I liked this image of the future, which was postapocalyptic but not precisely dystopian. Following the collapse of civilization, survival is precarious and resources are limited; people must organize themselves into demonstrably productive households before they can earn a “banner,” which gives them license to bear a child. Any children born “bannerless” reflect their parents’ lack of community feeling and responsibility, a shame that carries into adulthood. Main character Enid’s job is to mediate conflict and investigate crimes; when she is called in to investigate a suspicious death, she is startled to discover that someone from her past might be involved. The pacing of this book was a little uneven, bouncing back and forth between Enid’s past and present; however, it did a good job communicating both the challenging climate and the sociopolitical structure of Enid’s world. I liked the contemplative tone but thought that for an investigator, Enid took way too long to figure things out that were already made obvious to the reader.
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