded and impregnated with tracking devices, humiliated on national television, and released into society to fend for themselves.

The basic plot, then, is following the main character, Hannah, through this government-determined chain of events. The interactions with her father and sister upon release from the 30-day reality TV imprisonment are poignant, but her time with them is short-lived. Her only escape (besides living in the ghettos for the red-marked) is a stay in a supercalifragically-creepy (yet upscale) convent that has a years-long wait list (how'd she get here again?) where she meets a similarly pigmented best friend. Great illustration of female friendship, great dialogue, great building of suspense and examples of civil disobedience.

Once she leaves the convent, the race through an underground railroad of sorts is breathtakingly edgy, full of twists and turns. However, in the last 75 pages or so, the book devolves in to a resolution of, "I must break from the chains of my religious upbringing by partaking in a lesbian experience, and then dismissing all of the aforementioned conditions of my escape by going to see my ex-boyfriend." Ay yai yai. What really got me in all of this is how Hannah doesn't even have to try when convincing Simone to "let her have the van," and "by-pass all of the next stops along the escape route," Simone's response? "Oh, sure, honey. Why not? (You were an exceptionally good lay?)" What did this horrific plot twist accomplish? Nothing, save for laying waste to all of Jordan's careful descriptions in prior chapters regarding the group's detailed, futuristic, security measures for bringing chromes to freedom.

In the end, it seems as though Jordan herself gives up on the book too. Does anyone else remember the terrible line written for Hannah when she meets Reverend Easter (in the church just down the block from Aiden's cabin)? It goes something like this:
R.E. ...How can such beauty possibly exist without God? And how can we see it and know it's beautiful and be moved by it, without God?
H.P. ...Maybe it's inexplicable, or beyond explanation.

I rest my case. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 22, 2013 Jenny Watson rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book is lazy. The most prominent blurb on the back of the book offers this insight "Hillary Jordan channels Nathaniel Hawthorne by way of Margaret Atwood […]." Jordan manages to directly lift the major plot points of The Scarlet Letter and The Handmaid's Tale without doing any intellectual heavy lifting. Reflection on the issues raised is mostly replaced with yet another attempted rape. I'm surprised this isn't shelved in young adult based on the reading level.

Melachroming had great potenti...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, dystopia, fiction, united-states

A word of caution: It would be almost impossible for me to discuss this book without giving some things away, but I will bury them further down and I'll give fair warning.

There were many things I liked about this book and a few things I didn't. Yes, it is a modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter with a hefty dose the The Handmaid's Tale thrown in for good measure. But then there are very few new plots. Jordan certainly embraces it has her premise, naming her main characters Hannah Payne and Rev...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 01, 2013 Marti rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: time-limit-library, zzz-books-2011, can-t-let-go, fantasy-and-or-future, thriller, reread

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan is a powerful dystopian novel. I am not sure how to begin to explain this book. I gave it four stars and then changed it to five stars. It was amazing book. The shear heart wrenching story with all the emotions was worth all the stars. Yet again I feel the need of prophesying - everyone sees and holds God differently in their heart and soul. If you can not accept that - don't read this book. This book reminds me of both The Scarlett Letter and The Handmaiden's Tal...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Kate LaClair rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's been a while since I've read a page-turner, and the fact that I read this book in basically a day and a half speaks volumes for the premise of the book and the strength of some of the concepts and character development.

The concept of the novel, based on The Scarlet Letter, is that Hannah is turned red as a sign of her crime, abortion, in a not so distant, ultra-right wing America. It's a great concept, and it raises really interesting questions about current political and moral issues, no...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 09, 2012 jb. Onze rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Scarlet Letter was one of the first literary novels I remember reading, of course in American Literature class. While Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic tale of a woman scorned and ostracized takes place in the past (even at his writing), Hillary Jordan imagines a similar scenario taking place in the near future. Where Hester Prynne was sentenced to wear a scarlet letter "A" as punishment for audultery, Hannah Payne is sentenced to be colored scarlet - yes, her entire body - for having an abortio...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 18, 2013 Katy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everybody

Recommended to Katy by: Amazon.com Vine

Shelves: vine-book, galley-for-review

Original can be seen on Amazon by clicking here.

Please note: I read and reviewed this in February 2012 from a copy received from the Amazon Vine program, but didn't post the review here. I'm copying it over.

My Synopsis: Hannah Payne committed the unforgivable sin; she aborted her pregnancy. After the Scourge - the STD that turned so many women sterile - Sanctity of Life laws were passed in the majority of the states making abortion not only illegal, but a felony. Then the melachroming laws were...more Original can be seen on Amazon by clicking here.

Please note: I read and reviewed this in February 2012 from a copy received from the Amazon Vine program, but didn't post the review here. I'm copying it over.

My Synopsis: Hannah Payne committed the unforgivable sin; she aborted her pregnancy. After the Scourge - the STD that turned so many women sterile - Sanctity of Life laws were passed in the majority of the states making abortion not only illegal, but a felony. Then the melachroming laws were passed, and those who had murdered someone - including their unborn children - were turned red. Because Hannah refused to name the person who performed her abortion, nor the father of the child, extra time was added to her sentence. To make matters worse, there is a group named The Fist that took it upon themselves to kill women like her, and she has been targeted. Will she be able to escape? Will she be able to be free?

My Thoughts: I was impressed with this book on many levels. Obviously I felt the overall message - about a person's right to choose, and about the dangers of rampant fundamentalism - were worthwhile. But at the same time, the book not only does not bash faith and Christianity, it is actually sympathetic to them. Aidan Dale is a truly Christian man, humble and caring, but also human and fallible. At one point Hannah is succored by an Episcopal priest, an earthy woman who is nonetheless another truly good person. Throughout the book, Hannah faces the fact that her former faith was a weak and wavering thing, one that could not stand against her questioning nature because it was based upon what other people felt was best and right, not upon what she, herself, felt was right in her own heart. When she found her own faith, it is a strong and sturdy thing, because it acknowledges the need for questioning and personal revelation.

The characters in this book are strong and well-developed, unique and interesting. While there are a lot of strings left, the story was enthralling - I've had a difficult weekend finding a good book, spending two days on two different books, neither of which I could finish, before starting this one a scant 8 hours ago and finishing it with only a couple short breaks to fix myself tea. Highly recommended for ANYONE and EVERYONE - you MUST read this book!(less)

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About Hillary Jordan

Hillary Jordan grew up in Texas and Oklahoma. She received her BA in English and Political Science from Wellesley College and spent fifteen years working as an advertising copywriter before starting to write fiction. She got her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University.

Hillary is the author of two novels, both from Algonquin Books: MUDBOUND, published in 2008, and WHEN SHE WOKE, forthcomi...more

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Quotes from When She Woke

“You don't have to stop thinking and asking questions to believe in God, child. If He'd wanted a flock of eight billion sheep, He wouldn't have given us opposable thumbs, much less free will.” — 17 people liked it

“If God is the Creator, if God englobes every single thing in the universe, then God is everything, and everything is God. God is the earth and the sky, and the tree planted in the earth under the sky, and the bird in the tree, and the worm in the beak of the bird, and the dirt in the stomach of the worm. God is He and She, straight and gay, black and white and red - yes even that...and green and blue and all the rest. And so, to despise me for loving women or you for being a Red who made love with a woman, would be to despise not only His own creations but also to hate Himself. My God is not so stupid as that.” — 12 people liked it

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