Yes, all the things you said. I sort of loved the alien linguistics and important stuff (like whether Emilio consented to the weird mutilation and rape-prison thing) getting lost in translation, in spite of everything else. Also Sofia is a Jewish character in a not at all the typical ways that the one Jewish person in the [generic SF setting] tropes go. I think MDR started off Catholic and converted to Judaism, (which normally I wouldn't bring up, since someone who is Jewish is just Jewish whatever their pathway to where they are now), but it feels like she was working through some emotions about Christianity and theodicy, while also coming to a very personal interpretation of why Judaism is better.
I feel like some of the buzz about this was based around, isn't it amazing to explore the rape of a celibate male character. I don't think that can have been so unusual in the 90s, but the SF community really got very enthusiastic about it. The book even won the Otherwise which is supposed to be for really innovative takes on gender.
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Date: 2023-10-23 05:13 pm (UTC)I feel like some of the buzz about this was based around, isn't it amazing to explore the rape of a celibate male character. I don't think that can have been so unusual in the 90s, but the SF community really got very enthusiastic about it. The book even won the Otherwise which is supposed to be for really innovative takes on gender.