The Silence of the Wilting Skin

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The Silence of the Wilting Skin
The Silence of the Wilting Skin Tsamaase book cover.jpg
Author Tlotlo Tsamaase
LanguageEnglish
GenreSpeculative fiction
PublisherPink Narcissus Press
Publication date
2020
Publication place United States
AwardsFinalist for Lambda Literary Award for Speculative Fiction
ISBN 978-1-939056-17-7

The Silence of the Wilting Skin is a 2020 speculative fiction novella by Tlotlo Tsamaase, published by Pink Narcissus Press. [1] It was a finalist for the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Speculative Fiction [2] and a 2021 Nommo Award finalist for Best Novella. [3] It was named one of the best speculative fiction books of 2020 by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar for The Washington Post. [4]

Contents

Synopsis

The story is set in an unnamed African city, divided into two racially segregated districts by a train line that carries the spirits of the Black community's dead, including the former boyfriend and some family members of the protagonist. She is an artist, as is her current girlfriend, and both use their art and their relationship to fight off increasing loss of identity, including some people turning invisible or the color coming off others' skin. They are also threatened by the gentrification and co-opting of their city and culture by the white government in the other district, which also threatens to destroy the train line carrying their ancestors. The protagonist turns to insomnia in order to fight against these problems.

Style and themes

The novella is written in a poetic, dreamlike style. It discusses racism, queer identity, colonialism, and erasure of culture. Characters are not given names; instead they are referred to by descriptors, such as "Girlfriend" or "Grandmother."

A reviewer from Strange Horizons writes that "each chapter [is] an impressionistic thought-experiment exploring different facets of the world that Tsamaase’s characters occupy—but they provide sufficient thematic synchronicity to bring each concept into a kind of agreement with the others. The novella invokes ghostly trainlines, but it also entertains the idea of drinking the love of past lovers to keep one’s own love alive, and cultures where the living struggle to stay afloat because they also have to pay dues for the dead. It invokes shadow-less people and people-less shadows, the abrupt loss of skin-colour, sight, and opacity as normalized rites of passage for a dying people." [5]

Reception

The Silence of the Wilting Skin was a finalist for the 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Speculative Fiction. [2] It was also a 2021 Nommo Award finalist for Best Novella. [3] It was named one of the best science fiction, fantasy, or horror books of 2020 by The Washington Post , in a list compiled by prominent speculative fiction writers Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar, who described it as an "impressive and memorable debut." [4]

Publishers Weekly writes that The Silence of the Wilting Skin is "lyrical and incisive . . . this atmospheric anticolonialist battle cry is a tour de force." [6]

Strange Horizons writes that "[Tsamaase's] prose, like her poetry, prioritizes recurring images, terms, and themes over character, setting, and plot consistency . . . The Silence of the Wilted Skin [cannot] be considered an 'easy' read, even when engaged without expectations of consistency along the usual lines of character and plot. This novella is, however, a read that will get under your—ah—skin." [5]

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References

  1. ↑ "The Silence of the Wilting Skin". PINK NARCISSUS PRESS. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  2. 1 2 Gentes, Brian (2021-03-15). "2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  3. 1 2 "2021 Nommo Awards Nomination Long List". www.africansfs.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  4. 1 2 Moreno-Garcia, Silvia, and Lavie Tidhar (November 19, 2020). "Best science fiction, fantasy and horror books of 2020". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 January 2021, M. L. Clark Issue: 25 (2021-01-25). "The Silence of the Wilting Skin by Tlotlo Tsamaase". Strange Horizons. Retrieved 2024-09-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "The Silence of the Wilting Skin". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
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