Slow River

A layered mystery with strong female characters (well, nearly all the characters are women). The intense history and emotions can stick with you when not reading - and this book demands reading. Won a Nebula and Lambda award, and is a sci-fi Masterwork. Recommended.

Layers seem to be as much structure as theme, and keep recurring in various forms. The story is told from three perspectives, different times within one woman's life. Each is also a coming-of-age story. Relationships (created, broken, reformed) are also a strong aspect of the plot, though I certainly wouldn't tag it as romance. All the characters are well written, with their own motivations and strength.

The SF aspect is the near future setting, with some bioengineered bugs and small advances in tech - "slates" as personal computers and chips replacing wallets and cash. Forward thinking but not unreasonable when written before 1995. This was Griffith's second novel, and the first I have read from her - though I've looked at Hild more than once. I have challenged myself to read more female authors this year, and will definitely seek more from this author in days to come.