Slipping

I've read all of Lauren Beukes's novels (with Broken Monsters being my favorite), so I was happy to have a chance to read her latest, a collection of short stories with a few nonfiction pieces. Short story collections (especially ones that mix fiction and nonfiction) are often a mixed bag, but Slipping does not disappoint. The stories are wonderful and many of them left me wanting more. I wasn't sure how I would like the nonfiction pieces (I admit I didn't care too much for the first one), but overall, I felt that they meshed well with the collection, and the last piece, a letter to Beukes's daughter, was so powerful. Highly recommended.

This was an absolutely wonderful selection of eclectic short stories and as a fellow South African it felt as if I was sharing some inside jokes with the author while reading the South African based stories. My top 5 stories were:
1) Slipping (I would have loved if this was a fully fledged novel)
2) Teeth
3) Tankwa-karoo
4) Dear Mariana
5) Riding with the Dream Patrol

I also loved the non-fiction stories as the author has a very passionate and strong voice combined with her ability to really SEE people and situations which made these pieces very powerful indeed. I would definitely read more of her non-fiction.

I mostly knew of Beukes as the author of smart, twisted SF or fantasy - though it was clear from The Shining Girls that she was also a committed journalist - and I certainly hadn't read any of her short fiction. So this collection was enlightening in a number of ways.

The book collects 21 short stories, written over a decade or more both before and around Beukes' 4 published novels, and 5 pieces of non-fiction. There is also a glossary which may be useful if you're puzzled by some of the South African language used here.

In one of the non-fiction pieces, 'Adventures in Journalism', Beukes sets out what you might take as the manifesto for this collection: '...my job sent me careening around the city from rough-hewn Bellville (cellular chip technology, kiteboarding) to an exclusive boys' school in leafy Rondebosch (teen sexuality) to the low-income apartheid estate Bonteheuwel (graffiti artists, taxi drivers).' Driven by her desire to learn, to understand and to communicate, she flits around, taking in all the breadth of human life (and death).

Similarly, this book explores the boundaries of the weird, the fantastical, the outrageous, from an obsessed stalker who's invaded her girlfriend's home ('Dear Mariana') to an occupying army carrying out torture on captive aliens ('Unaccounted') to a fraud perpetrated by 419 scammers ('Easy Touch'). In some of these you can see ideas developing that resulted in full length novels - part of the background of 'Zoo City' was those same scammers, and 'Branded' reads like backstory to 'Moxyland'. Others are standalone (or haven't resulted in full length books yet...) or experimental: a collection of microstories written as tweets ('Litmash'), the story of someone calling random numbers and trying to impose a structure on the results ('Dial Tone'), a tale ('Algebra') told in 26 sections, one for each letter of the alphabet.

Not all the stories have elements of the fantastic or the SFnal: many are naturalistic, at least on the surface: in 'Parking' a parking attendant burns with desire for one of the women who regularly leaves her car in his area. Or is he a threatening stalker? In 'Slipping' a mysterious figure adopts multiple identities online - but why? Perhaps there's a sense that Beukes herself is, here, slipping: all those journalistic assignments, all those different themes - trans-human athletes competing in a kind of reality TV show, a fairytale in which a princess finds happiness somewhere she had never looked, stories of edgy art creators and architecture students who meet ghosts - seem to be her sampling possibilities, trying on ideas, and reporting back.

Sometimes, as I've said, things coalesce in themes or ideas that relate to the novels - both in the fiction and the non-fiction, where there is a discussion of the themes behind The Shining Girls, specifically the man who hates women so much that he wants to snuff out something special that he sees in them.

That idea - the twistedness behind the way things are - is a common motif, many of the stories touching on themes of, especially, race (how could they not) but generally obliquely. There's the determined woman who makes her living selling 'smileys' (cooked sheeps' heads) who has a spot of bother with a veteran of the Struggle. There are references (again in both the fiction and non-fiction) to the different districts, often close beside each other, the vastly different yet intertwined lives. Safe and dangerous places. But it's more I think about atmosphere and influence than straight reporting - a chilling account of a surveillance state run in the name of law and order, or that torture prison for 'aliens' (they're 'not human' so can they be dehumanised?) So many themes, so many ideas - reading this book is like turning a Kalleidescope round and round.

Some of the influences may be hinted at in the origins of the stories - written for a wide range of publications (an erotic collection here, the Big Issue there, by way of annuals and themed anthologies). But - unless I'm missing something - Beukes hasn't let her vision be unduly trammelled by the such commissions. There's a unity of vision and tone that builds through the volume, despite (or because of?) the wide ranging nature of the material

An engaging collection, whether or not you're read the novels, and I hope hinting at still more strangeness to come from this most compelling writer.

This is, as the by-line says, a collection of stories, essays and other writing (such as poems). We start off with a poem titled Muse, about fishhooks in the fingers of gloves that embed themselves a little more with every keystroke, and it's beautiful.

From there we have the first short story, about a girl who, instead of the lower half of her legs, has neurocircuitry. She's come to Pakistan as one of the runners (as the taxi driver oh so cleverly works out), in a futuristic version of the Paralympics. It's hard hitting and interesting, character-driven like Beukes does best, and the perfect start to the collection.

Each part in the collection after this is totally different, and yet utterly enthralling and manages to keep you reading though the easy way you slip into each narrative. Usually when there's huge changes in short story to short story I usually need a break, but this collection works perfectly at holding you down to devour the first half easily within an hour - or until dinner interrupts you, at least.

Being Beukes, hard topics are described and explored, and being Beukes one can easily trust in the author to be both sensitive, intelligent and eloquent throughout.

The non-fiction shows us work that Beukes did as a journalist, and it's amazingly good - I'm picky with my non-fiction and either struggle through each paragraph or can't put it down, and this was the latter.

In this collection, though it's sometimes hard to see through the grit and the grime and the grim nature of the narrative, there is still hope and determination and people ready to struggle for what's right. And that's what makes this collection so damn powerful.

‘You don’t have to name something to understand it.’

In Slipping, Beukes takes the modern world and transforms it into something futuristic and near unrecognizable. The title story, Slipping, is about a girl who, following a severe accident, is transformed through technological advances into a racing machine. Smileys, is a strange story about a soldier attempting to extort a woman who sells cooked sheep heads. Pop Tarts, is a story about a reality star and the realization that it’s all nothing but scripted fiction. Unathi Battles the Black Hairballs, is the story about a woman who must save Tokyo (and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the talking cat). Each of these stories are wildly authentic, vastly entertaining, and a constant focus on the darkness in this world.

'Culture wants to be free. This is not my original thought. But who of us can claim to be truly original? Aren’t we all remixes of every influence we’ve ever come across?’

The wide variety of genres cause the stories to lack a certain cohesion like a typical short story anthology might, but it does this collection a disservice to think this is a negative. Instead, each of these stories act as their own palette cleanser from one story to the next and it keeps the reader in a constant state of bewilderment not knowing what type of outlandishness to expect next. I was pleasantly surprised that my favorite part of this collection were the five Non-Fiction pieces included at the end. In these she discusses personal topics such as how she got into journalism, about the research she conducted for her book Zoo City within the inner city of Johannesburg, and some additional insight into why she wrote The Shining Girls, my personal favorite of Beukes, which made me love it even more. She leaves us on a resolute note, with a letter to her five-year-old daughter about the meaning of true beauty.

I’ve read (and loved) a few of Beukes’ full length novels and her writing prowess manages to be just as impressive in her short fiction. This obscure collection only proves that her talents are truly expansive and that we have much to look forward from her.

‘Every person I speak to gives me a new perspective, a different lens. It’s made my writing more than it would have ever been. And it’s still an excuse to go adventuring.’

Reading can be a passive pastime. Not so with the immediacy of Lauren Beukes writing which exudes such energy it reaches out of the page, grabs you by the throat and gives you a good shake. Her non-fiction is as effective as her fiction, resulting in a collection that is a highly visceral experience. Certainly the book will leave you moved or deep in thought about what you've just read.
These short stories and writing are a showcase in how far you can push words on a page as well as the reader, yet Beukes never loses control of the sometimes weird and quite frankly disturbing, as fantasy and the outlandish can be juxtaposed with the recognizable and ordinary.
Like all good fantasy and science fiction, the stories make some strong social comments and the origins of some of these can be seen in the non-fiction section. Beukes is not afraid to experiment by writing and thinking outside the conventional box, which often makes for challenging writing and elicits strong emotions as the reader comes up close and personal to the uncomfortable. Yet the stories, like the wry subversion of the fairytale ‘The Princess and the Pea’, possess great humour while also having a great deal to say about society and behaviour as well as packing a lot of story into a small space.
Forensically the non-fiction section is very interesting because it is excellent prose and demonstrates the experiences that have bled through into Beukes’ powerful stories. Her non-fiction prose is as hypnotic as her fiction and I will now be on the hunt for more of it.
Beukes captures the essence of what it means to be alive in all its many forms, as the life force of the characters tears itself right off the page and meets the reader head on.
Slipping was courtesy of Tachyon Publications via NetGalley

One of the strongest story collections of this reader's 2016, owing especially to the science fiction stories "Slipping" and "The Green". Beukes is one of the most interesting voices around.

Fiction

Muse - Brief, poetic and appropriate as an introduction. A dash of the fantastic, a bit of horror - and a comment on the creative process.

Slipping - A re-read (and worth the second look.) "Last year, Beukes' 'Broken Monsters' impressed me... and this story continues to impress. The technology here is beyond today's capabilities - but the behavior of the humans here is all too believable; the situation not just credible but likely.
With most countries banning 'enhanced' sports, the +Games has found a home in Pakistan, where bionic athletes compete not solely for an audience, but for corporate and military observers. The hope? For the surgeon to showcase their wares, resulting in a payoff.
Why would anyone opt for these extreme and experimental surgical procedures? And what is the human cost? Beukes answers these questions with this horrific and emotionally wracking portrait of one young South African competitor."

Confirm / Ignore - Brief, but timely and insightful look into the mentality involved in creating fake social media profiles.

Branded - You can read the story on i09: http://io9.gizmodo.com/5943053/a-brand-new-cyberpunk-story-by-lauren-beukes. This is a precursor to 'Moxyland,' and shares some of the same themes, especially the idea of paid sponsors wearing commercial logo 'tattoos' and receiving nanotech enhancements that allow them to get 'high' off seemingly innocuous products.
If you haven't read this - or Moxyland - yet, I recommend doing so. (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1647517507)

Smileys - An older woman, heading to market, is approached by a young man who can't have anything good in mind. The outcome is surprising, and kick-ass. Loved it!

Princess - A weird fairytale/allegory about sexual awakening, and the romance between a popstar celebrity and her Ecuadorean maid, complete with happy-ish ending. Bizarre.

My Insect Skin - Powerful and disturbing. This is a short vignette, but packs an emotional punch in with more layers of complexity than the reader initially expects. Impressively excellent writing.

Parking - Remember The Beatles' "Lovely Rita"? Well, this is a reversal of that scenario. A traffic warden develops a crush on a woman who regularly parks on his beat. Things don't work out so well. Exploring both issues of class and human nature, Beukes eloquently allows for understanding, without demanding or excusing.

Pop Tarts - With just one step into the future, Beukes shows us the possible next gen of reality TV. What happens when your best friend is the next big star, her - and your - every move followed by the cameras? A blackly humorous look at where the trends are leading.

The Green - WOW. Dystopian military sci-fi/horror. This story is so excellent. Our protagonist has been recruited from the slums to a military-style research corporation specializing in R&D. They use people like her for highly dangerous harvesting operations on alien planets. On-the-job injury or death isn't uncommon. But a new project is particularly demoralizing: they're experimenting with corpses; using some kind of alien 'mold' to reanimate them, zombie style. Seeing your former lover in this state is pretty rough, understandably. But is it the worst thing you can imagine? Beukes is up for the challenge of taking the horror one step further.

Litmash - Bits from a Twitter 'story' challenge. Some of them are amusing, but this isn't really my kind of thing.

Easy Touch - At this point in time, it's a familiar story: a woman with a dying child has been sucked into a 419 scam, lured across international borders and convinced to sink her assets into the hopes of a big payout. But Beukes does something a bit unexpected with the tale.

Algebra - It's just the story of a relationship. Not usually my sort of thing. Nothing really that unusual or remarkable happens. You might think, at first, the little A-Z sections are a bit gimmicky. But the end result is just wonderfully done.

Unathi Battles the Black Hairballs - Again, at first, I didn't think this was going to be my kind of story. Wild and weird, cartoony Japanime action... But then, I said, "Waiiittt... this is sounding an awful lot like the Takashi Murakami exhibit we had at the Brooklyn Museum." And then, Haruki Murakami (the writer) shows up as a character. Next thing you know, Takashi is there too. And I was laughing out loud on the subway... It's awesome.

Dear Mariana - This one is more in line, mood-wise, with 'Broken Monsters' (and maybe 'Shining Girls; which I haven't read yet.) A poorly-typed letter to an absent ex-girlfriend begins innocuously enough. But as the narrative continues, an ominous tension crawls to the forefront.

Riding with the Dream Patrol - Drawing from Beukes' experience as a journalist; this one almost feels like non-fiction. The concerns about issues of privacy, 'classified' data and technology are all-too-current.
"The problem is that you can justify almost anything as national security, and the guy who gets to decide what should be declassified is the same person who decided it was classified in the first place. ... And all this is being sold to us as for our own good."

Unaccounted - Things have gone sour between humanity and the aliens. We're in a state of war. Alien 'diplomats' are now held prisoner at a military facility. And, in a situation disturbingly reminiscent of Guantanamo (or any other military prison/base), the lines between correct operating procedure, the rules of bureaucracy, ethical actions, and the violation of all of those, becomes increasingly blurred. Powerful piece.

Tankwa-Karoo - Attendees at a rave festival slip more quickly than they could have imagined into Mad-Max-style bloody power struggles, when they hear that outside civilisation has collapsed. Bitterly hilarious.

Exhibitionist - This is an excerpt from 'Moxyland.'

Dial Tone - Similar in theme to "Confirm / Ignore," but instead of social media, the narrator here makes 'prank' phone calls.

Ghost Girl - A college student studying architecture and struggling through a passionate but unstable romantic relationship finds his perspective challenged when the ghost of a teenage goth girl starts following him around and bugging him.

Nonfiction

Adventures in Journalism - An essay on Beukes' work as a journalist and how those experiences and techniques have informed an enabled her fiction.

All the Pretty Corpses - An introduction, or notes on 'The Shining Girls,' with a story about the truly horrific murder of a woman Beukes knew, and tried - and failed - to gain justice for. Not easy reading.

Judging Unity - An introduction, based on an interview, to the writer, lawyer and human rights activist Unity Dow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_Dow Succeeding in interesting me in her writing!

Inner City - An introduction/notes on "Zoo City," again, giving insight into how real-life experiences informed the novel.

On Beauty: A Letter to My Five-Year-Old Daughter - A feminist essay.

Many thanks to Tachyon and NetGalley for the chance to read this collection from one of my favorite authors. As always, my opinions are unconnected to the source of the book.