@jni So, it's The Power by Naomi Alderman. I still have not found enough time ...
I remember one day in grad school -- it was a nice day out, the sun was shining, and I was (I thought) close to the end of System of the World. So I found myself a spot on a nice bench in the trees and finished it off. Turns out I had a bit more left than I'd realized, and it was a couple hours later that I finally went back inside.