Dear Laura,
Thank you for this beautifully specific brief!
To begin with your preferred subject: one novel that explores contemporary ethical non-monogamy with the nuance the practice deserves is Alejandro Varela's Middle Spoon. This voice-driven meditation is written as a series of unsent letters from one besotted married man to his boyfriend. The result is an uneasy but ruthlessly honest romance, exploring both the utopian possibilities of and capitalist constraints on a capacious love. I note this one is not, per your wishlist, especially “cozy.” But I wonder if you'll agree that Varela's protagonist fits the “stupid, courageous, kind, selfish” part of your query.
And because you technically asked for a “slim novella,” I wonder if Becky Chambers' To Be Taught if Fortunate is on your radar? This book is another first person narrative, following four astronauts on a high-stakes space mission. This quiet, high-concept travelogue isn't the plottiest emblem of its genre; rather, it centers the humans attempting to invent the green world. Chambers frames the book as a letter home to a changing earth, and the result is elegantly written and beautifully hopeful. Best of all? You'll find both robot facts and a thoughtful depiction of polyamory.
Happy reading! Please, please let us know what you think, if you happen to pick either of these up!
–Brittany Allen, Staff Writer |
