I received a copy of this book courtesy of the author.
“The Last Redhead” by L. J Mozdy is a science fiction novel set in an alternative world ruled by advertising campaigns and high-speed trains. After her mother dies giving birth to her, the Last Redhead, the only known redhead in the world for 20 years, lives her entire childhood in an orphanage. On her 18th birthday she’s kicked to the curb and picked up by the Spermicidal Maniac who informs her that they are going to have lots of redheaded babies and make lots of money. However, he’s not the only one who wants to find the Last Redhead and make some money off her, regardless of what she wants.
This is quite a surreal story, set in a strange world even more obsessed with beauty and advertising that our own. Mozdy is quite a creative writer with a similar writing style to Tom Robbins. He takes a particular interest in the grotesque minutiae of human existance. He weaves in social commentary, biology and pseudoscience to shed light on a society gone mad with the idea of red hair. This is quite a dense book though with a rather rambling story line, so it’s definitely more of a slow burn than a fast-paced book.
An interesting story with clear parallels to our own world, this book takes the myth of redheadedness going extinct to its most extreme.
Tinted Edges 