Sometimes you just wake up full of don’t wanna, and I’m thankful that this morning, I don’t haveta. I have a university Zoom town hall at 10:30, talking about the fall semester (sigh). But until then, I’ve put on comfy pj’s, gotten myself coffee and meds and two seeni sambol buns, and returned to bed to sink back into Cadwell Turnbull’s _The Lesson_, which is entirely gripping.
Turnbull does a terrific job of balancing the brutal aspects of his quiet alien invasion story with beautiful language, rich characterization, thoughtful implications around gender (very reminiscent of Octavia Butler in that regard), and even humor.
So great to have something great to read. I’m going to have to see if I can squeeze this novel into my American writers of color in SF/F class. If anyone is teaching an African American SF/F class, this would be great in conversation with Nisi Shawl’s _Everfair_, Samuel Delany’s _Tales of Neveryon_, and Butler, of course.
It’s giving me little sparks of ideas for my own SF too…
(Side note: I think we may have settled on a name for Benjamin’s and my new podcast: “Mohanraj & Rosenbaum Are Humans.” I really like it. 🙂 Darius, I want to interview Turnbull for it or for the SLF or both, perhaps in conversation with Yudhanjaya Wijeratne. Make a note, please.)