The Carhullan Army (Cover image via Faber and Faber)
18. The Carhullan Army
Maybe you would prefer your science fiction to be a little more down-to-earth, to deal more in “regular” humans and not the kind of genetics-defying, spacefaring sort. There’s no shame in that whatsoever. In fact, being bound to the Earth can present some interesting quandaries and, as it turns out, fascinating questions about gender and LGBTQIA+ people at the same time.
Sarah Hall’s The Carhullan Army is set at some undefined point in the future, where disaster has struck Britain. Stocks have plummeted, terrorists threaten citizens, epidemic disease ravages many and the rivers have overflowed their banks. These crises, along with a series of unending conflicts overseas, have paved the way for an authoritarian government to take over.
The people of this land are in dire straits. They live in grim housing, while women are forced to take long-term birth control measures. At least the Valium-like drugs supplied by the government are still plentiful.
The unnamed protagonist works in a factory, manufacturing useless objects. She eventually decides to run away to a fabled community in the mountains, Carhullan. It’s said to be populated by a group of strong-willed women who have resisted the government.
When the narrator finally reaches Carhullan, however, she’s in for a bleak surprise. The women there are distrustful, even dangerous, and first, greet her by locking her in a tank known as the “Dog Box”. She’s eventually released, however, and falls in love with another woman before joining the community’s commando team.
The Carhullan Army is hardly a cheerful novel. Neither does it present its queer characters in a glowing, saintly light. But, to have a deep and broad cast of queer science fiction characters means that there must be deeply flawed ones, too.