Science Fiction, Philosophical Literature
When you think of sci-fi, you probably think of bug-eyed monsters and lasers and Marty McFly lopping off Mr. Spock's ears with the Tardis.
But this is not that kind of science fiction. Instead of jetpacks and laser battles, Woman on the Edge of Time has gender equality; instead of a pill containing a full day's nutrition, it has equal distribution of resources.
This novel is less in the sci-fi tradition of "blow up the aliens" and more in the tradition of feminist utopias like The Left Hand of Darkness or Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland.
In fact, there's some question of whether it's science fiction at all, since you're never quite sure if all that future stuff is real or if it's all just in Connie's head. In that sense, you've got two books here; one sci-fi and one not, depending on which end of the robot assassin you're looking at.
But there is no question that this novel checks all the boxes of the "Are You A Philosophical Novel?" quiz (hey, Buzzfeed: where's that one?). It questions power structures of all kinds, especially those based on gender inequality, and delivers some pretty powerful sermons about what kind of book is best.