The Plasticity of Being

by Renan Bernardo

A Brazilian freelance journalist confronts the grim reality her past choices created when she covers a community of people living in a landfill and what they must do to survive…At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Brazil

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 3, 2024

About the author

Renan Bernardo is a Nebula and Ignyte finalist author of science fiction and fantasy from Brazil. His short fiction appeared in Reactor/Tor.com, Clarkesworld, Apex Magazine, Podcastle, Escape Pod, Daily Science Fiction, and others.

He writes from secondary world fantasy to dark science fiction, and he enjoys the intersection of climate narratives with science, technology, and the human relations inherent to it.

His solarpunk/clifi short fiction collection, Different Kinds of Defiance, was published in 2024. His dark space opera novella, Disgraced Return of the Kap’s Needle, was released in 2025.

Reviews

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Plasticity of Being by Renan Bernardo - 3.5/5★

Very interesting take about a genetic modification that allows people to eat (and get all the essential nutrients from) plastic. Not sure if dystopic is the right tag to put on it, seeing that it's not event impossible to happen at some point.

The short story is found in Some of the Best from Reactor: 2024 Edition and can also be read on REACTOR

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://reactorprenan-bernardo/

Oh man, this one is all too possible.

[Lizzie S · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if a corporation experimented with a new method to allow people to get nutrition from plastic?

Deeply uncomfortable to read.

[Beth N · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most thought-provoking science fiction is often that which draws on a believable premise. This short story is one such example. In a parallel present or near future, a solution has been found to the twin problems of world hunger and plastic waste: give humans enzymes to allow them to digest plastic. A masterful stroke of genius.

Except that it isn't. Bernardo's tender prose is full of guilty reflections on how humanity has lost its way. Verdidea is such a believable company because we have seen so many similar. They promise utopia but found it on reputation-destroying corruption. The poor may now have enough to eat but that doesn't stop them being poor or scratching a living in landfills. The promised sweet salvation turns sour.

The Plasticity of Being perfectly reflects today's zeitgeist of hopeful disillusionment. Empathetic, thoughtful and relatable, it is a story for our time.

[Chuck Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a short story that was really trying to go for the emotional heart strings & mostly succeeded. While I didn’t really connect much with the residents of the landfill, I did get invested in history of Verdidea & the MCs relationship with her mother & did enjoy the satisfying conclusion. In a short amount of time the author was able to get their readers to feel for the residents (or the plastikeaters as they are referred to in the story) of the landfill and how they were taken advantage of, but it was fairly shallow & I wasn’t as invested in them unfortunately. A good, not great, short story overall.

[owlette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers: the "plastic" in the title is literal. Renan Bernardo's premise for the story is "What would be the most Silicon Valley way to solve the plastic waste problem?" and takes things from there. As a supplemental reading I highly recommend the Center for Climate Integrity's 70-page report, "The Fraud of Plastic Recycling," published in February 2024. The whole report is pretty riveting. It explains the technical difficulties of mechanical recycling and the industry's concerted PR efforts to sell the idea that these petrochemical material can be reclaimed and reused effectively. Sometimes I see libertarians defending Big Oil by saying that we can't ascribe intent to their actions, but the primary sources quoted in this report leaves no doubt that there was definitely intent to fail and deceive the public: "‘We’ll set this [plastic recycling infrastructure] up and get it going, but if the public wants it, they are going to have to pay for it.'"; "'We are committed to the activities [of promoting recycling], but not committed to the results.'"

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of a reporter who visits a community of people living in a landfill to discover their views on having enough to eat. But what they can now eat may make the reader uncomfortable, and it is the reporter's way of regaining respect, for she once worked at the company that imploded when the method used to allow the landfill people to eat was revealed.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A weird one. I didn't love it, but I thought it was a very well done piece of ecofiction. Unfortunately it feels far too plausible.

[Per · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://reactormag.com/the-plasticity...

[Dottie Bagwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this were longer.

[Astrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[doowopapocalypse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less about trying to seek some sort of justice for the genetically modified plastic eaters and more about the main character to feel better about herself.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Months later, I changed the rating from a 4 to a 5 because it's one of the only short stories that I viscerally remember. It is horrible in an extremely well done way (not derogatory). lol