The Forbidden Land — Betty Levin

The uncles want new, unflawed infants to take the place of the births that have failed. Willow notices the eyes of the uncles following her while she performs her daily tasks. The uncles are already sorting out which of them should father the next child. But Willow has other plans. She is building a boat out of reeds, which she'll use to escape from the People of the Singing Seals. She feels as if her whole life has been a preparation for the launching. When the boat is destroyed, Willow has no alternative but to head inland. Against the advice of her friends, Crab and Thistle, Willow follows the path of her mentor, Great Mother, who was banished into the forbidden land before she could finish teaching Willow their people's Story. Accompanied only by a wild dog, Willow embarks on a journey that will bring her a new life ... or death in the wilderness. Set in a stark post-apocalyptic world, The Forbidden Land tells the story of a young woman who risks solitude and danger to escape a life of servitude, drudgery, and bleakness.