An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Soloman
CW: Physical Abuse, Arson, Discussion of Suicide, Police Brutality, Medical/Surgical Descriptions, Abuse of Power, Discussion of Rape, Public Execution, Money Problems, Poison, Racism, Transphobia, Homophobia, Classism, Ableism, Misgendering
4.5/5
To start, Happy Autism Acceptance Month! I was diagnosed in February and I'm embracing it whenever I can. There will always be moments where being autistic is a struggle, but I've found that I'm pretty happy with my diagnosis. For this month, I really wanted to read at least one OwnVoices book to celebrate. After asking an Autism group I'm in for suggestions, I was led to An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Soloman. The cover caught my eye and so did the promise of non-binary representation.
As someone who was deeply into the Books of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau when I was younger, An Unkindness of Ghosts brought me a lot of nostalgic feelings. It also delivered in its own right, weaving a fantastic tale I won't soon forget. I will warn you now that the ending is open, leaving the story feeling unfinished. That left me upset, earning this book half a point off out of 5, but I'm so glad I read it. The ending may be purposefully reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica, but what Soloman has written should not be passed over.
This book is about Aster, a 25 year old scientist. She is into botany, healing, and alchemy. Aster lives on a generational spaceship with major race and class problems. Each deck of the ship has its own culture, language, relationship to gender, and skills. The ship is ruled by the rich white men and upper decks. The lower decks are controlled by guards and made to work 6/7 days a week. They only get access to heat while working in the artificial crop fields. Recently the ship has been experiencing black outs and Aster is very curious as to why. The last time this happened was near her birth, around the time her mother died. With clues left by her mother and the help of her friends and found family, Aster intends to make major changes for the entire ship.
Considering that the ship does not have all of the same language that we do, Aster is never directly labeled as "autistic". However, using their own phrasing, they make it very clear that Aster is. Reassurance is placed in the author being autistic too. Autistic readers will be able to see themselves in Aster to some degree. Personally, I could relate to the need to be clarified when indirect language is used, the need to escape into a special interest, not picking up on social cues, the preference for weird foods, and the focus on texture. The big thing that I could not relate to was that Aster was nonverbal for the first several years of childhood. I was a talkative child and did not know when to be quiet. I like seeing the differences in experiences between autistic folks.
Soloman weaves non-binary characters into the fabric of the story. This could be seen as a post-gender book if it were not for the upper class's behavior. They are prejudiced about most things and that includes being transphobic. Soloman is a non-binary author and I greatly appreciate what she has done with gender in the story. None of the 3 main characters seem fully attached to their assigned genders and two of them have a conversation about it near the end of the book. At the start of the book, the readers automatically meet a child who uses they/them pronouns who needs an amputation, setting the tone for the rest of the book. Bonus, An Unkindness of Ghosts also features an aromantic character with a P.O.V. chapter and a W.L.W. couple.
There's so much more I want to know about the story. I want to know what happens next, I want to know who Aster's father was, I want to know what exactly led to the H.S.S. Matilda launching into space, and I want to see the ship with my own eyes. Perhaps we will be gifted with a sequel or a movie one day, but until then, I think others should read An Unkindness of Ghosts and then chat with me about it!
Further Reading: Interview with Soloman
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