Reviews

Membrana by Chi Ta-wei

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oracle's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

phngtrnreads's review against another edition

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eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Chi Ta-wei's The Membranes, from what I've learned, is considered a queer sci-fi classic from Taiwanese literature. I was in awe to find so much representation and complexity in such a short book, especially for a work that was written in 1996.

While I can't speak for the accuracy of the translation, I find the way it was interpreted mesmerizing. Research was done, efforts were made. Kudos to the translator. I was amazed by how the author perceived the future of humanity, here it stretched from many aspects: environment, healthcare, economy, race, sexuality, etc. Many years have gone by, and some predictions were proven to be false, but they weren't without based facts. The queer visibility was the highlight of this book IMO. For a dated work, it seemed unbelievable to tell you that the rep precedes many beloved LGBTQ+ books in recent times, but it does.

Compliments aside, there were many details that didn't sit right with me while reading this. Most of them were to do with Momo's upbringing, or her Mother's decisions (if you read it, you'll get it), because I don't see how it was necessary to be portrayed here. As questionable as it was, the later revelation made this even more confusing to me. And on another note, I wished the book had stopped using the term "a dear friendship" to describe "lesbian moms."

TL;DR: A very interesting take on the future society with zero (0) cishets, but you might be uncomfortable with some details.

27/7/23: Ê ủa quyển này hay mà quên mất từng đọc

znnys's review against another edition

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4.0

Really quick and thought-provoking read! Towards the beginning/middle I really wasn't sure what to make of it. There's some interesting world-building, a lot of which I've seen done by more contemporary novels. At a certain point it begins to feel reminiscent of Never Let Me Go, though this was written a decade earlier. It's clearly a seminal work, one that should be getting much more recognition that it has thus far. As the book continues on into its shocking twist (which was the point where I went from tentatively enjoying it to explicitly liking it), I was reminded of

Spoiler

Isabel Fall's I Sexually Identify As an Attack Helicopter, which similarly explored themes of gender, identity, and the exploitative nature of the military-industrial complex on the human body.

I think what really impressed me about this book is how clever it is. Every detail in the beginning that seems so non sequitor and confusing ties together neatly by the end.

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You go from resenting Momo's mother as Momo does to feeling heartbroken for her.

When I realized the book was over I felt genuinely disappointed, but I think there's a bittersweet element to Momo and her mother

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finally reconnecting in the end, and Momo finally "coming home", at least within the sphere of her mental fantasy world.