BRIGHT AND DANGEROUS OBJECTS

BRIGHT AND DANGEROUS OBJECTS BY ANNELIESE MACKINTOSH

In Anneliese Mackintosh’s Bright and Dangerous Objects, commercial deep-sea diver Solvig is one of 100 finalists selected for the Mars Project, an ambitious, private space venture to send a handful of people to settle Mars. This may be the thirty-seven-year-old’s dreams made manifest, but if she is selected, it will likely mean she will have to leave Earth forever, separating herself from her long-term partner, James, and his hopes that the couple will soon raise a child.

Solvig spends long hours in high-pressure saturation for her deep-sea dives, leaving her time between spurts of dangerous work to pick through her mind, where childhood dreams of reaching the stars conflict with the reality of her life on Earth. Through a story which is equal parts meditation and action, Mackintosh engrosses the reader with her tale of a determined character who tries to balance ambition and care in her regular life while facing interplanetary possibilities. When Solvig meets another finalist, a mother who is set for life on Mars where she will likely die away from her many children, Solvig realizes she must confront her own desires, and her final destination. 

For a novel that confronts some of humanity’s largest quests, Mackintosh keeps Solvig firmly grounded in human problems. While none of us may be getting on a ship to Mars this year, it may be soon that we will be asked if a better future exists for us in the stars. Mackintosh skillfully explores the anxieties and possibilities of motherhood, showing us the complex possibilities that science may soon present to us.

Tin House.

—Review by Sidney Thomas

USELESS MIRACLE

USELESS MIRACLE BY BARRY SCHECHTER

In Barry Schechter’s Useless Miracle, George Entmen, a middle-aged professor of hermeneutics in the English department at Northwestern University, finds a small miracle—he can fly—though only at heights of mere inches. George’s inexplicable talent breaks science and quickly dissolves his previously steady life, putting him in the company of rejected philosophy doctoral candidates, circus kidnappers, and magicians on the edge.

In a world desensitized by modern technology, floating several inches above the ground is hardly more than a party trick. But to George Entmen, his new-found ability could signal the next step in human evolution, and he’s willing to stake his reputation as an academic on defending the dignity of flying, despite the low heights he may soar. 

Schechter deftly balances lush and descriptive prose with humorous dialogue, creating a complex plot from a mundane miracle and a cast of witty characters. In particular, the disgruntled philosopher-turned-magician, Nelson, who had his dissertation committee turn on him for wanting “someone to pay you to be sad,” evokes the reader’s pity and delight in equal amounts. Add in a maniacal philanthropist determined to propel Nelson’s philosophy to Nietzsche-esque stardom, a flock of jealous magicians set on revenge for George’s unintentional mockery of magic, and the world’s dry dissatisfaction with George Entmen and his useless miracle, and with every righteously funny turn this book spins a hard-to-please America against George.

Melville House.

—Review by Sidney Thomas

HISTORY OF AN EXECUTIONER

HISTORY OF AN EXECUTIONER BY CLANCY MCGILLIGAN

Clancy McGilligan’s History of an Executioner is a dystopian tale particularly relevant to these strange times. On behalf of “the Republic”, the fictional government ruling this dystopia, a nameless executioner performs his morbid trade dutifully, arcing his axe like his father taught him—feeling unemotional about his fatal blows.

When the Republic deems executions immoral and temporarily suspends them, the executioner finds himself adrift and finds new ways to fill his time—visiting the brothel, exploring the countryside, and imagining escaping to a new, unhindered life away from his small city.

History of an Executioner captures a narrow consciousness struggling against the questionable morals of his superiors. Clancy McGilligan’s debut novella evokes a strong bond between the reader and the executioner by connecting his moral questioning to our natural repulsion of the executions. When the executioner is faced with killing the healthy over the sick he is conflicted, but ultimately concludes that “such things do not matter. These people are still with us.” And is there any sentiment more relevant? McGilligan navigates these themes nimbly in a dark finely drawn fairytale-esque landscape. At once familiar and at times intentionally disorientating, McGilligan’s sparse prose quickly draws the reader into this complex novella.

Miami University Press.

—Review by Sidney Thomas