These days, I find myself shying away from books described as "dark" or "tragic," but I'm equally uninterested in those whose back covers use words like "charming" or "heart-warming." What I want is to immerse myself in a world that feels both comforting and challenging; I want a happy ending, but I don't want that happiness to be so easily won. My ideal read feels escapist, but ultimately encourages me to see the real world from a fresh, even hopeful perspective.
I talk with readers and make book recommendations every day, so I know I'm not alone in this quest for something substantial but not stressful. Many readers are looking for a respite. For those readers, I recommend Becky Chambers. Fortunately for all of us, she has just released a new book: As You Wake, Break the Shell.
If you've read and enjoyed Chambers' work, I can promise this book combines the best elements of her other two series. If you're a Wayfarers fan, As You Wake, Break the Shell has that same depth of character and world-building. If you enjoyed the Monk and Robot books, this new duology (yes, get excited, there's a sequel) has that same expansive and hopeful vision of humanity's future. I have read every single Becky Chambers book and, while I don't want to pass judgment on an unfinished series, this is shaping up to be my favorite.
If you are not yet a Becky Chambers fan, As You Wake, Break the Shell is an excellent place to begin. Now, I like to go into books blind (I didn't even know this would be a duology until I read the acknowledgements, despite that being mentioned on the back cover). But I understand most people appreciate at least a sketch of the plot before diving in. So, the book starts at T-Minus 7 and begins to count down (to learn towards what, you'll have to read to the end). It follows two timelines. In the first, our main characters, Signy and Cora, exist in a world where the air is toxic and resources are scarce. Cora is a pilot suffering from a unique ailment that, if she were to disclose it, could cost her her job. Signy runs a plant shop where she covertly creates and distributes medicine to citizens whom the government has deemed unworthy of receiving it. Cora's efforts to discreetly medicate herself lead her to Signy. In the second timeline, set fifteen years later, Signy and Cora live together; their relationship is well-established and their location, well, it's not where we first encounter them.
This use of dual timelines is unusual—most books that employ the effect follow characters whose lives have gotten worse, not better, in the ensuing years. The tension lies in figuring out what happened in that gap. But the effect in As You Wake, for me, was comforting. You know these two characters, whom you slowly fall in love with as they fall in love with each other, are safe and whole and together. You have no idea how, but the knowledge that they will be OK throughout the book is a balm. Instead of adding tension, this dual timeline creates a narrative that flows in interesting and remarkable ways.
It's probably apparent that Becky Chambers is one of my favorite writers. She has an incredible talent for subtly but thoroughly developing her characters and the worlds they populate. You sense that the world isn't unfolding as you read, but is already fully realized and simply waiting for you to explore it. And then there's her worldview: expansive, hopeful, and full of possibility. Chambers is a pioneer of the hopepunk subgenre of science fiction, which features characters in community fighting for positive change. Her books grapple with the many and various problems we face as a society, but her characters are fueled by a realistic optimism, the belief that things can be better, and the will to make small, meaningful changes. And through their efforts, I too am inspired.
Emma Kaas co-owns the Norwich Bookstore with her husband, Sam Kaas. When she’s not at the bookstore, you’ll most likely find her reading books, baking bread, tinkering with spreadsheets, or pulling tarot cards.
