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A review by littlebookterror
Sordidez by E.G. Condé
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
How do I even begin this review? How am I supposed to talk about everything that is in this novella without spoiling it all before it's even out or without just saying "please go pre-order this and then read it ASAP" (though I do encourage y'all to do just that! It will be worth your time).
Taínofuturism is what the author calls this particular brand of ecological science fiction and it's an apt descriptor. He created a Puerto Rico that has suffered under the influences of other global powers, has been decimated by climate change and yet, a place of resistance and hope and perseverance.
The story follows Vero, a trans man who is searching for a way to help his community and escape their oppressors but it's also a story about people who have done terrible things and still lost a war, about finding the line between justice and revenge, a story about gods and revolutionaries infused with Indigeneity.
The novella gripped me in its unashamed battling of ideas and concepts of how life would be in a human-created climate crisis and how to reconnect with your roots and the growing pains of change. For all that this tackles some heavy themes, its general atmosphere is more invigorating than sad. There is simply so much life - in these characters, their surroundings and their story - that shows how important reclaiming land and language and culture can be.
On that note, this novel takes multilingualism to a whole new level! It is mainly written in English but with various forms of communication including ASL, dead and common tongues and a glossary, there a five different languages represented.
Taínofuturism is what the author calls this particular brand of ecological science fiction and it's an apt descriptor. He created a Puerto Rico that has suffered under the influences of other global powers, has been decimated by climate change and yet, a place of resistance and hope and perseverance.
The story follows Vero, a trans man who is searching for a way to help his community and escape their oppressors but it's also a story about people who have done terrible things and still lost a war, about finding the line between justice and revenge, a story about gods and revolutionaries infused with Indigeneity.
The novella gripped me in its unashamed battling of ideas and concepts of how life would be in a human-created climate crisis and how to reconnect with your roots and the growing pains of change. For all that this tackles some heavy themes, its general atmosphere is more invigorating than sad. There is simply so much life - in these characters, their surroundings and their story - that shows how important reclaiming land and language and culture can be.
On that note, this novel takes multilingualism to a whole new level! It is mainly written in English but with various forms of communication including ASL, dead and common tongues and a glossary, there a five different languages represented.