Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★☆ (4.3/5)
Genre: Fiction / Speculative Fiction / Literary Fiction / Mythology / Feminism

Book Review:
Doris Lessing's ''The Cleft'' is a fascinating and audacious work from a writer who, even in her later years, never stopped experimenting and challenging her readers. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2007, Lessing uses this novel to construct an elaborate and thought-provoking myth about the very origins of humanity.

The premise is simple but profound: imagine a world that began with only women. The Clefts, as they are called, live in a harmonious, self-sufficient community, reproducing parthenogenetically. Into this peaceful world, a mutation occurs: the birth of a male child. These ''Squirts'' are so alien, so different, that they are cast out and left to fend for themselves. The novel traces the parallel development of these two groups and their eventual, often violent and confusing, encounter.

This is not a work of historical fiction but of speculative mythology. Lessing uses this ancient-seeming tale to explore the deepest questions about gender, power, and human nature. Are men and women fundamentally different? What is the origin of conflict between the sexes? How do we form our identities in relation to the other? The novel doesn't offer easy answers but instead invites the reader into a rich and complex meditation on these themes.

Lessing's prose is, as always, clear, powerful, and evocative. She has a remarkable ability to create a world that feels both ancient and strangely contemporary. The critics' praise on the cover is apt: she truly is ''up there in the pantheon with Balzac and George Eliot.'' Her ''portraits of human relationships are of quite staggering beauty.''

''The Cleft'' may not be the best-known of Lessing's works, but it is a perfect example of her restless intelligence and her commitment to exploring the big questions. It is a must-read for fans of her work and for anyone interested in literary fiction that dares to imagine the world anew. Highly recommended.