All the Hometowns You Can't Stay Away From

June 27, 2022
Wasserstein’s smart but unpolished debut collection brings together 14 speculative shorts. Certain preoccupations recur obtrusively, like assassinating the oppressor in “Dead at the Feet of a God,” “The Crafter at the Web’s Heart,” “Hopper in the Frying Pan,” and other tales, while some of the genre trappings feel a bit too familiar. Nevertheless, there are many reasons to spend time with these visions; Wasserstein centers narrative, so even when her technique falls short, the appealing characters pull things through. “Dead at the Feet of a God” is a case in point: the protagonist is a True Seer, unbound by time, and the narrative chronology jumps accordingly, effectively compressing the backstory—it’s workmanlike. Still, an aching love story shines through. “Dead” shares with several other entries an aura of hope that persists despite individual tragedies: “In the cold of the asteroid belt, the bots sing to each other; they sing, and listen, and create.” Above all, the multifaceted portrayals of gender are a consistent strength throughout, rendering trans and nonbinary characters with vitality and nuance. Wasserstein’s is still a developing voice, but this collection marks her as an author to watch.