/lit/ - Literature

Adulthood Rites - Octavia E. Butler, Xenogenesis trilogy book 2, 1988

1st book write up
>>/lit/thread/S15127994#p15128061

The instructive suffering continues. Adulthood Rites follows the travails of a mixed species, called "construct", child of the protagonist of the first book. There's a 30 year time skip to establish the antagonists and allow the Oankali, the aliens from the first book, to mull. A significant portion of the book is from the perspective of a kidnapped toddler, in age though not of mind. As with the the first book, it's unclear when and how much the Oankali had already decided these would be the events that occur.
Thematically it moves from "Why are those who we've enslaved so hostile and resentful towards us?" to "Why are those we've systematically oppressed so hostile and resentful towards us?" This is a movement from the past to the present. This book felt relevant to current events.
Many other readers elsewhere continue to defend the Oankali and victim blame humanity. There are some parallels with defending the police while being either bewildered by the protesters or condemning them as savages, as that seems to how the Oankali view the human resisters.
Some others would thusly find it incumbent upon me to defend the regression of mankind back to stone age mentality as was decried by the protagonist in the first book. But, I don't. Terribly hurt people in awful circumstances tend to lash out at other terribly hurt people in awful circumstances, though that certainly doesn't absolve their actions, let alone those of opportunists.
Those humans who side with the Oankali still seethe at their oppressors despite their compliance, because it's the least worst choice in their minds.
My favorite part of the book was the scene of literally induced empathy and the resulting indignation and denial that ensued.
The constructs are certainly portrayed as being the best of both worlds and I don't find fault with the protagonist.
There's still body horror, but it's of a different sort.
Many seem to see the ending as vindication of the Oankali, but considering manumission as such is self-indictment to me.