Born and raised in the northern state of Michigan, Marge Piercy is a writer and poet, a lot of whose work engages with political question and social dilemmas. Her novel Woman on the Edge of Time, published in 1976, is no exception to that rule.
Purporting to belong to the genre of science fiction, Woman on the Edge of Time is also a work that grapples with issues such as patriarchy, women's rights and a woman's place and power in society - locating it decidedly within the ambit of feminist fiction. Set in 1970s New York, the novel charts the personal journey of its protagonist, Consuelo or Connie, as she fights authority in an attempt to undo injustices done towards her and, in doing so, presents a powerful critique of the treatment of mental ill-health.
Aside from Connie's journey, the novel asks bigger questions, such as where society is going in the aftermath of the Swinging Sixties and the possibility of a utopian future, whilst also showing prescience to issues of identity and intersectionality, making it an important contribution to the female canon.
