Nomansland

Title: Nomansland

Author: Lesley Hauge

Rating: 2 stars

Summary: Sometime in the future, a lonely, windswept island is populated solely by women. Among these women is a group of teenaged Trackers—expert equestrians and archers—whose job is to protect their shores from the enemy. The enemy, they’ve been told, is men. When these girls come upon a partially buried home from the distant past, they are fascinated by the strange objects—high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, make-up—found there. What are they to make of these mysterious things? And what does it mean for their strict society where friendship is forbidden and rules must be obeyed—at all costs?

Review: I thought that Keller (the main character) was going to be a courageous warrior who fights for what is right. Instead, she is a fearful young girl who is trying to find her way as everything she's ever believed about her world comes tumbling down. She makes bad, impulsive decisions and gets caught up with the rule-breakers. The story takes place in the future after some disaster killed off the "Old People," but it doesn't seem like the future. They don't even have the technology we have now, and even if most people died in the disaster, some would have survived to pass their knowledge on to their kids. Despite this, the women have no clue as to anything from the "Time Before." Everything is a mystery to them. Also, I found it hard to believe the society. It didn't seem like it could ever exist, even if it did have a drugged-up psycho for a leader. I considered dropping this book about halfway through, but I persevered and finished it.  I probably would have been better off having left it half-read.