The year of the flood

Margaret Atwood

via Bruno

2009, 9780747585169

Thought I'd enjoy this book as I have read other novels by MA and have liked them (Handsmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye, Wilderness Tips), however I found this a bit of a damp squib.
It's set in the future, post 'waterless flood', when most of human life has died from a deadly airborne virus. It describes the life of a religious group, God's Gardeners, as they try to eke out a new existence. This sect and various members also appeared in Oryx & the Crake. Chapters focus on individuals in turn, particularly Toby & Ren, going back and forth in time, fleshing out their life stories. It was heavy going really and the scenarios of life after the human caused eco-apocalypse weren't very interesting or different to what has already been put forward (animal hybrids, unnatural foods, genetic engineering, CorpSeCorps policing system, trading based economic systems) and weren't strong enough to carry the plot either.
There were some nice chuckles to be had now and again at some of the parody, but was a little unsure whether they were always meant to be funny, particularly the Gardeners' hymns. Zucchini and radish slice anyone?