Climate disaster–induced fugue states, mutinous polar bears, support groups for recently displaced millionaires, men who hear trees, and women who lose their wives on environmental refugee resettlement trips. In these dispatches from a weirding world, the absurd and fantastic are increasingly indistinguishable from reality. Exploring this liminal moment, Ashley Shelby’s collection of climate fictions imagines a near future that is both unnervingly familiar and subversively strange.
Set in the same post-climate-impact era, these stories range from playfully satirical to poignantly humane, bending traditional narrative forms and coming together into a brilliant and unusual contemplation of our changing world. Featuring the Hugo-nominated novelette “Muri,” Honeymoons in Temporary Locations processes the unthinkable through riotous inventions like guided tours of submerged cities, Craigslist ads placed by climate refugees, and cynical pharmaceutical efforts to market a drug to treat solastalgia, the existential distress caused by environmental change.
Shelby reengineers the dystopic bleakness that characterizes so much climate fiction by embracing an eclectic experimentalism leavened with humor, irony, and the inevitable bathos that characterizes the human experience. Unexpected and clever, this innovative collection confirms her status as a visionary writer whose work expands the forms, attitudes, and possibilities of climate fiction."
Honeymoons in Temporary Locations by Ashley Shelby is a striking collection of climate fiction that delves into climate disasters and their aftermath, exploring how humanity navigates crises in a drastically changed world. I really liked this one, especially with its focus on a future where climate change has continued on its catastrophic course, leaving us with a world that feels both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
The collection kicks off with two short stories and then adopts a 'mixed media' approach and incorporates documents, transcripts, advertisements, and more. This creative structure offers a multifaceted glimpse into the state of things in this speculative future while also providing a deeper connection to its characters and themes.
The opening story, "Muri," was a standout and easily my favorite. Without spoiling too much, it follows a man aboard a ship tasked with relocating polar bears from the Arctic to the Antarctic in a desperate bid to save the species. The isolation of such voyages takes its toll, and the men are warned before departure: if the polar bears start talking, no they didn't, it's just hallucinations. I found this to be a genuinely entertaining story that felt both ominous and gripping. "Muri" offers a lot of thought-provoking ideas and commentary on many climate-related themes, but what stood out to me the most was the commentary on humanity's misguided attempts to "fix" problems with quick solutions that often do more harm than good, which felt almost scarily relevant.
The "found document" sections are particularly creative. These include ads, menus, and other artifacts from a climate-ravaged world. One menu imagines dishes inspired by climate change, mixing humor and bleak reality in a really effective manner. Another standout is an ad for a "climate cruise" offering tours of once-famous cities now submerged beneath water. These elements all provide a stark look at what the future could hold while also creating a stronger sense of immersion into this world for readers.
A recurring thread throughout the collection is the condition of solastalgia--a term for the emotional distress caused by environmental change--and its varied manifestations. We see it woven into advertisements, personal experiences, and narratives, which brings all of these stories together with a sense of loss and adaptation to a new world.
This collection offers a lot of variety and some areas will work well for others, while some may not. I personally loved "Muri" the most because it fell most into line with my typical taste. Some of the other stories didn't work as well for me, but I still felt they had great merit. There’s so much to explore in this collection, and I truly enjoyed the journey. Each piece examines different facets of humanity’s reaction to climate-related disasters, from resilience and denial to innovation and exploitation.
One of the greatest strength of this book is simply Shelby's prose. Her writing is rich and evocative and truly showed careful thought and deliberation with each sentence. It's worth noting that Honeymoons in Temporary Locations would certainly fall into the "literary fiction" category so everyone's reception of this book will likely differ, but my own opinion is that this one is well worth the read. It's also only about 150 pages, so it shouldn't take you too long, either.
Overall, I've given Honeymoons in Temporary Locations 4.75 stars! A must read for any fans of climate fiction, or simply anyone looking for something creative and well-written.
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I'm not familiar with this, but the fact that you rated it so highly makes me want to try it. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this thoughtful review. It's folks like you that allow authors who might otherwise be overlooked to get a chance at a wider readership. Cheers!
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