This magnificent novel revolves around what must be the strangest love story ever told. In this future, a number of enclaves of Fields have been saved from nuclear Armageddon that has raveged Earth. These enclaves are the property of cadres of religious Sisters. There are no males allowed in the enclaves; in fact, there may be no more males left alive in Europa, the only viable continent left after the Fallout. In gripping stained-glass prose Quin describes the claustrophobic atmosphere of the cloister, the horrifying self-denial of this unnamed all-female religion, and the sado-masochistic nature of the central triangular relationship between three Sisters, one of whom can only find solace from constant heartbreak with a female coydog (wild co-mixture of coyotes and wild dogs, who seem like the only animals to survive the Fallout) and her littler. Despite (or perhap because of) the claustrophobic nature of the cloister the intensity of intimate emotions Quin lays out for us are exquisitely moving. In her genius, she also manages to include scenes both chaste and deeply erotic. This is a novel of big ideas, bigger questions, and prescient, thoughtful conclusions. The finale of the novel is both heart-rending and exalting. Quite a feat of legerdemain.

I enjoyed this as a post-apocalyptic element that worked in this type of book, it had that overall concept and world-building that I was looking for. The plot worked overall and was invested in getting into this world. The characters were so well written and thought they belonged in this world. Eilish Quin has a great way of writing this type of book and was glad it worked well in this genre.