Has anyone read either of these books? Last year I read Into the Forest (after seeing the movie adaptation of the same name) and loved it. The film features Ellen Page and is absolutely worth watching as well - it's remarkably true to both the narrative and the vibes of the book, I thought, which is about two sisters who live in the mountains and what they do to survive when the power goes out and civilization is rocked by changes.

Windfalls features a lot of the same themes - female relationships, motherhood, the end of the world as you know it, an obsession with art, the natural world - but might be even better. It's about two different women, theirs journeys and individuals and as mothers, and how they find each other. My enduring thought is that this book portrays female pain incredibly well, in a respectful and honest way that is cutting and beautiful. I read it all in one day, in just a couple sittings, and fell into it more deeply than I have into any book in a while.

There's social commentary in both, largely about civilization, consumerism, capitalism, female alienation from ourselves, sisterhood, independence, et cetera. They may not be overtly feminist, but I think they are in the way that comes from truly seeing and describing women's lives. I plan to reread both soon.