A2021LambdaLiteraryAwardFinalist“Auniquealieninvasionstorythatfocusesonthehumanandthemyriadwaysweseeanddon’tseeourownworld.Mesmerizing.“--JeffVanderMeerAblendofsearingsocialcommentaryandspeculativefiction,ChanaPorter’sfresh,pointeddebutexploresastrangenewworldinthewakeofabenignalieninvasion.TrinaFastHorseGoldberg-Onekaisafifty-year-oldtranswomanwhoselifeisirreversiblyalteredinthewakeofagentle--butnonethelessworld-changing--invasionbyanalienentitycalledTheSeep.ThroughTheSeep,everythingisconnected.Capitalismfalls,hierarchiesandbarriersarebrokendown;ifsomethingcanbeimagined,itispossible.Trinaandherwife,Deeba,liveblissfullyunderTheSeep’sutopianinfluence--untilDeebabeginstoimaginewhatitmightbeliketoberebornasababy,whichwillgiveherthechanceatanevenbetterlife.UsingSeeptechtomakethisdreamareality,Deebamovesontoanewexistence,leavingTrinadevastated.Heartbrokenanddeepintoanalcoholicbinge,Trinafollowsalostboysheencounters,embarkingonanunexpectedquest.InherattempttosavehimfromTheSeep,shewillconfrontnotonlyoneofitsmostaviddevotees,buttheterrifyingvoidthatDeebahasleftbehind.Astrangenewelegyofloveandloss,TheSeepexploresgrief,alienation,andtheacheofmovingon.
