A novella about a woman, Ruby, trying to come to grips with the suicide of her friend, Marjorie. I loved the wonderful descriptions of the animals, living and extinct, and learning about them. It made me ponder on the selfishness of humans while we disregard the smaller and more vulnerable beings... until it’s too late.

I also LOVE the book cover and want a physical copy!

Many thanks to the publisher, Stelliform Press, and the author for the ARC!

« Can you watch something die and let it die? »

A short novel with a strong message: the world around us is dying, and perhaps we should not just sit there and watch it die. There is clear scientific evidence today of climate change, warming oceans, and the extinction of many species from small corals to large mammals. This book takes place in the future when most species have already gone extinct and the world is afflicted with great sadness about it. Except, this future may not be as far as we think, if we don’t start talking about the stuff happening to the environment and doing something about it! A short novel is one way to share this message.

Although I greatly enjoyed the themes covered in the few pages of this book, I did not find any affinity for the characters in the story. The protagonist felt more like a vessel to describe the events happening as opposed to an actual person going through the events in the book. And there were a lot of things going on in such a short period of time, covering things such as resurrection science, robotics, divorce, and suicide. It was a lot to take in, and sometimes hard to connect the dots. I feel that this story could have either covered less subjects in more detail, separated the book into a collection of short-stories with a single theme each (Grief being a recurring theme) or just flesh out this novel into a longer book taking more time to delve into the various topics!

However, I understand the intent was to be brief, and hit hard with a strong moral lesson. I heard it, did you?

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the publishers and the NetGalley team for providing me with an Advanced copy. I cherished the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 "embryonic, unfinished, tantalizing" stars !!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Steliform Press for an e-copy of this novella. This work will be released May 2021. I am providing my honest review.

Thank you to Marchpane whose review prompted my interest in reading this book.

This book is unfinished. The novella form is not well suited to this work. In this work lie so many interesting ideas about animal and plant extinction, environmentalism, art, love, friendship and ecology. The ideas and premises are fascinating, thought provoking and if worked on could be a major player in the speculative fiction genre. The author has pasted together this work and does a whole lot of tellin', a whole lot of 'splainin, a whole lot of glossing over what could be a five hundred page novel that could rival Atwood's dystopian trilogy.

I see such huge potential for this book both in a literary fashion but also to assist humanity in realizing what our continued ignorance, disdain and greed is doing to our beautiful earth and all the lovely creatures.

I sincerely hope Ms. Cade goes back and expands, edits and embellishes a work that is highly imaginative, provocative and important.

(Also a shout out to the cover designer for creating something spectacularly beautiful !)

The Impossible Resurrection of Grief is a very slim speculative fiction novella that takes the real phenomenon of eco-grief and amplifies it into a dementing contagion known as ‘The Grief’. Sufferers are afflicted with unbearable feelings of loss, guilt, and complicity, brought on by species extinction.

The Grief manifests in different ways: for most, it leads to bizarre behaviour and ultimately, suicide. A few are driven to try to recover the losses, either through de-extinction efforts (the Jurassic Park method), or by creating replacements—lifelike little robot birds, or holograms of lost habitats.

I will admit I was drawn to pick this up because of the thylacines on the cover and I’m so glad I did. Octavia Cade writes just the kind of speculative fiction that I like—smart, topical, a tiny bit surreal—and this hit the spot. The trans-Tasman setting, the sweet, affectionate dynamic between the protagonist and her recently estranged husband, the oddball events, all give this novella a brightness that is undercut by the grim real world issues it presents. It’s a balance that works.

80 pages is a tricky length for a book, one that seems especially difficult to get right. It feels awkward here, like either a truncated novel or an over-padded short story, just not quite the right size for the story being told. This short read is still knocking around in my head and I’m very glad to have discovered Cade’s work.

“We weren’t thunderstorms, nor did we blunder about, blind as bacteria. We had the capacity for choice, and what we had chosen- what we continued to choose- was death.”

Today I finished #theimpossibleresurrectionofgrief by #octaviacade. This speculative dystopian eco-thriller is an eye opening read that everyone should be aware of.
Due to species and ecosystem extinction from climate change, humans are faced with “the Grief,” a physiological illness of overwhelming guilt and remorse for the complacency and ignorance exhibited at preventing such devastation, resulting in mass suicide. It’s so common in this current world that healthcare professionals disregard diagnoses of it, due to the inevitability of humans success at ending their lives regardless.
Ruby is a marine biologist who’s going through a divorce, and is doing all she can to avoid succumbing to the Grief herself and finding purpose to go on in such a dismal world. So much so that Ruby has dedicated the remainder of her hope to supporting jellyfish, who have managed to adapt to the rising ocean temperatures to survive, even as the Great Barrier Reef has turned to bleach and decay. Ruby’s friend Marjorie soon succumbs to the Grief, and the remainder of the novel portrays Ruby’s attempt at processing her friends decision to end her life, as she was unable to notice the signs of her impending demise.
We are then led on a speculative journey with Ruby as she attempts to understand her purpose in the world and essentially what humans are fighting so hard to live for if everything around them is already dead. This is a vitally important read regarding the inevitability and severity of climate change and how it will impact our ecosystems and homes if we do not attempt to alter its course. Ruby’s thoughts hit close to home when she realizes her hope isn’t the same as other’s hope, and holding onto one aspect of life to find purpose to continue is futile if everything else is gone. It’s sad really- there’s no point in saying “well at least my life is good even though it’s not elsewhere” when you can’t even walk outside your home to birds or sunshine or greenery or own a pet anymore. As Majorie hauntingly states, “..it’s all dead but for the jellyfish.. it’s so lonely there,” leading to the grim realization that life is meaningless without LIFE!
A desperate, imminent, uncomfortable read that makes you take responsibility for your actions; your individual actions can help change the world. This was my first granted #netgalley eARC (suuuper late to the netgalley game😅)! Thank you so much to them and @stelliformpress for granting me access to such an imperative read! This novella will be published 5/20/21🌍
.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I just finished this novella with absolute chills.

*A huge thank you to Netgalley, Octavia Cade, and Stelliform Press for an eARC of this novella in exchange for honest feedback*

Octavia Cade has crafted an amazing story here in just 82 pages. Grief as an insidious, physical manifestation would be terrifying enough. To add in a completely ravaged world, wrought with extinction really took it to the next level.

This was not an easy story to read, but one that I feel people SHOULD read. It hits on the selfishness of humans, and how self-interest protects us from what we don't want to see. In The Impossible Resurrection of Grief, people become infected with "Grief" when they can't accept the loss of a species, an ecosystem, a creature. The main character, Ruby, is "lucky" to be enamored with jellyfish - which are thriving under the climate crisis conditions. Meanwhile, the people around her who have loved and lost creatures and ecosystems are falling victim to grief, sometimes with elaborate consequences.

"We learn to protect ourselves in the ugliest of ways. Perhaps I should have asked, but sorrow is so terrifying."

"Grief wouldn't allow any different. It was mourning down to the marrow, the inability to let go of what had been cut away."

I found this story to be downright scary at certain points and the race to the end when I couldn't put it down left me with a growing, sinking feeling. Huge props to Octavia Cade for what she has done with this one!

Still mulling this one over, a few days later. Above all I will say that this novella is beautifully imagined and written, tightly constructed, and it did draw me in from the beginning with the mystery of the “sea witch” character. I was fascinated by the primary speculative element in the world-building, which is a literal pandemic of “grief” as a terminal illness in response to the losses incurred by climate change. There were some moments of horror that I found wonderfully creepy, too. I was interested in the parallels drawn between the violence of cultural (indigenous) and species extinction events, but maybe I wanted more exploration there. Overall there’s a lot to contemplate from this short book, including the self-interested emotions tied to human vision - what we see and choose not to see - and the relationship between apathy and active violence, nihilism and murder.

I was initially drawn to this book by the striking cover. Like many people I have a fascination for thylacines, the last known member of the species died in captivity in 1935. The black and white footage of this animal pacing around its enclosure is compelling and often when there’s talk of cloning extinct species, the thylacine is mentioned.
This brilliant novella is set in the nearish future. I was drawn into the story immediately and couldn’t put it down.
The Great Barrier Reef is dead and has been taken over by the crown of thorns starfish and jellyfish. Ruby, the narrator is a scientist who loves jellyfish and the jellyfish have adapted to the temperatures brought about by climate change. Her friend , Marj is suffering from the Grief over the loss of the reef. The Grief affects many people, it’s a depression and feeling of great loss due to ecosystem devastation and usually ends in suicide.
I think this story will stick in my mind for some time. It talks about the waves of extinctions that humans have brought about through colonisation, hunting and environmental destruction. There’s a lot of sadness yet also wonder that people can still go on and ignore what’s happening.
“Can you watch something die and let it die?”

The Impossible Resurrection of Grief is the story of a not-too-distant future where we did little to respond to climate change. The consequence is a loss of many species and the human psychological response to that loss is in the form of Grief with a capital G. Those afflicted mourn the loss of a specific species, falling deeper until they commit suicide. I found the premise and story compelling.

The writing in this novella was excellent. At times, it read like a fairytale, but one with depth and reflection. Other times, it was more casual. Scientific words and concepts were artfully woven in.
There was a sort of folklore-ish quality to the story itself, with events seeming a little unreal or larger than life. But I think that worked well in the framework of a shorter novella length story. We are not given a specific year the story takes place and some other specifics are glossed over, which seemed appropriate and fitting for the feel of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the novella. However, it did feel like there were a few too many themes and ideas to be tied together within the scope of the story. There was the issue of extinction and climate change, a divorce, the fairytale element as well as the direct mentions of or comparisons to fairytales throughout, then there was Grief and its instantiations. Colonization was also brought up a few times and though it was clearly related to themes of the story, I don't think it was given its due, especially for such a weighty topic. It did seem the novella tried to bring these ideas together on the common thread of human nature and human selfishness, but it didn't seem fully wrought. I'd still recommend this speculative tale for its unique story and take on the effects of humanity on the rest of nature.

Set in a the not-so-distance future, this book depicts the effect of species loss and climate collapse on the human psyche. The Grief is a scary extrapolation of a mindset that is very real.

Unlike most dystopian books I've read that discuss climate, this one dwelled on the effect on individuals mental health rather than being about the struggle and adventure of day to day life in an environment that's falling apart. It felt more immediate in time and realistic. The ease with which I imagined this book becoming reality added to the suspense and terror as I read.

This book cut to my core emotionally. Both the environmental collapse happening around us and the personal relationships between the characters. The way the characters relationships interact and try shift in parallel to the Grief, but also in response was flawed and real and heartbreaking.

The writing was immersive and intriguing. I found myself wanting the story to be drawn out and slowed down, with more details and character background. It was a fast, well told novella, but I enjoyed exploring the concepts and world so much that I wanted it to be a longer story.

“The thing about Grief: once it comes it never leaves. The Grief is spiraling down and down into loss that can never be recovered, that will never lack culpability. It’s the guilt that makes it so devastating...and so profoundly destructive.”

Octavia Cade’s novella The Impossible Resurrection of Grief takes place in the near future and runs under the assumption that we have done nothing to combat climate change. It’s not necessarily post-apocalyptic, but more pre- or mid-apocalyptic. The world hasn’t descended into complete chaos, but it’s certainly on its way. Grief is no longer just an emotion - it’s a disease, capital G. The Grief manifests itself in different ways, but it involves mourning what humans have done to Earth, a descent into madness and dissociation from reality, and always ends in suicide. The novel follows Ruby and her husband, George, as they navigate this new “normal” and the loss of close friends and acquaintances to Grief.

I was so intrigued by the premise of Cade’s novella. I had never read anything like it, and was excited to get my hands on it. It’s a very quick read; coming in under 100 pages, it took me a little over an hour to finish. Honestly, I wish it had been longer. Some elements were thrown in and could have used more explanation and/or background, and I wish there had been more character development. Some descriptions got a little too wordy at times for me, and I felt that the limited space could have been better used for the development of the story and the characters. I did enjoy the mix of genres - I would classify this as both a sci-fi and a new-age fable. Overall, it was an interesting read, and I appreciated Cade’s uninhibited portrayal and warning of a world where our efforts to combat climate change were too little, too late.

Thank you to NetGalley, Stelliform Press, and Octavia Cade for the e-ARC!

Set in a futuristic (but not unbelievable) world where climate change has decimated the Great Barrier Reef among other things and where humans are plagued by The Grief, this story is poignant and so very sad.

The Grief is an interesting plague as humans are finally aware of their part in destroying the earth and it’s creatures. The grief of all they have lost and miss eventually leads to suicide or worse as we find out later.

I’ve never read anything quite like this. The social commentary was relevant and the real terror was that this world didn’t seem like some far-fetched sci-fi creation; instead it felt like a world that is slightly familiar. One that doesn’t seem all that far in the future.

The storytelling, world building and characters all had me completely immersed. Would I be able to withstand the Grief? Or would the demolition of all those beautiful creatures cause me to fall into a pit of despair? I hope I never have to find out!

I’m not sure how I feel about this one if I’m being honest. I thought the premise was super interesting and there were some absolutely wonderfully lyrical lines about Grief and loss that really resonated with what we’re dealing with today. However, the plot and the meaning of it was a little lost on me. I’m unclear what truly when down at the end and also, to a lesser degree, with the people we met along the way. This definitely warrants a reread in the future

THE IMPOSSIBLE RESURRECTION OF GRIEF by Octavia Cade

The synopsis of the book seemed like it might be enjoyable. In reality, however, it was something that I was unable to get interested in. I tried many, many times. I always like to give a book every chance to succeed, before I give up on it. With this book, it was doubly sad, since it was only an 82-page novella.

I received a complimentary copy from #netgalley @netgalley of #theimpossibleresurrectionofgrief and was under no obligation to post a review.

TW: Suicide, Mental health, Colonialism.

Octavia Cade likes using speculative fiction to talk about science in new and interesting ways, and this shows in her work.
The Grief is at large, more people are becoming afflicted with it. But what exactly is this Grief?
It is "the undermining up-welling of loss in response to ecosystem devastation, the failure of conservation"
No one knows how or why it strikes. "It wasn't the same for everyone. Some people didn't get it at all. Some people got it more than others- there was a higher rate of grief in Indigenous populations, another negative metric people didn't want to acknowledge lest it highlight their own culpability and continued privilege."

This short novella touches on relevant themes and the author does have a unique way of presenting them. It explores the impact of climate change and its consequences on the human psyche. It equates the loss of the ecosystem with that of a loved one and paints a grim picture of what our future could look like - but it is speculative fiction, right?

The plot takes a backseat with this one, rather it is the questions raised through the story that make this work shine.

Then why have I rated it only 3 stars?

The foremost reason would be, the story felt somewhat like an over-mixed cake batter. The taste is there but the texture is a bit off. Apart from the awareness issue, the story could have been so much more. The plethora of twists and turns, new characters and their limited contribution seemed forced and rushed.
The character development lacked depth. Regardless of the fact that it is only some 80 pages long, the characters had room for growth, and for being more interesting.

No doubt, it left me with some important thoughts as to what my contribution, as a species, should be towards the protection of other species facing extinction, but it also left me questioning as to what happens at the end, and I don't like that.
Maybe this question is not meant to be answered through this book, but to be realized through our actions.

Thank you NetGalley and Stelliform Press for providing this e-ARC.

This novella is the best text I have read so far this year, it is so unique and fantastical yet at the same time the themes it hits on are so relevant, and the Grief could easily become a reality, it has a depth and realness to it. The narrative explores the emotional and mental impact of full blown climate crisis/disaster on people, the depression, loss as well as the sense of guilt that our deep seated biophillia causes when we have to face what we've done to the planet and ourselves. However from this starting point and the musings of the protagonist we are unexpectedly taken on an extraordinary journey with many twists and turns. I honestly just disappeared into the writing, the honest rawness of the confessional tone in the narrator, mixed with vibrant descriptions of an often surreal world and hauntingly weird characters. The ending does let the book down a little but as I was reading it, it felt more like the author was exploring this scenario and that the ending was not the main purpose, instead it was the experiences and questions that were raised in a narrative that refused to be easily defined. The author covered many dark topics such as suicide, mental health, colonialism, ecological devastation and even questioned environmental movements such as conservation. A deeply haunting experience I recommend to anyone who loves good literature that asks important questions.

2.5 stars

cw: mental illness, suicide, self-harm, grief, depression

while this short novella talks about an important topic, it didn't do as much as it could've done. it lacks in plot, as the book is essentially a bunch of scenes that are very loosely tied. the ending especially was very confusing and abrupt.

i did, however, found the book disturbing, since this could be our world in the near future. i loved the descriptions of grief and how the topics of depression and suicide were handled. i also really enjoyed the commentary of how usually people only care for things that are personal to them, that affect them directly and not so much about the bigger picture.

the characters weren't developed well and i didn't connect with them at all. the story of the sea witch wasn't explored well enough and i simply didn't understand her role in the story.

as i said before, the book is finished abruptly. the MC's inner conflict wasn't resolved, so the book simply cut off with no proper ending. it also has no actual climax point, essentially very little happens and what does happen, isn't explored further.

overall, i think this would have worked better as a longer novel, rather than a short story. i still recommend it, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

thank you to netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a really fascinating exploration of humanity. The idea of this Grief that takes so many people who hold the environment dear to them is fascinating since, despite their love of these creatures, they were still involved in their extinction and, more often than not, did nothing to stop it. The desperation of people to regain what was lost instead of appreciating what is left and the conflict between those ideologies was interesting to watch unfold between Ruby with her love of jellyfish and so many others who would do just about anything to bring the old world back. The novella also addressed how climate change doesn't affect all communities the same, with the Indigenous people being especially vulnerable to this Grief. The story was gripping and there was never a dull moment.

I am honestly unable to form comprehensive thoughts about this book. It's brilliant. The ending was a tad confusing, wasn't sure if we were supposed to agree with the protagonist or with the sea witch. I hate the idea that people only care about animals for themselves, “we should save the polar bears so our grandchildren can see them” etc, we should save them because they deserve to live. This book addresses this having the main issue in the world being that people are getting infected with Grief and not that all these animals are dying. We are a very selfish species.

trigger warning
<spoiler> mental illness, grief, trauma, suicide </spoiler>

Climate crisis has reached the point at which only a few animals and plants are still in existence, and the humans responded with Grief, capital G. If you have it, you'll carry it with you the rest of your life. Nobody knows why some people get it and others don't.

The setting is creepy in this one-day-it-might-be-us way. In this short novella, the author explores the impact of thus big a change on the human mind, the knowledge of you could have changed it but you didn't do enough, <i>we</i> didn't do enough, that drives some people literally mad.

I don't want to say too much on the actual plot, because you see, even for a novella this is a short one and there is not much to say. I am afraid I'd spoil things.
This was eerily haunting, so much so that I decided to quit and go to sleep even though I only had 25 pages left. It was too much to experience directly before sleeping.
I am sure my mind will come back to this often.

The arc was provided by the publisher.