I tried to convince my trivia team that Lauren Groff’s Matrix was fantastic. I was like guys, it’s set in a medieval nunnery and follows the life of one nun as she brings the abbey from starvation-ruins to wealth and power all with feminist pomp and flair. And while some in the group agreed that while the lesbian love affairs that flourish at the abbey were, indeed, appealing, their overall enthusiasm for the plot was… weak.
Don’t let their bad choices be yours. The sense of time – and out of time-ness – of the novel, the ways love manifest among women (and not just the sexy kind), the consideration for when – and how – to obtain and maintain power, and of course the details of many, many hours of prayer, well it’s very good.
So if you want to start your 2023 reading year off with a bang… maybe don’t start with Matrix it is a little slow in parts (while still great!), but definitely put it in January. Because then you can brag to everyone you know that you’re familiar with how 13th century nuns made profits and power.
Literary Vice 