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A review by jpjackson
Beneath the Surface by Rebecca Langham
4.0
Beneath the Surface, Rebecca Langham’s debut novel, nicely falls into what I would call Soft Sci-Fi, in that the nitty-gritty aspects of science aren’t explored, rather the social sciences are. As someone who studied Anthropology for several years in University, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this entire novel is a reflection of exactly that: a social experiment gone horrendously wrong.
The story unfolds slowly, eloquently, almost softly if I could put texture to it. The main character, Lydia, the daughter of a powerful politician, is a teacher in a society where being constantly connected to the “Hive” is a direct equivalent to our current modern day reliance on the internet and social media. Lydia, who could have chosen to do or be just about anything given her privileged family, selects a most unusual contract of going into the underground community where an alien race has been placed; a sought-after refuge and sanctuary. She teaches the alien children a very sterile and prescriptive curriculum all under the guise of protecting them. But security and shelter equate to nothing less than ensuring Earth’s human population maintains its own cultural standing as the prominent species.
There are some not-so-subtle comparisons that can be made throughout this story to the many refugee crises that have occurred in recent years in our own timeline. Not to mention how we as a society treat those we might consider ‘Outsiders’. Who belongs and who doesn’t? How do we identify those who are different than us? How do we treat anyone else who doesn’t resonate with exactly what we are? What are those differences? Skin tone? Sexuality? Gender? Nationality?
The number of times I read passages from this book and then thought about the news I had seen the night before often sent shivers down my spine.
We as a species simply need to do better – and this story amplifies that.
I still haven’t captured all the complex and underlying themes that were covered in this novel, and I’m sure that I could read it again and uncover more terrifying parallels. Of course, there’s a hook at the end of the book, setting up the story for a sequel. I can’t tell you what that is, but I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I had it figured out about halfway through the story – and yet, when it is revealed, it still comes off as shocking and abhorrent.
Langham has told this story in a crafty way. None of the themes explored in this novel point out where our own humanity is desperately failing, nor does it come off as abrupt or in-your-face. Instead, they are hinted at, even glossed over, and I found myself thinking about them pages later.
Shameful things we do to each other are like that though, aren’t they? We so often see the blunt and horrifying stories told on the Ten O’clock news. Stories that shake us, repulse us and draw immediate reactions. However, I think it’s the casualness of our faults, be it racism, homophobia, sexism (and certainly this is not an exhaustive list), that are our most hideous stains upon humanity. And that’s exactly how I felt as this story progressed. How easily we are manipulated as a society by media, how numb we become to bad behaviour and accepting what everyone else considers ‘the norm.’
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I wanted more. More details about the alien race, how they were different, where they came from, how the technology in this world worked, but then it would have altered the flavour of this book. This is really an insidious exploration of how terrible we are at being human. It truly is a glimpse beneath our own surfaces.
The story unfolds slowly, eloquently, almost softly if I could put texture to it. The main character, Lydia, the daughter of a powerful politician, is a teacher in a society where being constantly connected to the “Hive” is a direct equivalent to our current modern day reliance on the internet and social media. Lydia, who could have chosen to do or be just about anything given her privileged family, selects a most unusual contract of going into the underground community where an alien race has been placed; a sought-after refuge and sanctuary. She teaches the alien children a very sterile and prescriptive curriculum all under the guise of protecting them. But security and shelter equate to nothing less than ensuring Earth’s human population maintains its own cultural standing as the prominent species.
There are some not-so-subtle comparisons that can be made throughout this story to the many refugee crises that have occurred in recent years in our own timeline. Not to mention how we as a society treat those we might consider ‘Outsiders’. Who belongs and who doesn’t? How do we identify those who are different than us? How do we treat anyone else who doesn’t resonate with exactly what we are? What are those differences? Skin tone? Sexuality? Gender? Nationality?
The number of times I read passages from this book and then thought about the news I had seen the night before often sent shivers down my spine.
We as a species simply need to do better – and this story amplifies that.
I still haven’t captured all the complex and underlying themes that were covered in this novel, and I’m sure that I could read it again and uncover more terrifying parallels. Of course, there’s a hook at the end of the book, setting up the story for a sequel. I can’t tell you what that is, but I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I had it figured out about halfway through the story – and yet, when it is revealed, it still comes off as shocking and abhorrent.
Langham has told this story in a crafty way. None of the themes explored in this novel point out where our own humanity is desperately failing, nor does it come off as abrupt or in-your-face. Instead, they are hinted at, even glossed over, and I found myself thinking about them pages later.
Shameful things we do to each other are like that though, aren’t they? We so often see the blunt and horrifying stories told on the Ten O’clock news. Stories that shake us, repulse us and draw immediate reactions. However, I think it’s the casualness of our faults, be it racism, homophobia, sexism (and certainly this is not an exhaustive list), that are our most hideous stains upon humanity. And that’s exactly how I felt as this story progressed. How easily we are manipulated as a society by media, how numb we become to bad behaviour and accepting what everyone else considers ‘the norm.’
I would be remiss if I didn’t say that I wanted more. More details about the alien race, how they were different, where they came from, how the technology in this world worked, but then it would have altered the flavour of this book. This is really an insidious exploration of how terrible we are at being human. It truly is a glimpse beneath our own surfaces.