Four Women, Four Clocks

In a small Oregon town, four women's lives intersect as the United States enacts the Personhood Amendment, which outlaws abortion and in vitro fertilization, and soon, single-parent adoption. The narrative follows the Biographer, a single teacher desperate to become a mother; the Mender, a reclusive healer with a shadowy past; the Daughter, a teenager facing an unwanted pregnancy; and the Wife, a mother of two struggling with her marriage and identity. Each woman's "clock"—her biological, emotional, or social timeline—ticks under the pressure of new, draconian laws, and the choices they make ripple through their community.

Laws of the Land

The Personhood Amendment grants rights to fertilized eggs, criminalizing abortion and IVF nationwide. The Every Child Needs Two law looms, soon to ban single-parent adoptions. These legal changes create a climate of fear, secrecy, and desperation, especially for women whose reproductive choices are now surveilled and policed. The laws are not just background—they are active forces, shaping every decision, relationship, and hope the women harbor.

The Biographer's Quest

Roberta "Ro" Stephens, the Biographer, is a high school history teacher and aspiring author of a book about a forgotten female polar explorer. At 42, she is single and determined to have a child, navigating failed inseminations, mounting debt, and the narrowing window of possibility. As the laws close in, her options dwindle: IVF is banned, adoption is about to be closed to singles, and her own body is failing her. Her quest is both literal—seeking a child—and metaphorical, as she searches for meaning and legacy in a world that devalues her autonomy.

The Mender's Remedies

Gin Percival, the Mender, lives on the edge of town, tending goats and chickens, and practicing folk medicine. She is rumored to be a witch, and her remedies—herbal teas, tinctures, and clandestine abortions—make her both a savior and a target. Gin's own history is marked by abandonment and loss, and she is haunted by the daughter she gave up for adoption years ago. Her work is an act of resistance, a way to care for women failed by the system, but it also puts her in grave danger as suspicion and fear mount.

The Daughter's Secret

Mattie Quarles, the Daughter, is a bright, adopted high schooler who discovers she is pregnant by her boyfriend, Ephraim. In a world where abortion is illegal and crossing into Canada for the procedure is a crime, Mattie is forced into secrecy and desperation. She considers all her options—self-induced abortion, term houses, adoption—but is paralyzed by fear of discovery, shame, and the unknown. Her journey is one of agency and survival, but also of longing for connection and understanding.

The Wife's Dilemma

Susan Korsmo, the Wife, is a stay-at-home mother married to Didier, a French teacher. She is overwhelmed by domesticity, haunted by the possibility of driving off a cliff, and tempted by the idea of an affair. Her marriage is fraying, and she is torn between the expectations of motherhood, the desire for independence, and the fear of breaking her family. Susan's story is a meditation on the costs of conformity and the hunger for selfhood.

The Sea and the Law

The Oregon coast, with its relentless sea and wild weather, is a constant presence. The sea is both a source of solace and a reminder of nature's indifference to human laws and suffering. The women's struggles are set against this backdrop, highlighting the tension between the uncontrollable forces of biology, desire, and the state's attempt to regulate them.

The Witch Hunt

As dead whales wash up on the beach and seaweed chokes the harbor, townspeople look for someone to blame. Gin, the Mender, becomes the scapegoat, accused of witchcraft, poisoning the water, and performing illegal abortions. The community's fear and need for control manifest in a modern-day witch hunt, culminating in Gin's arrest and trial for medical malpractice and conspiracy to commit murder.

The Pink Wall

The "Pink Wall" between the U.S. and Canada symbolizes the new barriers to reproductive freedom. Mattie's failed attempt to cross the border for an abortion underscores the futility and danger of seeking help elsewhere. The wall is both literal and figurative, representing the limits placed on women's bodies and choices.

The Search for Family

Each woman is searching for family—Ro for a child, Gin for the daughter she lost, Mattie for her birth mother, Susan for a sense of belonging. Their quests are shaped by the laws, by their own histories, and by the stories they tell themselves about what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a wife, or a witch. The search is as much about self-acceptance as it is about others.

The Trial of Gin

Gin's trial becomes a spectacle, exposing the town's fears and prejudices. Testimonies reveal domestic abuse, lies, and the desperation of women trapped by the law. The trial is not just about Gin's guilt or innocence, but about the right to help, to heal, and to say no. The outcome hinges on the courage of women to speak the truth, even when it means betraying their own secrets.

Choices and Consequences

Mattie ultimately chooses a clandestine abortion with the help of an underground collective, aided by Ro. Susan chooses to leave her marriage, embracing the uncertainty of independence. Gin is acquitted, but her life and reputation are forever changed. Each woman's choice is fraught with risk, but also with the possibility of self-determination.

The End of Waiting

Ro must accept that she will not become a mother, at least not in the way she hoped. The laws, her body, and time have closed that door. She grieves, rages, and finally begins to imagine a life beyond the binary of motherhood and childlessness. The end of waiting is both a loss and a liberation.

The Breaking of Pack

The town is changed by the events—friendships are tested, marriages end, and the old order is broken. Yet, new alliances form, and the women find strength in their own company. The "pack" is not just family, but the community of women who support, challenge, and sometimes save each other.

The Aftermath

In the aftermath, the women reckon with what they have lost and what they have gained. Gin returns to her cabin, changed but unbroken. Mattie moves forward, her secret safe but her innocence gone. Susan begins a new chapter, and Ro contemplates her next steps. The past lingers, but the future is unwritten.

The Persistence of Self

Each woman discovers that her selfhood persists beyond the roles assigned by law, family, or biology. They are more than mothers, daughters, wives, or witches—they are survivors, creators, and agents of their own stories. The persistence of self is the quiet triumph at the heart of the novel.

The Next Beginning

The story ends not with resolution, but with the possibility of new beginnings. The women's lives are still uncertain, but they have claimed the right to choose, to resist, and to hope. The next beginning is not guaranteed, but it is theirs to make.

Characters

Roberta "Ro" Stephens (The Biographer)

Ro is a single, 42-year-old history teacher and aspiring biographer of a forgotten female polar explorer. Her longing for motherhood is both a personal ache and a rebellion against a society that devalues single women. Ro is analytical, self-critical, and deeply empathetic, but also prone to envy and self-doubt. Her relationships—with her students, friends, and her own body—are marked by a search for meaning and legacy. As her options for motherhood close, she is forced to confront the limits of her control and the possibility of fulfillment beyond traditional roles.

Gin Percival (The Mender)

Gin is a reclusive herbalist and healer, living on the margins of society. She is rumored to be a witch, and her willingness to help women with unwanted pregnancies makes her both a savior and a target. Gin's past is marked by abandonment, trauma, and the loss of her own child to adoption. She is fiercely independent, deeply connected to nature, and skeptical of human institutions. Her psychological complexity lies in her simultaneous desire for connection and her need for solitude. Gin's trial exposes the community's fears and her own vulnerability, but she remains unbroken, embodying resistance and care.

Mattie Quarles (The Daughter)

Mattie is a bright, adopted teenager who faces an unwanted pregnancy in a world where abortion is illegal. Her journey is one of secrecy, fear, and desperate resourcefulness. Mattie is intelligent, sensitive, and deeply aware of the expectations placed on her as a daughter and a student. Her psychological struggle centers on her need for agency, her longing for her birth mother, and her fear of disappointing those she loves. Mattie's choices are shaped by the law, but also by her own emerging sense of self.

Susan Korsmo (The Wife)

Susan is a stay-at-home mother, married to Didier, and mother to Bex and John. She is overwhelmed by domestic life, haunted by fantasies of escape, and tempted by the idea of an affair. Susan's psychological journey is one of awakening—she moves from passive dissatisfaction to active decision, ultimately choosing to leave her marriage. Her struggle is emblematic of the costs of conformity and the hunger for autonomy. Susan's relationships—with her husband, children, and friends—are marked by both love and resentment, and her development is a testament to the possibility of change.

Didier Korsmo

Didier is Susan's husband, a French teacher, and father. He is loving but often oblivious, resistant to therapy, and clings to routines. Didier's relationship with Susan is strained by unspoken resentments and unmet needs. He represents the inertia of tradition and the difficulty of adapting to new realities. His psychological complexity lies in his simultaneous desire for stability and his fear of loss.

Lola Fivey

Lola is the principal's wife, a victim of domestic abuse, and a key figure in Gin's trial. Her testimony is shaped by fear, shame, and the need for self-preservation. Lola's eventual courage to tell the truth is a turning point in the narrative, exposing the hidden violence in the community and challenging the easy narratives of guilt and innocence.

Ash

Ash is Mattie's best friend, a source of support and practical advice. She is street-smart, skeptical, and fiercely loyal. Ash's role is to ground Mattie, offering both comfort and reality checks. Her presence highlights the importance of friendship and solidarity among women.

Penny

Penny is Ro's colleague and friend, an English teacher and aspiring romance novelist. She is content with her choices, childless by choice, and serves as a model of alternative fulfillment. Penny's warmth, humor, and acceptance provide a counterpoint to Ro's anxiety and longing.

Cotter

Cotter is Gin's only human friend, a postal worker who helps her with practical matters and offers quiet companionship. He is gentle, loyal, and unassuming, representing the possibility of kindness and connection even in a hostile world.

Principal Fivey

The school principal and Lola's husband, Fivey is a figure of authority and control. His public persona masks private violence, and his actions catalyze the witch hunt against Gin. Fivey embodies the dangers of unchecked power and the hypocrisy of those who enforce the law while breaking it.

Plot Devices

Interwoven Narratives

The novel is structured around the alternating perspectives of four women, each with her own voice, history, and struggle. This interweaving allows the reader to see the interconnectedness of their lives and the cumulative impact of the laws on individuals and community. The shifting viewpoints create a mosaic of experience, highlighting both commonalities and differences.

Dystopian Legal Framework

The Personhood Amendment and Every Child Needs Two are not just background—they are active plot devices that shape every character's choices and fate. The laws create urgency, fear, and desperation, driving the action and raising the stakes for every decision.

Foreshadowing and Symbolism

The relentless sea, the encroaching ice, and the recurring imagery of pack animals and witch hunts serve as metaphors for the forces—natural and man-made—that constrain and endanger the characters. The polar explorer's story, woven throughout, foreshadows the women's struggles and the costs of survival.

Trial as Climax

Gin's trial serves as the narrative climax, bringing private secrets into public view and forcing characters to confront their own complicity and courage. The trial is both a literal and symbolic reckoning, exposing the community's fears and the limits of justice.

Parallel Histories

The biographer's research into Eivør Mínervudottír, the polar explorer, parallels the contemporary women's struggles. The explorer's defiance, erasure, and ultimate fate echo the challenges faced by Ro, Gin, Mattie, and Susan. This device deepens the novel's exploration of legacy, erasure, and resistance.

Analysis

Red Clocks is a haunting, polyphonic meditation on autonomy, motherhood, and resistance in a world where the state claims dominion over women's bodies. By weaving together the stories of four women—each at a different crossroads—the novel exposes the intimate costs of public policy, the violence of conformity, and the quiet heroism of survival. Zumas's narrative structure, with its interwoven narratives and parallel histories, underscores the interconnectedness of personal and political, past and present. The book is not just a warning about the fragility of rights, but a celebration of the persistence of selfhood and the power of community. Its lessons are urgent: that freedom is never guaranteed, that solidarity is essential, and that the right to choose—one's path, one's family, one's story—is both precious and precarious. In the end, Red Clocks insists that even when the law seeks to define and confine, women will find ways to persist, resist, and begin again.

Last updated: May 15, 2025