Years ago I read Erewhon. I even have a battered paperback copy that I, naturally, couldn't find when it came to re-read it for the Vintage Book Club.
Erewhon, as you've probably noticed, is an anagram of "nowhere." The novel centers around an unnamed main character who sets out into the wilderness (presumably in New Zealand, where Butler lived for a time) in hopes of discovering new, unspoiled land. Instead, he stumbles upon Erewhon, where the ill are arrested and imprisoned, most machines are outlawed, and what we would consider criminal behavior is compassionately treated in hopes of a cure. In Erewhon money is worthless, making the country appear to be a Utopia where people can coexist peacefully.
The main themes of Erewhon are religion (the narrator egotistically hopes to convert the Erewhonians to Christianity) and evolution, which seems to have reversed itself in this remote location. I won't presume to analyze this novel as you can find this done in numerous places online. Suffice it to say, it is a satire and its main subjects are the institutions and beliefs of Victoria England. It is a fascinating book with a fantastical concept, but it requires some thinking.
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