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Toxic Relationships Destroying Alien Worlds

Author: Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Vinh and Amara are happily married – sort of. There is that lingering doubt about the sustainability of their marriage. Vinh has left Amara before – left her brutally. But . . . somehow, they are back together and married now, even though their fraught honeymoon is filled with moments of toxicity, unsaid accusations, and past pain.

Their marriage is dissolved almost instantly – but not for the reason you suspect. A political rival has destroyed the newly colonized planet’s genetic engineering capabilities, which is how this society ensures its survival. In other words, they can’t make test-tube babies anymore, and they need to go back to the old-fashioned man and woman reproductive methods. The government says so, and despite Vinh’s high status as some kind of security super-badass and Amara’s scientific clout, the government dissolves their lesbian union and gives them both husbands. Amara is given Jesse, her childhood best friend, as her new husband, and Vinh gets an easy-going dude, a non-entity. The women collude to stay faithful, thwart the government orders, and keep their marriage and friendship with Jesse going on the downlow. The problem? These two CANNOT GET ALONG. Not even through even one meal. And do you want to talk about communication, because they sure don’t.

Meanwhile, as everyone argues with everyone, jealousies run high, and the men try and fail to keep out of the escalating tension, our promised horror menace is doing very little in the background. You see, this new planet is inhabited by a sentient grey goo that “cleans up” the environment by consuming invasive organisms. So far, it doesn’t seem to think humanity fits that bill – but that could change any minute now, and there are hints that it is changing. But, of course, everyone is asleep at the switch, so by the time they notice, bad has become worse. Forget the future of the colony and the new breeding requirements. It’s everyone for themselves.

The problem with This World is Not Yours is largely due to marketing. The blurb promises a toxic “polycule” that doesn’t exist plus horror and non-stop thriller vibes. But it’s not really a horror/thriller – at least not in that way. It is a book about toxic relationships, about commitment issues, about co-dependency and communication, and the horror is in the mishandling of these elements by the messed-up characters and in the nature of selfishness and the desire for ownership. The grey goo that is given top billing is just a background noise and a catalyst to send the characters over the edge.

The second problem is Jesse. He is a major initiator of the ending – which is decidedly cool and creepy all in one. But is it earned? Amara and Vinh, neither of whom are likable or trustworthy, are the main characters here. Jesse and his very obviously deeply disturbed nature is just sort of there, yet he has a major impact on the outcome. He needed to either be in the story more to justify the outcome – and explain why he never talked to his friends about his desires and wants – or he needed to be removed entirely.

Still, despite the complaints, this was a quick and entertaining read. I liked the idea of the grey goo and the setting of the planet. While both Vinh and Amara are childish and selfish, I did enjoy seeing their dysfunction as well, especially since I knew it would be the catalyst for something greater and far more tragic. This World Is Not Yours just needed more room to expand, better marketing, and at least one character with whom we could empathize, allowing that to meet the thrust of the story (toxicity causes damage) that empathetic person still needed to be deeply flawed. Still, this was a quick read, and I was entertained, so recommended.

 

– Frances Carden

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Frances Carden
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