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A poetic science fiction masterpiece about technology, social class, and the future of work, featuring a female veteran protagonist
A poetic science fiction masterpiece about technology, social class, and the future of work, featuring a female veteran protagonist
Woman Outside the City
Woman Outside the City
by Abena Ntoso
by Abena Ntoso
Prepare yourself for an unconventional approach to a provocative novel with a poetic vision.
In the post-monetary world people are coded as "valid" or "invalid"—no citizenship, homeless, no access to goods or services. One day, a glitch in the global information system suddenly switches everyone’s coding, and people instantly lose or gain everything. Beginning with veteran Sequoia, whose switch from valid to invalid thrusts her into poverty and homelessness, three women struggle with this massive shift in their lives, challenging systemic assumptions about class, age, gender, and migration along the way.
A 21st century story revealed in the poetry of women determined to make themselves at home—at home in the body, in the city, in the universe, in a rapidly changing world. The future is now—young and old, rich and poor, male and female, and everything in between—all must question themselves to reimagine life and work and reclaim their humanity.
"This innovative novel takes us to the edge of what it means to be human. Ntoso challenges us to grapple with the truth about the world we inhabit. In Ntoso, we find a writer that has the courage to pull the curtain away and show us the harsh realities of what it means to be unseen." —Donnelle McGee, author of Ghost Man
In a crowded dystopian landscape, Woman Outside the City is less interested in predicting catastrophe than in asking a deeper question: If the systems that define our value disappeared tomorrow, who would we become—and how would we recognize one another as human?
In a crowded dystopian landscape, Woman Outside the City is less interested in predicting catastrophe than in asking a deeper question: If the systems that define our value disappeared tomorrow, who would we become—and how would we recognize one another as human?
Release Date: October 6, 2026
Preorder available beginning March 20, 2026
Publisher: Bricolage Lit
242 pages
Paperback ISBN: 979-8-9940954-0-9
Ebook ISBN: 979-8-9940954-2-3
Genres: speculative poetry, speculative fiction, science fiction, literary fiction, women's poetry, hybrid literature
Keywords: poetic novel; speculative fiction by women authors; speculative poetry; hybrid fiction; experimental fiction; near-future novels; novels about the future of work; novels featuring female military veterans; novels featuring strong female protagonists; dystopian novels by women; poetic novel about dystopian future; novels set in the 21st century with strong female leads; speculative fiction written in verse; fiction books about cities and society; novels about poverty in America; fiction books about homelessness; fiction books about social inequality; fiction books about technology and society; novels set in the future
Book Trailers
Book Trailers
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extended widescreen trailer (3 minutes)
What Others Are Saying
What Others Are Saying
"This innovative novel takes us to the edge of what it means to be human. Ntoso challenges us to grapple with the truth about the world we inhabit. In Ntoso, we find a writer that has the courage to pull the curtain away and show us the harsh realities of what it means to be unseen." —Donnelle McGee, author of Ghost Man
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"Woman Outside the City is unlike anything else on the shelf. When I first started reading, I couldn't quite catch the thread. The structure felt fragmented, and I was actually ready to walk away—I promised myself just one more reading session before calling it quits.
Then, suddenly, it hooked me. And wow.
What initially feels like disparate fragments turns out to be a brilliant, tapestry-like convergence. The author winds together prose, poetry, isolated quotes, raw ramblings, and deep, unflinching truths. By placing current real-world events right alongside a haunting dystopian future, the book achieves a rare, electrifying rhythm.
It feels like stepping directly into the mind of a savant madman—someone who sees the hidden connections between our present reality and where we're headed, and possesses the literary nerve to piece it all together. If you start this book and feel lost, keep reading. Once the picture comes into focus, you won't be able to turn away."
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"I have to start with a *Chef's Kiss* I love how topics being discussed about world-wide problems everyone is facing in today`s society [are] expressed through poetry. I like how boldly every word surrenders the page. My favorite poem was 'The city is full of people' even after finishing the book this specific poem still lingered... Thanks so much Abena Ntoso for allowing us into your AUTHOR WORLD"
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