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Book Review
Sep. 16th, 2009 09:23 pmThe Necessary Beggar
by Susan Palwick
This short sci-fi/magical realist novel is about an extended family who, because one of their members commits a heinous crime, is exiled from their world into more-or-less present-day America. They progress from a refugee camp to a comfortable life in suburban Reno, all the while trying to understand both the events that brought them there and the nature of their new home. While the plot does give a nod to the conventions of the successful immigrant narrative (the older generation finds artisan or low-skill work, the younger generation achieves wild academic success that will lead them to lucrative white-collar careers, etc.), it also weaves together elements of romance and ghost stories. The use of the fantastical elements allowed Palwick to make several points about the experience of immigration and assimilation without becoming heavy-handed. The prose style is on the simplistic and straightforward side, but it did give the book the feeling of a fable or folktale.
by Susan Palwick
This short sci-fi/magical realist novel is about an extended family who, because one of their members commits a heinous crime, is exiled from their world into more-or-less present-day America. They progress from a refugee camp to a comfortable life in suburban Reno, all the while trying to understand both the events that brought them there and the nature of their new home. While the plot does give a nod to the conventions of the successful immigrant narrative (the older generation finds artisan or low-skill work, the younger generation achieves wild academic success that will lead them to lucrative white-collar careers, etc.), it also weaves together elements of romance and ghost stories. The use of the fantastical elements allowed Palwick to make several points about the experience of immigration and assimilation without becoming heavy-handed. The prose style is on the simplistic and straightforward side, but it did give the book the feeling of a fable or folktale.
