Slow River in Queereaders

Jul 12, 2013 Akiva ꙮ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nf-science, f-mystery, 3-fmt-f-novel, f-scifi-specfic, f-queer, f-disability

What kept me engaged at the beginning of Slow River was all the detail about waste-water treatment methods! Yes, I am a huge nerd. It was only more towards the end that Lore's three selves---childhood, her time with Spanner, and the time after Spanner---really started to come together so that I wasn't frustrated to be left hanging at the end of each (short) section, and started to fall for Lore herself. The way everything comes together at the end---"like the confluence of three rivers"---is jus What kept me engaged at the beginning of Slow River was all the detail about waste-water treatment methods! Yes, I am a huge nerd. It was only more towards the end that Lore's three selves---childhood, her time with Spanner, and the time after Spanner---really started to come together so that I wasn't frustrated to be left hanging at the end of each (short) section, and started to fall for Lore herself. The way everything comes together at the end---"like the confluence of three rivers"---is just wonderful.

Tense switching usually irritates me, but in Slow River I almost didn't notice and it actually succeeded in helping the mental transition between sections of the story. If you're a writer, this is the book to study.

Please note that this book is pretty much all about abuse. There is hinted (and eventually, dealt with head-on) child sexual abuse, rape/"date" rape/all kinds of messed up consent, an abusive partner, forced sex work, suicide and attempted suicide, etc.... I'm sure I'm forgetting things. Not a very happy book. But it has an optimistic ending, which is important to me.

This was interesting to read right after I finished Trouble and Her Friends, another queer sci fi novel. In Trouble, the criminals are lovable scamps; in Slow River, living outside the law has serious consequences even when no one gets caught. Spanner's image of herself as a quirky, essentially good Robin Hood who lives by her wits has many cracks and flaws.

The other similarity between the two books, of course, is that Lore is a lesbian, and so are many of the major and minor characters, and that's NOT one of the traumas---there is no homophobia at all. (There also isn't any visible racism, though there is an intense ableist scene.) On the other hand, in Trouble and Her Friends, homophobia and racism and sexism haven't truly changed, they've just adapted to new contexts with new twists. I thought a lot about the contrasts between these two visions of institutional discrimination, and while Trouble's is probably more realistic, Slow River's is still an interesting change of pace. It certainly makes you think. ...more

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Mar 27, 2010 treehugger rated it did not like it

Shelves: partially_read, lesbian-or-lgbt-lit-or-author, fantasy-sci-fi-magical-realism, read_2010

So. Awful. Had to give up.

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Jan 31, 2012 Erica rated it really liked it

Shelves: sf

I went looking for trashy queer fantasy and found thoughtful lesbian science fiction. I win.

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Feb 22, 2013 Donna rated it it was amazing

I loved this book!

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Apr 18, 2010 Catherine rated it really liked it

Shelves: sf-f-and-h-w-queer-women-protags

Cyberpunk-influenced near future tale about a woman who finds herself after a devastating series of events. One of the best sf novels with a lesbian protagonist around.

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