Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug, I was super excited to read this world ran by women but once I dived in, all I wanted to do was get the hell out. I knew from the beginning this book was translated from Danish and as those are some of my favorite reads I couldn’t wait the world of women seems like a world worse than one ran by “the patriarchy“ the book is mainly focused on Madea who lives in a rundown convent although she is a witch she lives there with silence, another woman named Elder, a little boy in a menagerie of snakes and a couple of dogs. Madea is secretly involved with a priest named Wicka and for those who want to be with men there’s brothel type houses where men are, but they also have transgender women with prosthetic you know whats. in the book it seems like having your flow is more a religious occurrence as opposed to a bodily function Madea even makes period cookies and for the life of me despite reading the whole book I have no idea why she does this. They save their menstrual cycles in a cup for her the snakes are also used in a religious scenario they’re just a lot happening in the book and I would love to tell you a good summary but I would be lying because for the most part I have no idea what was happening. I know by the end her python Pithia is very ill and can only be OK if she has the blood of a man but the point and or overall theme of the book escapes me. A lot of things in this book are ridiculous from the fact they don’t want anything made by a man and they seem worse than men because they keep the males as sex slaves. I wanted so much to love this book and although I continued reading I can honestly say there was a lot of stuff I either didn’t understand or it was outright confusing. I feel so bad when I don’t like a book because I know authors spend a lot of time writing it and they’re so proud of it and I’m sure if I could read this in its original language maybe that would make it better or more digestible but I cannot and so this is my opinion on the translated version. #NetGalley,#TheBlindReviewer, #MyReview,#MarenUthaug, #ElevenPercent,

Eleven Percent flips the Handmaid's Tale script and imagines a world where women are the majority, and only 11 percent of the population is male (the very bare minimum they have to keep to stay genetically healthy). Maren Uthaug deftly maneuvers the pros and cons of anyone having all power - even women.

In the New Time, men are locked in "spas" and women rule the mostly round communities. Some women take issue with the treatment of the men, and others feel the system is working the best it can. Following four different women, Eleven Percent examines the many angles of religion, the patriarchy and socially enforced gender roles in the midst of a truly entertaining sci-fi plot.

DNF @8%

To start, I loved the little blip of the creation story and wish it would have been expanded because it was really short and quick. After that, everything goes downhill for me. We start the story with menstrual blood baked into cakes and feeding stillborn puppies to snakes in the first couple of pages. Writing wise, there were abrupt ends to scenes and I just felt eternally confused about everything. I know I didn't give it much time to even out but I was confused enough that I couldn't get into the story at all or understand what was happening. I don't think I'll pick this book up again.

Review goes live May 5

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC!

This book made me really sad. I do realize that dystopian fiction is not likely to be bright and happy, but I think I went into this book with some misconceptions. I think I saw the phrase 'inverse Handmaid's Tale,' and glossed over the rest.
Some of the lore that set up this "feminist haven" was really interesting - the roots of Christianity are brought back, while the history of how religion became so patriarchal in the first place was really interesting. The obsession with snakes was weird at first, but even that made sense in the end.
And if the sign of a good book is one you can't stop thinking about, then this one definitely hit the mark. I didn't always love the language of the book, but the author (and translator) did an amazing job of creating a world unlike our own. But also weird similar? It's definitely a thought-provoking book, but please know that some trigger warnings do apply, and I wish I had known about them. These include (but aren't limited to): child abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and transphobia. While none of these (except the last one) are discussed in great detail, the last section is going to be the hardest to read, especially if you've experienced (or know someone who has) any kind of gender dysphoria. I cried basically the entire way through the last section, and I'm cisgender.
I did enjoy the way the author unraveled the story, even when I didn't like elements of the story.
If dystopia is your jam or if you like thought-provoking books, I think you'll like this, even if it wasn't for me, and I probably wouldn't read it again.

The concept of this one sounded great. However, the info dumping and menstrual blood cakes quickly lost me from the start. I set it down and couldn't bring myself to pick it up again.

Reading this book, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a poem I was made to read in university, The Lady’s Dressing Room by Jonathan Swift. The poem itself was first published in 1732, and seeks (through comedy) to convey the ridiculousness of inherent feminine “goodness” or innocence by pointing out that women can be just as disgusting as men. Eleven Percent is basically the same premise, just with a dystopian twist.
Personally, while I admired the message behind this book; that without regard to intersectional bias women are not any more equipped to run the world than men are—the way in which that message was conveyed just made this book feel like a chauvenist’s fevered nightmare. Basically, the world building is thus, women have taken over but their unified front is very much restricted to the same sort of racial, economical, and theological power dynamics that plague our patriarchal society. As a result, nothing has really changed except a newfound push to destroy and break down everything to do with the “old ways” (i.e. anything associated with men), even if it means having to rebuild it at a deficit.
I suppose, if you aren’t super familiar with intersectional feminism as a theory, this narrative would be a lot more groundbreaking. However, for me, it was just a little too surface level. As a modern feminist I already understand that radicalized white-centric feminism isn’t the answer to solving all the world’s problems, and that power will corrupt anyone, regardless of gender. As a result Eleven Percent comes off as a little preachy with how blunt it is.

This story felt wholly original but at the same time believable (not unlike reading 'The Handmaid's Tale' or 'Manhunt'). In this dystopia future, men are essentially held in captivity because of scientific advances believed regarding their testosterone -- and women largely populate and dominate the world.

The four main characters (and a minor character, Lars) weaved together quite seamlessly in a way that sometimes felt predictable but ultimately served the main story so well. Each character felt wholly shaped with light and dark, making them feel intensely real and human. The story flew by quickly and I found myself wanting to know more about where all of these characters ended up.

Ultimately, I liked this much more than I was initially expecting during the first few pages -- this is the epitome of a slow start, strong finish for me. Highly recommend if you enjoy female-dominated dystopia stories.

I decided to DNF this book at 20%. While the writing was good and the book was easy to follow, unfortunately this book just couldn't capture me. While the premise is great, the world of priestesses with their snakes wasn't interesting to me at all. I found myself dreading picking up this book to read and ultimately decided it was best I moved on. I appreciate the opportunity to read this one! I will rate this at a 3 so my personal preference doesn't skew the book down.

The beginning of this book is very info dumpy and I’m really not enjoying it. The concept of this book seemed really cool but I can’t get past the first chapter.

I'm still not sure if this book is utopian or distopian. It was somehow both beautiful and horrifying. I think it will appeal to readers of literary fiction and women's fiction. I'll definitely be recommending it to my customers!

This was... difficult to rate, honestly. Ultimately, I rated it due to a combination of factors:

First off, the writing was gorgeous. The prose, even translated, was incredible and it was easy to see this world in my mind's eye. Each character was unique and well developed with their own unique voice. The story was interesting, fairly unique, and overall just fascinating.

But beyond that, it was (as it should be) disturbing and very deep. I had to read something lighter with it just so I didn't exhaust myself emotionally. It was hard to read. I can also see the possibility of some things triggering people in some capacity or another.

Overall it was well written and the translation is rather timely. I'm glad I read it, but I'll also be glad to read something a bit lighter for a bit.

This was really really weird, and really disturbing at times. I'm not entirely sure what I just read. The premise is interesting and the world building is fantastic. Just a truly bizarre book to make you think.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I have this one my best shot, but I could barely get through it. The plot was so slow, and just so boring I really had to force myself to keep picking it back up. I did not understand the world-building either.

I don’t know if maybe there was something lost in translation (originally published in Dutch), but I did not like the writing style either.

Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug

"An inverse The Handmaid’s Tale that asks: What if women took over the world?"

Summary: It is the New Time, a time not so different from our own except that the men are gone. All but eleven percent of them, that is, the minimum required to avoid inbreeding. But they are safely under lock and key in “spa” centers for women’s pleasure and procreation, few women protest that the males should be treated better. Priestesses speak in tongues, inspired by snake venom, but all social engineering has its costs...

Four different lives intersect: Each will discover the cracks in this women's paradise.

Review: Sadly this book missed the mark. I really tried and kept reading but it was just uncomfortable and couldn't finish. Read some transphobic and fat phobic language. Again sadly, not worth it.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book, an "inverse Handmaid's Tale" and was interested to read this dystopian thriller. Eleven Percent is Danish author Maren Uthaug's first novel to appear in English, so it is my first time reading her work. It is definitely a very provocative book that will make you think. If you like dystopian, feministic Sci-Fi, then this book will be right up your alley.

Eleven Percent follows the lives of 4 different women: Medea (a witch), Wicca (a young priestess), Eva (a doctor), and Silence (a nun). They each have their own flaws and secrets and are not exactly who they seem. The men in this story are all but non-existent. Only 11% of the male population remains and they are "kept" in captivity under lock and key by the women for pleasure and procreation. There are a few women that see the cracks in the system and think the males should be treated better. But still, none of them want them to be free.

There are definitely some shocking parts that will stick with you, and to some it may be a very controversial read. But I found it to be a very interesting take on society, and it kept my interest throughout. I would definitely recommend this book as a book club read; it is such a poignant, fascinating, and thought-provoking novel, there is a lot to dissect and talk about. It was a refreshing change from the genre and types of book s I usually read, and I enjoyed it! It's not like anything I've read before!

This book is not my usual style, and I realized that after requesting an arc. It wouldn't be fair to rate it highly here because it was just not what I like to read. I won't put a low rating anywhere else so that I don't impact the author's negative reviews on the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Eleven Percent.

The premise is SOO intriguing I was eager to read this when my request was approved.

Sadly, this missed the mark for me and I wonder if it's because it's translated from the Dutch since there's so much lost in translation.

I also wasn't a fan of the writing style and tone, maybe due to the translations.

The narrative is slow and dull and I couldn't help wondering, "What's the story? What's the point?"

There's some world building yet not enough.

The writing is almost chaotic; on purpose or bad editing?

There's too much description about snakes and period blood, but little exposition on the new 'world order.'

Why so much discussion about snakes?

It takes a lot to make me squeamish but the frequent mentions of period blood grossed me out so much.

In a world where most of the men are wiped out, it seems gender and sexual prejudices still reign and I'm not sure why.

There were so many things I didn't understand, the religions, the priestesses, and it all went over my head.

Maybe I'm just not smart enough to understand what's happening because I really wanted to like this.

Rife with transphobia and heteronormative ideas of what is is to "be a woman," Uthaug misses a chance to truly reinvent the Handmaid Tale wheel. An interesting concept that fails its execution in a way that makes one wonder how deep internal misogyny can truly run. It does one thing well and that is that women are just as capable of evil as anyone. I get what Uthaug was trying to do, I just wish that even in this case women were not once again the root of all evil. Like most books I dislike on first rad, I will reread and see if I was wrong and for the unique tale that this novel has, I hope that I am.

**Features**
- Dystopia set in a world where women are in power and make up the majority of the population
- Feminist iconography with a biblical/religious bent
- Thought experiment and cautionary tale

**Synopsis:**

The old, patriarchal world is gone, slowly being reclaimed by nature as women rebuild. The few men that remain are kept safely locked away in “spas” to be used for procreation and pleasure. Yet the balance of the world remains a delicate thing as Medea already knows. What remains of her order is quickly crumbling away along with the old world building in which they live. While Medea fights to keep the convent afloat, her mute sister Silence is on a mission of her own. Meanwhile, a priestess named Wicca mourns the death of her pregnant lover and a doctor named Eva finds herself grappling with questions about the spa in which she works. All have their secrets, but will they lead society into a brighter future or its demise?

**Thoughts:**

This is one of those books that I will probably find more interesting to discuss than I did reading. As a thought experiment, this story leans more philosophical (and occasionally theological) than theoretical and presents some interesting ideas. The world and characters are composed with clear intention, but it is definitely a more extreme depiction of a world run by women. Despite the feminist iconography and matriarchal structure, this is also far from a complementary view. Personally, it was not my kind of weird and I felt alienated from this world for most of the book. That being said, I found the way Uthaug represents different ideas fascinating even though the story didn’t resonate with me as a whole.

This book has been described as the “inverse” of The Handmaid’s Tale and I would say this is only true in the overall concept. The Handmaid’s Tale, despite its extremes, feels very connected to our current reality whereas Eleven Percent feels more conceptual and post-apocalyptic. Even though we get a view of the “spas” through Eva’s perspective, the repression of men in this society is never explored in any meaningful way and isn’t really the focus of the story. This book is still worth a try if you are interested in exploring feminism in a different way, but it is a very different reading experience overall.

Thank you to Netgalley for this copy. I was super hyped for the premise but the way it presented was just not for me.