I read These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart near the end of 2023 and I was completely blown away by how much I loved it. While I thought I would like the novella based on the synopsis, I wasn’t expecting this to be a favorite book of mine. These Fragile Graces is incredible, intense, and remarkably powerful.
| Title: These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart | Author: Izzy Wasserstein |
| Publication Date: March 12, 2024 | Publisher: Tachyon |
| Genre: Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk | Page Count: 176 pages |
Synopsis
In a queer, noir technothriller of fractured identity and corporate intrigue, a trans woman faces her fear of losing her community as her past chases after her. This bold, thought-provoking debut science-fiction novella from a Lambda Award finalist is an exciting and unpredictable look at the fluid nature of our former and present selves.
In mid-21st-century Kansas City, Dora hasn’t been back to her old commune in years. But when Dora’s ex-girlfriend Kay is killed, and everyone at the commune is a potential suspect, Dora knows she’s the only person who can solve the murder.
As Dora is dragged back into her old community and begins her investigations, she discovers that Kay’s death is only one of several terrible incidents. A strange new drug is circulating. People are disappearing. And Dora is being attacked by assailants from her pre-transition past.
Meanwhile, It seems like a war between two nefarious corporations is looming, and Dora’s old neighborhood is their battleground. Now she must uncover a twisted conspiracy, all while navigating a deeply meaningful new relationship.
Review:
These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart features a trans protagonist, a cyber-noir setting, and a murder mystery – all set within a corporation-based thriller. However, this story is so much more than just a mystery. Its razor-sharp prose prompts readers to consider its queer characters and the queer experience. Why do only certain characters get to be complex? Can queer and trans characters also be complicated? Why don’t we afford them the same grace we afford cis, heterosexual men? These are tough questions, but Wasserstein handles them beautifully. She uses the framing of a noir murder mystery, to let her characters be wondrously flawed.
These Fragile Graces reminded me how much I love messy, complicated characters in science fiction. I believe the best science fiction occurs in grimy, gritty worlds, and those worlds rarely hold pristine people. Wasserstein’s characters are the perfect blend of complicated and capable. The protagonist, Dora, is a trans woman living in a worn-down corner of a post-cyberpunk city. At the novella’s opening, Dora receives a visit from an old friend and learns of a murder in her former commune. The remainder of the story centers on this mystery and on traditional cyberpunk themes of cloning, drugs, and big corporations.
I loved Dora, but the secondary characters really shined here. Blue, with all their complicated and confused feelings, was one of the most compelling characters I’ve read in a long time. Although the commune dwellers were mostly minor characters, I also enjoyed getting to know them, too.
Final Thoughts:
I loved everything about this novella. The characters are complex, and the mystery is sharp. The world is bleak, yet the commune shines as a bright spot. I loved Blue (and who they become). I loved Dora. Read this novella.
Rating: An enormous 5+/5 stars. It’s definitely going on my Goodreads Infinity Stars Shelf.
Huge thanks to Tachyon Publications for an advanced copy of the book. All the above thoughts are my own.
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