For many years after that, she lives in isolation, ostracized by everyone including her own family. However, all that comes to an end when a terrible truth is revealed to Tetley, and she takes it upon herself to literally blow it all up. Against all odds, Tetley, who hails from Candlehole, meets a boy from Electric City named Goodnight Moon, forming a lifelong friendship despite their differences. Parts of Garbagetown are named the leavings of humanity where they have more or less ended up, so Pill Hill is where all the pharmaceutical waste has collected, Electric City is full of old batteries, and so on and so forth.Įach section’s residents have their own unique customs, culture, and societal status.

But even in this society made up of some of the world’s last survivors, there exists stratification. She and her twin brother, Maruchan, were born in Garbagetown, an island of refuse floating on the ocean. The story, which takes place in the future on an Earth flooded by climate change, opens on the life of a girl named Tetley. The Past is Red happens to match both those descriptions- and it worked very well for me. While her books are by no means always my cup of tea, at least I can be sure I’ll be getting something damned cool and original. Novellas are not my preferred format and I rarely seek them out on my own, but whenever I come across anything by Catherynne Valente, I feel it warrants a look. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

I received a review copy from the publisher. #SciFiMonth Novella Review: The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

The past is red by catherynne m valente