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The Past Is Red
Catherynne M. Valente, the bestselling and award-winning creator of Space Opera and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland returns with The Past is Red, the enchanting, dark, funny, angry story of a girl who made two terrible mistakes: she told the truth and she dared to love the world.
The future is blue. Endless blue...except for a few small places that float across the hot, drowned world left behind by long-gone fossil fuel-guzzlers. One of those patches is a magical place called Garbagetown.
Tetley Abednego is the most beloved girl in Garbagetown, but she's the only one who knows it. She's the only one who knows a lot of things: that Garbagetown is the most wonderful place in the world, that it's full of hope, that you can love someone and 66% hate them all at the same time.
But Earth is a terrible mess, hope is a fragile thing, and a lot of people are very angry with her. Then Tetley discovers a new friend, a terrible secret, and more to her world than she ever expected.
The future is blue. Endless blue...except for a few small places that float across the hot, drowned world left behind by long-gone fossil fuel-guzzlers. One of those patches is a magical place called Garbagetown.
Tetley Abednego is the most beloved girl in Garbagetown, but she's the only one who knows it. She's the only one who knows a lot of things: that Garbagetown is the most wonderful place in the world, that it's full of hope, that you can love someone and 66% hate them all at the same time.
But Earth is a terrible mess, hope is a fragile thing, and a lot of people are very angry with her. Then Tetley discovers a new friend, a terrible secret, and more to her world than she ever expected.
151 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2021
206 people are currently reading
17533 people want to read
About the author
Catherynne M. Valente
254 books7,774 followersCatherynne M. Valente was born on Cinco de Mayo, 1979 in Seattle, WA, but grew up in in the wheatgrass paradise of Northern California. She graduated from high school at age 15, going on to UC San Diego and Edinburgh University, receiving her B.A. in Classics with an emphasis in Ancient Greek Linguistics. She then drifted away from her M.A. program and into a long residence in the concrete and camphor wilds of Japan.
She currently lives in Maine with her partner, two dogs, and three cats, having drifted back to America and the mythic frontier of the Midwest.
She currently lives in Maine with her partner, two dogs, and three cats, having drifted back to America and the mythic frontier of the Midwest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,343 reviews
September 3, 2022
“I hope everyone I meet is as happy as I am because Garbagetown is the best possible place in all of space and time.”Imagine the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch as a solid and organized mass of all kinds of refuse emblematic of human follies, becoming the only tangible patch of solid “ground” in the drowned world, a place where “people could live on a patch of garbage in the Pacific Ocean the size of the place that used to be called Texas” — and allowing Valente to take that image and go full Valente on it.
The Texas-sized floating island of conveniently solid and presorted discards of humanity - or, as we are aptly known in the world of people living on the floating garbage island in the world humans ruined in the quest for excess, “Fuckwits” - on which the survivors are making a life while thematically appropriately lauding St. Oscar the Grouch — with neighborhoods such as Candle Hole, Electric City, Pill Hill, and Clotheschester. No, it’s neither feasible nor plausible, but that’s not what Valente goes for here.
Her weapons of choice are surreal and oddly mesmerizing and in this case melancholically heartbreaking.
“People tend to huddle up in the useful areas of Garbagetown. It doesn’t pay to live too far from any one of the three Ps of postapocalyptic life: protein, precipitation, and potential. The Great Sorting was thorough and sensible. It made neighborhoods out of a floating crapfill, land out of waste. There’s good work and good junk in Scrapmetal Abbey, Upholsterton, Pill Hill, Bookbury, Rubbering, the Babydales. You could make a sturdy cottage out of television season box-sets on the slopes of Mt. VHS. There’s good soil in the Mountains Organic—Bannockbone, Taxidermia, Seedville, and the Spice Tundra—or at least good components that could be convinced to become soil eventually. And of course on the Lawn, out past the Matchstick Forest, slowly encroaching on the Cardboard Flats. You could build a life out of those places. A trade. A family.”
And in this world we get to hear the voice - the chillingly unrelenting cheerful voice that might as well be singing “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”* - of Tetley, “a trash girl in a trash world”, a young woman who once out of love did something for which she became the most hated person in Garbagetown, and now is expected to be grateful for any cruelty anyone is allowed to inflict on her, repeating more and more chilling phrase, “Thank you for my instruction.” And all because Tetley actually cared about that poignantly pitiful existence of Garbagetown, and the terrifyingly cheerful tone may be all that’s left for her.
As Valente says in her afterword, “And of course, if you are born into the worst-case scenario, it just feels like home.”
* “Technically, no one’s allowed to kill me. But there’s miles of ground to cover before you get to killing, technical or otherwise.”—————
————
Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughin' as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you
And always look on the bright side of life…
The first part of the story, The Future Is Blue, was featured before in Jonathan Strahan-edited anthology Drowned Worlds and then in a short story collection by Valente. Here we have this story reprinted, with a much longer follow-up — the titular The Past Is Red, where Tetley’s depressingly optimistic life continues, with her a bit older and a bit more bruised by the world and yet very much the same Tetley that made a very difficult choice when she was younger.
“There are some things you just can’t ever get back. Years. Gannet birds. Husbands. Antarctica.”
It’s a story of aspirations and reality and hope and regret, making do with what you’ve got or being stuck with dreaming big, wanting to start over or needing to dig in. And there is no right answer or the wrong answer, except for when people are treated like trash — discarded when it’s suitable for the needs of the “betters” — it’s a reflection on those who do the dumping and not on the supposed value of that “trash”. And yet how can one not long for things lost, for the wondrous beauty of being able to have and discard excess, for things being better and easier — everything that the Fuckwits have managed to destroy in accordance to the name given to them?
“Imagine having so much energy to spare after finding food and shelter and clothing and some tiny goddamn scrap of company that you figured you'd make a beautiful silver cup, not because some kid did the best job, but just because she tried the hardest. I tried the hardest all the time, and everyone's just permanently fucking mad at me. Imagine having that much left over that you give one single ghostly shit about the eight-best daffodil.”
How can you ground yourself in here and now when your whole existence is a constant reminder of there and then? Hope can be found in everything, and simultaneously nothing matters and everything matters, and that’s the truth.
“But she is sorry and small and alone and I have been sorry and small and alone and it appears I am now in the business of collecting small and alone things. I know how to take care of them. I know how to make them grow in a bucket. I have enough for them. Even if I don’t have enough for me.”
This story is pretty tame by Valente’s storytelling standards. It’s bare-bones for her, with most of the ornateness of the language shed and overabundance of metaphors toned down. It’s quieter. It’s less indulgent in most ways - although still recognizably Valente-like in bits of melancholic absurdism and striking imagery. And it’s good. It makes you see harsh beauty in the trash and even makes you forget that it’s trash, even if just for a brief while.
“[…] The kind of hope I have isn’t just greed going by its maiden name. The kind of hope I have doesn’t begin and end with demanding everything go back to the way it was when it can’t, it can’t ever, that’s not how time works, and it’s not how oceans work, either. Nothing you love comes back. I have hope for Garbagetown, not for some suckspittle scrap of dry dirt that wouldn’t give us half of what we already have.”
Fascinated, melancholic and yet dreadfully upbeat in the face of all the garbage in the world 4.5 stars.
——————
My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2022
January 1, 2025
Finished this surprisingly profound book feeling both inspired and mildly terrified.
In this quirky dystopian poetic love letter to garbage, the future is literally trash and Catherynne M. Valente writes a bleak, messy, and compelling dumpster dive.
In this quirky dystopian poetic love letter to garbage, the future is literally trash and Catherynne M. Valente writes a bleak, messy, and compelling dumpster dive.
March 6, 2022
Why you may not like this book: This is post-apocalyptic slice of life. We learn a lot about the main character's world, but there isn't a very strong central plot and everything is shared in a stream of consciousness style. The main character also has a very distinct voice. There is an abundance of swearing and references to us-- the humans who caused the climate crisis that ended the world. If that is going to annoy you, this won't be a story for you.
cw: climate crisis, violence, physical abuse, arson, parental neglect, excessive swearing
Why I loved this book: I loved that the grimness of the world is balanced by Tetley's brightness as a character and optimism. She isn't naive, which makes that optimism even more heart warming and wrenching. Valente's writing is always for me. It can be dense, but it's smart and wonderful. Thematically, I loved that this obviously had not wonderful things to say about the decisions that led to the apocalypse, but also showed us that humans haven't changed all that much. Even on a pile of trash, there were people who were living in excess. I thought the details of the world were interesting and honestly, I would read a bunch more stories from Tetley and in Garbagetown.
A short, thoughtful story that I haven't been able to stop thinking about.
August 5, 2025
MY NAME IS Tetley Abednego and I am the most hated girl in Garbagetown. I am nineteen years old.
... St. Oscar, keep your mighty lid closed over me. Look grouchily but kindly upon me and protect me as I travel through the infinite trashcan of your world. Show me the beautiful usefulness of your Blessed Rubbish. Let me not be Taken Out before I find my destiny.
Catherynne Valente combines clear eyed acceptance of reality and a melancholic longing for love in Tetley, living on a trash island in global warming raised oceans. The Past is Red is the story of Tetley, going from the most hated girl in Garbagetown, making the toughest decision, to uncovering the biggest secret, and being the most beloved girl in Garbagetown.
MY NAME IS Tetley Abednego and I am the most beloved girl in Garbagetown. I am twenty-nine years old. Everything is the same and everything is different, and I suppose that is what it means to stay alive this long.
Tetley's story is haunting, long after the novella is finished - not just the overall setting and plot, but the little details like her longing for her parents' love and the realization that even the biggest discovery doesn't really give her what she wants. Despite her age, she has always seen the world and the people in it with a clarity that goes through cynicism and comes out the other end to innate acumen.
Garbagetown is always in. Garbagetown still, Garbagetown forever. The beautiful reek of my big rubbish heart spreading out for miles on the infinite sea.
Valente's incisive writing carries the novella, from the brilliant characterisation to the depressive world-building and the plot to fit it. Definitely recommended for Vente's fans and anyone looking for an immersive speculative fiction read!
Imagine having so much energy to spare after finding food and shelter and clothing and some tiny goddamn scrap of company that you figured you’d make a beautiful silver cup, not because some kid did the best job, but just because she tried the hardest. I try the hardest all the time, and everyone’s just permanently fucking mad at me.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters and their growth; One star for the plot and themes; One star for the world-building; One star for the writing - Five stars in total.]
... St. Oscar, keep your mighty lid closed over me. Look grouchily but kindly upon me and protect me as I travel through the infinite trashcan of your world. Show me the beautiful usefulness of your Blessed Rubbish. Let me not be Taken Out before I find my destiny.
Catherynne Valente combines clear eyed acceptance of reality and a melancholic longing for love in Tetley, living on a trash island in global warming raised oceans. The Past is Red is the story of Tetley, going from the most hated girl in Garbagetown, making the toughest decision, to uncovering the biggest secret, and being the most beloved girl in Garbagetown.
MY NAME IS Tetley Abednego and I am the most beloved girl in Garbagetown. I am twenty-nine years old. Everything is the same and everything is different, and I suppose that is what it means to stay alive this long.
Tetley's story is haunting, long after the novella is finished - not just the overall setting and plot, but the little details like her longing for her parents' love and the realization that even the biggest discovery doesn't really give her what she wants. Despite her age, she has always seen the world and the people in it with a clarity that goes through cynicism and comes out the other end to innate acumen.
Garbagetown is always in. Garbagetown still, Garbagetown forever. The beautiful reek of my big rubbish heart spreading out for miles on the infinite sea.
Valente's incisive writing carries the novella, from the brilliant characterisation to the depressive world-building and the plot to fit it. Definitely recommended for Vente's fans and anyone looking for an immersive speculative fiction read!
Imagine having so much energy to spare after finding food and shelter and clothing and some tiny goddamn scrap of company that you figured you’d make a beautiful silver cup, not because some kid did the best job, but just because she tried the hardest. I try the hardest all the time, and everyone’s just permanently fucking mad at me.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters and their growth; One star for the plot and themes; One star for the world-building; One star for the writing - Five stars in total.]
July 18, 2021
I came to this latest book by Catherynne Valente (wonderful storytelling goddess that she is) thinking that I'd be reading another short story collection.
This is not that.
BUT. It does have a new incarnation of biggest novelette in The Future is Blue from the collection by the same name, updated and filtered through a new lens. You see the previous story was written through the lens of the 2016 election woes, giving us a very bleak post-apocalyptic eco-punk nightmare for our generations to come. The old story was quite apt, living in Garbage Town and having leaders be named after old, partially expired medications from the world of the fuckwits, (I.E., *US*).
But no worries, folks. This updated version of that tale is much longer, and quite updated to show us a little hope through the much darker lens of our PRESENT day. You know, the day that just keeps laughing at 2016 because we JUST HAD TO TELL IT TO HOLD OUR BEER.
The story is quite an upgrade. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised or even displeased if it became a full novel eventually. Valente has wonderful SF. Clever, detailed, gloriously vicious. And, just so we don't grow so complacent, she makes sure that we taste the full spectrum of emotions including happiness, and even hope when by all rights we really shouldn't have any of that.
One little note: I LOVE that little lava lamp. You'll know what I mean when you read it.
All in all, this is the superior tale and yet I still don't have a problem re-reading the parts that I had just read in the previous collection. It's just that good.
This is not that.
BUT. It does have a new incarnation of biggest novelette in The Future is Blue from the collection by the same name, updated and filtered through a new lens. You see the previous story was written through the lens of the 2016 election woes, giving us a very bleak post-apocalyptic eco-punk nightmare for our generations to come. The old story was quite apt, living in Garbage Town and having leaders be named after old, partially expired medications from the world of the fuckwits, (I.E., *US*).
But no worries, folks. This updated version of that tale is much longer, and quite updated to show us a little hope through the much darker lens of our PRESENT day. You know, the day that just keeps laughing at 2016 because we JUST HAD TO TELL IT TO HOLD OUR BEER.
The story is quite an upgrade. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised or even displeased if it became a full novel eventually. Valente has wonderful SF. Clever, detailed, gloriously vicious. And, just so we don't grow so complacent, she makes sure that we taste the full spectrum of emotions including happiness, and even hope when by all rights we really shouldn't have any of that.
One little note: I LOVE that little lava lamp. You'll know what I mean when you read it.
All in all, this is the superior tale and yet I still don't have a problem re-reading the parts that I had just read in the previous collection. It's just that good.
August 17, 2021
This is the follow-up book to The Future Is Blue which I reviewed *here*. In this little book, we get the titular story of that book (probably as a reminder or for readers who weren't able to get a copy of the former book since it's a limited edition) plus the titular one that details the further adventures of our favourite girl in Garbagetown.
In the first part, in The Future Is Blue, we meet a young girl telling her story. When she turned ten, she and her twin had to set out in the "world" to get their names. Tetley is the one she got.
The special thing about Tetley is that she lives in our future. A future in which we royally fucked up the planet and most of humanity died because of it. Many got vaporized (I presume thanks to bombs) or drowned when the ice melted everywhere and sea levels rose drastically. Now, there are only a few floating places with what's left of our species. One such place is Garbagetown - named after the gigantic garbage patch in the Pacific that it used to be. In the meantime, it has burrows that are named and kinda sorted after the kind of garbage they host (medication, electronics, wax, books, ...).
Tetley, 17 years old when she tells the story, did something that makes her not only an outcast but legally enables others to hurt her and she can neither fight back, nor plead or argue - instead, she has to thank them.
What she did? Well, that is the story.
In the second part of the book, in the titular story The Past Is Red, we meet Tetley once again. She is 29 years old now and tells of what happened to her between the end of the last story and now. Thus, we get to follow her to even more places around Garbagetown, where we meet an AI as well as even more weird people.
The great thing about all this is that we don't just get to see a likely version of the future (that kinda reminded me of Waterworld sometimes) but also grapple with vices and achievements from our here and now. America's addiction to all kinds of pills being one example.
What is truly marvelous about both stories is the emotional depth. Sure, the worldbuilding is incredibly detailed in a witty way that is so sharp, you can cut yourself. But that is almost "normal" and to be expected with this author. No, I especially loved the emotional punch. In the first part it was mostly , whereas in the second part it was .
Incredibly powerful storytelling and I'm glad we got the second part, too. However, the first - to me - is slightly better, slightly more impactful. Like a suckerpunch. It just isn't the same the second time around though it still hurts. *lol*
As for the writing ... yeah, I don't think I need to keep on raving. There is a reason this author's stories are an instant-read for me. But for those insisting on examples/proof:
No more words (from me) needed.
In the first part, in The Future Is Blue, we meet a young girl telling her story. When she turned ten, she and her twin had to set out in the "world" to get their names. Tetley is the one she got.
The special thing about Tetley is that she lives in our future. A future in which we royally fucked up the planet and most of humanity died because of it. Many got vaporized (I presume thanks to bombs) or drowned when the ice melted everywhere and sea levels rose drastically. Now, there are only a few floating places with what's left of our species. One such place is Garbagetown - named after the gigantic garbage patch in the Pacific that it used to be. In the meantime, it has burrows that are named and kinda sorted after the kind of garbage they host (medication, electronics, wax, books, ...).
Tetley, 17 years old when she tells the story, did something that makes her not only an outcast but legally enables others to hurt her and she can neither fight back, nor plead or argue - instead, she has to thank them.
What she did? Well, that is the story.
In the second part of the book, in the titular story The Past Is Red, we meet Tetley once again. She is 29 years old now and tells of what happened to her between the end of the last story and now. Thus, we get to follow her to even more places around Garbagetown, where we meet an AI as well as even more weird people.
The great thing about all this is that we don't just get to see a likely version of the future (that kinda reminded me of Waterworld sometimes) but also grapple with vices and achievements from our here and now. America's addiction to all kinds of pills being one example.
What is truly marvelous about both stories is the emotional depth. Sure, the worldbuilding is incredibly detailed in a witty way that is so sharp, you can cut yourself. But that is almost "normal" and to be expected with this author. No, I especially loved the emotional punch. In the first part it was mostly , whereas in the second part it was .
Incredibly powerful storytelling and I'm glad we got the second part, too. However, the first - to me - is slightly better, slightly more impactful. Like a suckerpunch. It just isn't the same the second time around though it still hurts. *lol*
As for the writing ... yeah, I don't think I need to keep on raving. There is a reason this author's stories are an instant-read for me. But for those insisting on examples/proof:
No more words (from me) needed.
September 22, 2021
Global warming has melted the polar ice caps and left the Earth covered in endless oceans. Despite the odds, pockets of humanity have managed to survive on the water's surface. Tetley was born in Garbagetown, a floating landfill the size of Texas. She is despised by all of her neighbors for something she did when she was 19. She was trying to save their way of life, but in doing so, she unintentionally killed their hope.
I really liked this one. It was a quick read that didn't waste a lot of words. I think the biggest takeaway is probably to appreciate what you have. Since it's about global warming, there's also some stuff about consumerism and wastefulness. Hell, the people in the story are surviving off of our trash, you don't need much dialogue on waste with that visual.
This one is worth the read, especially for apocalyptic fiction and sci-fi fans.
I really liked this one. It was a quick read that didn't waste a lot of words. I think the biggest takeaway is probably to appreciate what you have. Since it's about global warming, there's also some stuff about consumerism and wastefulness. Hell, the people in the story are surviving off of our trash, you don't need much dialogue on waste with that visual.
This one is worth the read, especially for apocalyptic fiction and sci-fi fans.
May 4, 2022
Catherine Valente is always an amazing metaphorical imagery plus black humor. The blackest. This year she was nominated for Hugo in three nominations, I am happy for my favorite writer, experiencing that kind of reader's pride when you say to yourself: "I knew, I knew from the very beginning. that she's the best!"
Although in the case of Valente, a huge role is played by the translation, ideal for her books from Vladimir Belenkovich. In his performance, this is a fairy tale and an extravaganza. But since it is unknown whether he will take up this story and if so, how soon, I had to read in the original.
So, "The Past is Red" (The Past is Red), part of the Garbagetown series continues and develops the novella from the 2016 collection "The Future is Blue". A post-apocalypse about a girl living in a landfill world, after a global catastrophe there was nothing left but garbage islands drifting in the ocean, where survivors found shelter, who, as is typical of people, began to equip a new life.
With a new stratification into rich and poor, privileged and disenfranchised, with new rituals, according to one of which Tetley is the last of the last. Something like a scapegoat in the local Palestine. Personification of the misfortunes of Garbidgetown. Anyone can insult or hit her - it is important not to kill or injure her too much. In return, she should thank for the guidance.
Горькое красное прошлое
Ассорти Сита выглядела так, словно выпила столько коньяка, что можно было поджечь одну прядь ее волос, и она горела бы восемь дней.
Кэтрин Валенте - всегда потрясающая метафорическая образность плюс черный юмор. Чернейший. В нынешнем году она выдвинута на Хьюго в трех номинациях, радуюсь за любимую писательницу, испытывая тот сорт читательской гордости, когда говоришь себе: "Я знала, с самого начала знала. что она лучшая!"
Хотя в случае Валенте, огромную роль играет перевод, идеальный для ее книг от Владимира Беленковича . В его исполнении это сказка и феерия. Но поскольку неизвестно, возьмется ли он за эту повесть и если да - как скоро, пришлось читать в оригинале.
Итак, "Прошлое красное" (The Past is Red), часть серии "Мусорный город" Garbagetown продолжает и развивает новеллу из сборника 2016 "Будущее голубое" (The Future is Blue). Постапокалипсис о девочке, живущей в мире-свалке, после глобальной катастрофы не осталось ничего, кроме дрейфующих в океане мусорных островов, где нашли приют уцелевшие, которые, как свойственно людям, начали обустраивать новую жизнь.
С новым расслоением на богатых и бедных, привилегированных и бесправных, с новыми ритуалами, согласно одному из которых Тетли последняя из последних. Нечто, вроде козла отпущения в здешних палестинах. Персонификация несчастий Гарбиджтауна. Всякий может оскорбить или ударить ее - важно не убить и не покалечить слишком сильно. В ответ она должна благодарить за наставление.
Имя Тетли получено в обряде инициации. Когда здешним детям исполняется десять, в куске праздничного торта им попадается лекарственная ампула (важно не раскусить),обрывок пластикового пакета, сломанная сережка - тогда нужно идти в сторону аптечного района, где горы просроченных медикаментов, или в район пластиковой тары, или бижутерии, или игрушек. Первый, кто окликнет тебя по дороге, даст тебе имя, им будет слово, которым тебя назовут.
Тетли достался кусочек микросхемы, значит дорога ей в богатый Электик-Сити. Кто-то из мужиков, сортировавших мусор, окликнул ее из-за чайного пакетика прицепившегося к одежде: "Эй Тетли, вали отсюда, здесь полно своих мелких пиzд". Из двух определений: Тетли и это второе, про мелких ..., она предпочла оставить за собой первое.
Друзей у Тетли нет, кроме брата, которому она с детства проигрывала в состязании за приязнь окружающих. Есть два спасенные ею чайка и тюлень, в чьем обществе находит утешение от травли ровесников и непонимания в семье. Есть надежда, что все как-нибудь будет идти своим чередом, двигаясь к лучшему. Есть мальчик, в которого влюбляется, но он сын здешнего короля. Надеяться, вроде как, не на что. Или все-таки есть надежда?
Повзрослевшая Тетли находит Мистера, чудо техники прошлых времен, искин-прототип работающий на возобновляемой энергии . Зарядившись энергией от тепла тела девушки, маленький искин начинает общаться с ней и однажды, через уцелевшие спутники, связывает с девочкой Оливией из марсианской колонии.
Дальнейшее непредсказуемо и печально, безнадежно и обнадеживающе. Валенте не из самых оптимистичных авторов, но она прекрасна.
Although in the case of Valente, a huge role is played by the translation, ideal for her books from Vladimir Belenkovich. In his performance, this is a fairy tale and an extravaganza. But since it is unknown whether he will take up this story and if so, how soon, I had to read in the original.
So, "The Past is Red" (The Past is Red), part of the Garbagetown series continues and develops the novella from the 2016 collection "The Future is Blue". A post-apocalypse about a girl living in a landfill world, after a global catastrophe there was nothing left but garbage islands drifting in the ocean, where survivors found shelter, who, as is typical of people, began to equip a new life.
With a new stratification into rich and poor, privileged and disenfranchised, with new rituals, according to one of which Tetley is the last of the last. Something like a scapegoat in the local Palestine. Personification of the misfortunes of Garbidgetown. Anyone can insult or hit her - it is important not to kill or injure her too much. In return, she should thank for the guidance.
Горькое красное прошлое
Ассорти Сита выглядела так, словно выпила столько коньяка, что можно было поджечь одну прядь ее волос, и она горела бы восемь дней.
Кэтрин Валенте - всегда потрясающая метафорическая образность плюс черный юмор. Чернейший. В нынешнем году она выдвинута на Хьюго в трех номинациях, радуюсь за любимую писательницу, испытывая тот сорт читательской гордости, когда говоришь себе: "Я знала, с самого начала знала. что она лучшая!"
Хотя в случае Валенте, огромную роль играет перевод, идеальный для ее книг от Владимира Беленковича . В его исполнении это сказка и феерия. Но поскольку неизвестно, возьмется ли он за эту повесть и если да - как скоро, пришлось читать в оригинале.
Итак, "Прошлое красное" (The Past is Red), часть серии "Мусорный город" Garbagetown продолжает и развивает новеллу из сборника 2016 "Будущее голубое" (The Future is Blue). Постапокалипсис о девочке, живущей в мире-свалке, после глобальной катастрофы не осталось ничего, кроме дрейфующих в океане мусорных островов, где нашли приют уцелевшие, которые, как свойственно людям, начали обустраивать новую жизнь.
С новым расслоением на богатых и бедных, привилегированных и бесправных, с новыми ритуалами, согласно одному из которых Тетли последняя из последних. Нечто, вроде козла отпущения в здешних палестинах. Персонификация несчастий Гарбиджтауна. Всякий может оскорбить или ударить ее - важно не убить и не покалечить слишком сильно. В ответ она должна благодарить за наставление.
Имя Тетли получено в обряде инициации. Когда здешним детям исполняется десять, в куске праздничного торта им попадается лекарственная ампула (важно не раскусить),обрывок пластикового пакета, сломанная сережка - тогда нужно идти в сторону аптечного района, где горы просроченных медикаментов, или в район пластиковой тары, или бижутерии, или игрушек. Первый, кто окликнет тебя по дороге, даст тебе имя, им будет слово, которым тебя назовут.
Тетли достался кусочек микросхемы, значит дорога ей в богатый Электик-Сити. Кто-то из мужиков, сортировавших мусор, окликнул ее из-за чайного пакетика прицепившегося к одежде: "Эй Тетли, вали отсюда, здесь полно своих мелких пиzд". Из двух определений: Тетли и это второе, про мелких ..., она предпочла оставить за собой первое.
Друзей у Тетли нет, кроме брата, которому она с детства проигрывала в состязании за приязнь окружающих. Есть два спасенные ею чайка и тюлень, в чьем обществе находит утешение от травли ровесников и непонимания в семье. Есть надежда, что все как-нибудь будет идти своим чередом, двигаясь к лучшему. Есть мальчик, в которого влюбляется, но он сын здешнего короля. Надеяться, вроде как, не на что. Или все-таки есть надежда?
Повзрослевшая Тетли находит Мистера, чудо техники прошлых времен, искин-прототип работающий на возобновляемой энергии . Зарядившись энергией от тепла тела девушки, маленький искин начинает общаться с ней и однажды, через уцелевшие спутники, связывает с девочкой Оливией из марсианской колонии.
Дальнейшее непредсказуемо и печально, безнадежно и обнадеживающе. Валенте не из самых оптимистичных авторов, но она прекрасна.
August 2, 2021
The great Cat Valente is not someone I believe can write a bad book. She has some less awesome books out there, but I would not call those bad, and this little novella is one of her great creations.
If you have read the collection “The Future is Blue” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), you will be familiar with the story of Tetley, and her life in Garbagetown, what its inhabitants have come to call what we know as the floating Garbage Island in the Pacific. In this near-ish future dystopia, the ice caps have melted and solid land is a myth our ancestors talked about, but that no one living has ever seen with their own eyes. Valente was not done with Tetley when she wrapped up that short story in 2016, and four years later, she wrote of an older Tetley, one who is still lonely, but also still strangely optimistic despite what her life has turned out to be.
In this new episode of Tetley’s life, we explore new segments of Garbagetown, discover some of it’s strange customs, but also see more of the world Valente imagines might be ours a couple of hundred years from now. Her world-building is so creative, poetic and whimsical, and I always fall in love with it, no matter how weird and bleak she makes her worlds. There are always such bright colors, such interesting ideas, and Shakespeare… How could I not love it.
I know this doesn’t sound like a cheerful story, and it isn’t, but in its own way, it’s strangely hopeful. Like Tetley’s, our reality is not especially great right now, and while it certainly can change, we live right here, right now, and we need to be able to see something beautiful about it, or else how the fuck are we going to make it to a better time and place sanely? It’s not about denying the bad, but about being able to see that happiness is something that belongs to us.
I hope that what I wrote about this story make sense, and I hope you read it. It’s beautifully written, quite unique, thought-provoking and anchored enough in the real world to feel like this speculation is not that far off the mark. For better and for worse.
If you have read the collection “The Future is Blue” (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), you will be familiar with the story of Tetley, and her life in Garbagetown, what its inhabitants have come to call what we know as the floating Garbage Island in the Pacific. In this near-ish future dystopia, the ice caps have melted and solid land is a myth our ancestors talked about, but that no one living has ever seen with their own eyes. Valente was not done with Tetley when she wrapped up that short story in 2016, and four years later, she wrote of an older Tetley, one who is still lonely, but also still strangely optimistic despite what her life has turned out to be.
In this new episode of Tetley’s life, we explore new segments of Garbagetown, discover some of it’s strange customs, but also see more of the world Valente imagines might be ours a couple of hundred years from now. Her world-building is so creative, poetic and whimsical, and I always fall in love with it, no matter how weird and bleak she makes her worlds. There are always such bright colors, such interesting ideas, and Shakespeare… How could I not love it.
I know this doesn’t sound like a cheerful story, and it isn’t, but in its own way, it’s strangely hopeful. Like Tetley’s, our reality is not especially great right now, and while it certainly can change, we live right here, right now, and we need to be able to see something beautiful about it, or else how the fuck are we going to make it to a better time and place sanely? It’s not about denying the bad, but about being able to see that happiness is something that belongs to us.
I hope that what I wrote about this story make sense, and I hope you read it. It’s beautifully written, quite unique, thought-provoking and anchored enough in the real world to feel like this speculation is not that far off the mark. For better and for worse.
July 25, 2021
"Tetley Abednego is the most beloved girl in Garbagetown, but she’s the only one who knows it."
If you previously read The Future is Blue by Valente, this includes that novella in an updated form (recency is everything, it turns out) and expands into a longer story where Tetley grows up and discovers a secret.
The earth has reverted to water but the giant raft of garbage has become a fortress of sorts for some who remain - sorting of the trash has created specific communities and rituals that are fun in Valente's hands.
At first I thought this felt like YA but a few parts of it really are not, including referring to all of previous humanity as The Fuckwits, which is pretty accurate.
I received a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss after I went looking for it because I love this author.
If you previously read The Future is Blue by Valente, this includes that novella in an updated form (recency is everything, it turns out) and expands into a longer story where Tetley grows up and discovers a secret.
The earth has reverted to water but the giant raft of garbage has become a fortress of sorts for some who remain - sorting of the trash has created specific communities and rituals that are fun in Valente's hands.
At first I thought this felt like YA but a few parts of it really are not, including referring to all of previous humanity as The Fuckwits, which is pretty accurate.
I received a copy from the publisher through Edelweiss after I went looking for it because I love this author.
September 15, 2022
This is an excellent short novel set on the sad floating garbage patch that's all that remains of our civilization. Valente introduces and makes you sympathize with a not especially likable character, demonstrates how pop-culture references can be effective whether or not one is familiar with the origin, creates a post-apocalypse world with all the absurdity of R.A. Lafferty and the social perception of James Tiptree, and tells an engaging and thought-provoking story while juggling these and many other cats simultaneously. It's a brilliant book, you should read it.
February 19, 2021
If I told you that a book about a despised young woman who lives on a vast floating patch of garbage in a post-global-warming, mostly destroyed and depopulated, drowned version of Earth was also a beautiful book about the universal need for stories and connection, and filled with joy, humanity, and hope- would you believe me?
This novel is funny, heartbreaking and yes, ultimately, hopeful. It took me a few pages to get a feel for the strange landscape and colorful language that our narrator, Tetley, revels in, but once I finished the first short chapter, I was completely drawn in.
Highly recommended for readers of sci-fi and satire, as well as anyone looking for some much needed hope among what sometimes feels like inevitable ruins.
This novel is funny, heartbreaking and yes, ultimately, hopeful. It took me a few pages to get a feel for the strange landscape and colorful language that our narrator, Tetley, revels in, but once I finished the first short chapter, I was completely drawn in.
Highly recommended for readers of sci-fi and satire, as well as anyone looking for some much needed hope among what sometimes feels like inevitable ruins.
August 12, 2021
The Short Version: An insightful look into a not too far-fetched future of earth. A book that digs deep into the materialism of our modern world and what really matters when you get down to it. A sneaky good title that creeps up and starts rooting around your emotional junkpile when you least expect it
The Long Version: I got to listen to the audiobook ARC of this title thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media
I’ll be honest this was definitely a book I was only interested in by the cover at first. It seemed so cartoony and when I read the description I figured it to be a lighthearted romp of speculative fiction. In listening to it, it was that, but it was also so much more. The story is cheeky and quirky, but it is also very serious in the issues it discusses.
The story follows Tetley (odd name I know, and the naming ritual of people in this future is a ridiculous delight). Tetley and everyone she knows lives in Garbage Town, a large floating island of garbage in the middle of the seas which have risen and swallowed up all the dry land. Tetley is the most hated girl in all of Garbage Town (whether or not that’s fair is for you to decide as she recounts her tale). Tetley recounts the events of her life at various stages, with the narrative taking sizable time jumps between each section. It serves as a retrospect of her entire life (up to about middle age) as viewed through her accumulated knowledge at a few distinct checkpoints in her story.
Considering the time we live in, with climate change at the forefront of the public consciousness on a fairly regular basis, this book is very timely, and its take on where life might go in the aftermath, might be a bit odd, but it doesn’t seem to be unfathomable either. It’s a scary look at what may be coming our way. This makes the concept for the book, wholly engrossing and engaging.
One of the greatest strengths of this story is Tetley. She’s wise, but also snarky and thoroughly enjoyable to follow through her Garbage Town life. Her narration of her story is exuberant and the narrative is dripping with life through every chapter. She unironically recounts the oddities of garbage town as if they are normal, because well to her they are. In this there is a quite a bit of humor. Her character voice is by far the biggest selling point of this book.
The world building is on point as well, I could almost smell the dank stench of a garbage island as I listened and I could almost feel the dirt caked on my skin. The author continuously fleshes out the world through every chapter and at no point does it feel overdone or like she’s insisting on her points. Garbage town is a fully realized eco system and the intricacies of it are deftly woven into a captivating setting.
But here’s where things get a bit trickier. Pacing is a bit of a concern in this story. The author does a nice job weaving anecdotes from the past along with the present moment, but the second part of the book feels like it meanders a bit in order to explore the larger themes of want and need and human existence. I stayed interested in the story the whole way through, but there were moments where I was waiting for something to happen, waiting for a bit of action. The book sometimes seems a little lost between being a plotted story and being a character study where nothing much happens. It wasn’t detrimental to the experience on the whole, just felt like the story could have been even more elevated with a couple tweaks. I will say that the last quarter of the book is utterly heartbreaking and quite poignant. Somewhere around that point, the plot/pacing get back in step and it wraps up nicely, even if it’s not a full blown happy ending. There’s a big surprise or two in there also.
The writing itself is always on point, the dialogue fits Tetley at each stage in her life, and the slang of these Garbage People seems to fit their circumstances. The prose flows nicely and while the book examines some pretty heady topics, the writing never feels heavy, it’s very sneaky in how it offers up its introspection.
The narrator was solid and enjoyable, she had a very effective emotional delivery to Tetley’s words and he voices were differentiated, never running into one another. She didn’t stand out as one of the best voice actors I’ve encountered but she did no harm to the book and made the work enjoyable.
Overall a solid 4 all around. It’s equal parts hopeful and depressing, and very insightful as it pokes and prods at modern life and the wants and needs of the garbage people who comprise this big blue planet.
Component Ratings
Concept/Idea: 4.5 out of 5
Protagonist: 5 out of 5
Antagonists: 3 out of 5
Supporting Characters: 4 out of 5
Character development: 4 out of 5
Plot: 3.5 out of 5
Pacing: 3.5 out of 5
Prose: 4.5 out of 5
Dialogue: 4.5 out of 5
Narrator’s performance: 4 out of 5
Ending: 4 out of 5
The Long Version: I got to listen to the audiobook ARC of this title thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media
I’ll be honest this was definitely a book I was only interested in by the cover at first. It seemed so cartoony and when I read the description I figured it to be a lighthearted romp of speculative fiction. In listening to it, it was that, but it was also so much more. The story is cheeky and quirky, but it is also very serious in the issues it discusses.
The story follows Tetley (odd name I know, and the naming ritual of people in this future is a ridiculous delight). Tetley and everyone she knows lives in Garbage Town, a large floating island of garbage in the middle of the seas which have risen and swallowed up all the dry land. Tetley is the most hated girl in all of Garbage Town (whether or not that’s fair is for you to decide as she recounts her tale). Tetley recounts the events of her life at various stages, with the narrative taking sizable time jumps between each section. It serves as a retrospect of her entire life (up to about middle age) as viewed through her accumulated knowledge at a few distinct checkpoints in her story.
Considering the time we live in, with climate change at the forefront of the public consciousness on a fairly regular basis, this book is very timely, and its take on where life might go in the aftermath, might be a bit odd, but it doesn’t seem to be unfathomable either. It’s a scary look at what may be coming our way. This makes the concept for the book, wholly engrossing and engaging.
One of the greatest strengths of this story is Tetley. She’s wise, but also snarky and thoroughly enjoyable to follow through her Garbage Town life. Her narration of her story is exuberant and the narrative is dripping with life through every chapter. She unironically recounts the oddities of garbage town as if they are normal, because well to her they are. In this there is a quite a bit of humor. Her character voice is by far the biggest selling point of this book.
The world building is on point as well, I could almost smell the dank stench of a garbage island as I listened and I could almost feel the dirt caked on my skin. The author continuously fleshes out the world through every chapter and at no point does it feel overdone or like she’s insisting on her points. Garbage town is a fully realized eco system and the intricacies of it are deftly woven into a captivating setting.
But here’s where things get a bit trickier. Pacing is a bit of a concern in this story. The author does a nice job weaving anecdotes from the past along with the present moment, but the second part of the book feels like it meanders a bit in order to explore the larger themes of want and need and human existence. I stayed interested in the story the whole way through, but there were moments where I was waiting for something to happen, waiting for a bit of action. The book sometimes seems a little lost between being a plotted story and being a character study where nothing much happens. It wasn’t detrimental to the experience on the whole, just felt like the story could have been even more elevated with a couple tweaks. I will say that the last quarter of the book is utterly heartbreaking and quite poignant. Somewhere around that point, the plot/pacing get back in step and it wraps up nicely, even if it’s not a full blown happy ending. There’s a big surprise or two in there also.
The writing itself is always on point, the dialogue fits Tetley at each stage in her life, and the slang of these Garbage People seems to fit their circumstances. The prose flows nicely and while the book examines some pretty heady topics, the writing never feels heavy, it’s very sneaky in how it offers up its introspection.
The narrator was solid and enjoyable, she had a very effective emotional delivery to Tetley’s words and he voices were differentiated, never running into one another. She didn’t stand out as one of the best voice actors I’ve encountered but she did no harm to the book and made the work enjoyable.
Overall a solid 4 all around. It’s equal parts hopeful and depressing, and very insightful as it pokes and prods at modern life and the wants and needs of the garbage people who comprise this big blue planet.
Component Ratings
Concept/Idea: 4.5 out of 5
Protagonist: 5 out of 5
Antagonists: 3 out of 5
Supporting Characters: 4 out of 5
Character development: 4 out of 5
Plot: 3.5 out of 5
Pacing: 3.5 out of 5
Prose: 4.5 out of 5
Dialogue: 4.5 out of 5
Narrator’s performance: 4 out of 5
Ending: 4 out of 5
Want to read
March 2, 2021I spent more than an hour looking for a short story I read some time ago which sounded very very similar to this one, only to find out it was
The Future is Blue
by the same author.
It's included in her The Future is Blue collection and in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year #11.
It's included in her The Future is Blue collection and in The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year #11.
February 21, 2022
One of the pleasures of reading Catherynne Valente is not knowing where or how deep the rabbit hole goes when I start a new book. The Past Is Red is a characteristically odd, perkily elegiac story about making do with what you have, even when everything you have is literally garbage, down to your name.
22nd century Earth is a very blue planet. The ice caps have melted, the rivers have overflowed, and the ocean covers the whole surface. The humans who are left live on floating garbage rafts formed of the detritus of the last civilization. In this devastated world, our heroine Tetley Abednego, named after a tea bag wrapper, dares to love: a boy named Goodnight Moon, a place named Garbagetown. She loves and lives even long after they stop loving her.
Tetley is the kind of girl who doesn't let it get to her, most of the time, and maintains a sanguine outlook on things:
Garbagetowners as a whole are less accepting of their fate. In them, the climate grief so many of us are feeling right now has congealed into bitterness at how good humans used to have it and how badly they messed it up. The only relief lies in forgetting, but forgetting is impossible for people who literally live on - and off - the debris left behind. "Seems like someone should have thought of a rule that goes Do Not Fuck Your Only Planet to Death Under Any Circumstances. Seems like that should have been Rule Number One," Tetley remarks. It's a rare occasion in which her seize-the-day attitude slips.
The Past is Red is a vivid, sometimes absurd (ever hear of St. Oscar, the patron saint of Garbagetown, who is green and lives in a trash can?) imagining of humanity past the end of the world, but it's also an indictment of our current throwaway culture and unwillingness to act to mitigate climate change. It's tragic and wryly funny at the same time, and there's something in there about loneliness and resilience as well.
I'm not sure I exactly enjoyed this one, but it startled me and made me feel things, so I'm rounding up to 4 stars.
22nd century Earth is a very blue planet. The ice caps have melted, the rivers have overflowed, and the ocean covers the whole surface. The humans who are left live on floating garbage rafts formed of the detritus of the last civilization. In this devastated world, our heroine Tetley Abednego, named after a tea bag wrapper, dares to love: a boy named Goodnight Moon, a place named Garbagetown. She loves and lives even long after they stop loving her.
Tetley is the kind of girl who doesn't let it get to her, most of the time, and maintains a sanguine outlook on things:
No neighborhood would take me in. No one would feed me or offer me water from their rain barrel. And even if I wanted to try, there's not much of a crowd to disappear into in Garbagetown (excepting when a big fuck-off floating pier of lies and fairy lights turns up), and disguises are fairly tough to come by in the afterlife of Planet Earth. All the hair dye diluted itself into the sea a long time ago and I hope the jellyfish enjoyed their time as platinum blondes, I really and honestly do.
Garbagetowners as a whole are less accepting of their fate. In them, the climate grief so many of us are feeling right now has congealed into bitterness at how good humans used to have it and how badly they messed it up. The only relief lies in forgetting, but forgetting is impossible for people who literally live on - and off - the debris left behind. "Seems like someone should have thought of a rule that goes Do Not Fuck Your Only Planet to Death Under Any Circumstances. Seems like that should have been Rule Number One," Tetley remarks. It's a rare occasion in which her seize-the-day attitude slips.
The Past is Red is a vivid, sometimes absurd (ever hear of St. Oscar, the patron saint of Garbagetown, who is green and lives in a trash can?) imagining of humanity past the end of the world, but it's also an indictment of our current throwaway culture and unwillingness to act to mitigate climate change. It's tragic and wryly funny at the same time, and there's something in there about loneliness and resilience as well.
I have a little moringa tree coming along in a 15-gallon paint bucket sandwiched between the pilot's wheel and the blue vinyl jump seats. It's twisted and lumpy and crappy. It should grow huge and fabulous, but it got planted in a plastic bucket meant to hold satin finish exterior latex paint in #4L61 Breakfast in Tuscany instead of in Southeast Asia, so it never will. I relate mightily to my moringa tree.
I'm not sure I exactly enjoyed this one, but it startled me and made me feel things, so I'm rounding up to 4 stars.
October 21, 2022
This was beautiful. Beautifully imagined, beautifully approached.
4 to 5 stars.
"I am trash Plato..."
_______
Reading updates.
4 to 5 stars.
"I am trash Plato..."
_______
Reading updates.
September 7, 2021
Unsurprisingly, the prose is gorgeous as this is Catherynne Valente. The author writes about a society living on a massive garbage barge, as it travels the currents in the ocean. Tetley, the main character, relates how she’s hated in GarbageTown because of something she did years ago (described in the first part of this story). She’s lonely, but lives a fairly contented life, and submits to the anger of individuals when they need to express it. Then, she’s given a marriage proposal, and after meeting her intended, also discovers an awful secret about the planet.
Who would have thought mountains of pills, and all sorts of detritus of the lives of the people who lived many, many years before (basically, us) could be described so beautifully? A lot of knowledge has been lost to survivors of catastrophic climate change, and Tetley loves her life and GarbageTown with a fervency not always mirrored by the remaining humans. She’s got what she needs to be happy, and is not looking for some mythical dry land, or end to their travels on the ocean.
This is a sad story, but I feel like there was hope too. Hope because someone still saw beauty around her, and admired the resiliency of her fellow humans.
Who would have thought mountains of pills, and all sorts of detritus of the lives of the people who lived many, many years before (basically, us) could be described so beautifully? A lot of knowledge has been lost to survivors of catastrophic climate change, and Tetley loves her life and GarbageTown with a fervency not always mirrored by the remaining humans. She’s got what she needs to be happy, and is not looking for some mythical dry land, or end to their travels on the ocean.
This is a sad story, but I feel like there was hope too. Hope because someone still saw beauty around her, and admired the resiliency of her fellow humans.
October 14, 2021
3.5 stars
Short and sweet: this was interesting.
In a post-apocalyptic near future in which the entire Earth is ocean—no land—humans live on floating boats and small cities of collected trash amidst the endless blue.
In this world of blue, death, and garbage lives a girl named Tetley. (Yes, she's named after the British brand of teabags. It's a long story.)
Tetley lives ostracized from the entire hunk of Garbagetown because of some stuff that she did when she was younger. Now everyone hates her. We don't know why at the beginning, but as Tetley gets to share more and more of her life (in dual POV timelines, with some random timeless asides thrown in for whatevs) we eventually find out.
The reflections on our time and its consequences were poignant, if a bit stale to read about after a while—obviously, our generation messed up and led to an ecosystem disaster of world-ending proportions and left future generations of humans to deal with our endless, preserved trash. It's a great concept. We're definitely barreling toward that future right now.
I did get bored of the references to items and trash and etc. after a while. I found myself looking for more of a concrete storyline amidst the reflections of the situation and while there is one, it didn't hook me to our main character for some reason.
Overall, a very interesting and readable novella that does stick with you once you close its pages.
Blog | Instagram
Short and sweet: this was interesting.
In a post-apocalyptic near future in which the entire Earth is ocean—no land—humans live on floating boats and small cities of collected trash amidst the endless blue.
In this world of blue, death, and garbage lives a girl named Tetley. (Yes, she's named after the British brand of teabags. It's a long story.)
Tetley lives ostracized from the entire hunk of Garbagetown because of some stuff that she did when she was younger. Now everyone hates her. We don't know why at the beginning, but as Tetley gets to share more and more of her life (in dual POV timelines, with some random timeless asides thrown in for whatevs) we eventually find out.
The reflections on our time and its consequences were poignant, if a bit stale to read about after a while—obviously, our generation messed up and led to an ecosystem disaster of world-ending proportions and left future generations of humans to deal with our endless, preserved trash. It's a great concept. We're definitely barreling toward that future right now.
I did get bored of the references to items and trash and etc. after a while. I found myself looking for more of a concrete storyline amidst the reflections of the situation and while there is one, it didn't hook me to our main character for some reason.
Overall, a very interesting and readable novella that does stick with you once you close its pages.
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February 25, 2024
I highly recommend reading this novella while Covid is liquifying your brain. It’s very weird, and very sad, and very feverish. I understand why it was a finalist for the inaugural Ursula Le Guin prize.
November 30, 2021
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2021/11/25/...
Novellas are not my preferred format and I rarely seek them out on my own, but whenever I come across anything by Catherynne Valente, I feel it warrants a look. While her books are by no means always my cup of tea, at least I can be sure I’ll be getting something damned cool and original.
The Past is Red happens to match both those descriptions—and it worked very well for me. The story, which takes place in the future on an Earth flooded by climate change, opens on the life of a girl named Tetley. She and her twin brother, Maruchan, were born in Garbagetown, an island of refuse floating on the ocean. But even in this society made up of some of the world’s last survivors, there exists stratification. Parts of Garbagetown are named the leavings of humanity where they have more or less ended up, so Pill Hill is where all the pharmaceutical waste has collected, Electric City is full of old batteries, and so on and so forth.
Each section’s residents have their own unique customs, culture, and societal status. Against all odds, Tetley, who hails from Candlehole, meets a boy from Electric City named Goodnight Moon, forming a lifelong friendship despite their differences. However, all that comes to an end when a terrible truth is revealed to Tetley, and she takes it upon herself to literally blow it all up. For many years after that, she lives in isolation, ostracized by everyone including her own family. Still, she has never regretted her violent actions, believing Garbagetown to be a magical, wonderful place anyone would be lucky to call home. She can’t imagine why anyone would ever want to leave and sail into the great unknown just to chase an illusion, but she accepts her punishment and is prepared to live alone for the rest of the days…until a visitor shows up with a mysterious summons, bearing intriguing gifts.
Somewhere in my pile of books is a copy of The Future is Blue, an anthology containing the title story in which Tetley first appears. The Past is Red is an expansion of that novelette into a lengthier work giving us an update on the character, and I love that it offers a glimmer of hope in her otherwise dark and broken world. That said, this story is still pretty bleak. Tetley literally lives on a garbage heap, she doesn’t get much love at home, and she is harassed and bullied mercilessly whenever she’s out and about. When you’re living a life hers, there just doesn’t seem to be much to look forward to.
And yet, that isn’t going to stop this girl from dreaming, even if her dreams for the future are vastly different from everyone else’s. While the rest of the world is still chasing a fantasy, building grand plans to leave Garbagetown, or losing themselves in utopic visions that may never come to pass, Tetley has her feet planted firmly in the detritus-strewn streets asking questions like, “Well, just what is so wrong about what we have right in front of us?” Why bother seeking out a new land, after all, if we’re just going to fuck it all up again? Why not just stay and rebuild, and make something beautiful out of what we already have?
In fact, there is beauty in Garbagetown already—but only if you cared to look. Tetley loves her world because she lives in the now, recognizing that many of the Earth’s problems were caused by the myopic views of the generations that came before hers, AKA the Fuckwits. But for all her hatred of the Fuckwits, Tetley also loves the things they left behind. All their creators are dead and gone now, and nothing can be done about that, just like there’s nothing they can do about the crap place the world has become. Nevertheless, while no one can ever accuse Tetley of being an idealist, she’s also not afraid to see the magic and wonder around her. There’s also wisdom in her practicality of accepting the situation, along with her preparedness to address things accordingly.
As you can probably tell, Tetley made this whole book for me. While she can be both rash and foolish at times, everything about her is also sincere. If I’m to be honest, like most novellas, the story felt too short, and nothing about the plot was particularly mind-blowing. World-building was also great, certainly above average when it comes to imagination, but again, not enough detail came through given the format’s restrictions. Tetley, though, was a shining beacon. Like I always say, a well-written character can change everything. The Past is Red could have easily become this bleak, preachy overblown piece with little substance, but instead it came across very charming and full of heart as it was told through Tetley’s narrative.
All in all, this was a wonderful read.
Novellas are not my preferred format and I rarely seek them out on my own, but whenever I come across anything by Catherynne Valente, I feel it warrants a look. While her books are by no means always my cup of tea, at least I can be sure I’ll be getting something damned cool and original.
The Past is Red happens to match both those descriptions—and it worked very well for me. The story, which takes place in the future on an Earth flooded by climate change, opens on the life of a girl named Tetley. She and her twin brother, Maruchan, were born in Garbagetown, an island of refuse floating on the ocean. But even in this society made up of some of the world’s last survivors, there exists stratification. Parts of Garbagetown are named the leavings of humanity where they have more or less ended up, so Pill Hill is where all the pharmaceutical waste has collected, Electric City is full of old batteries, and so on and so forth.
Each section’s residents have their own unique customs, culture, and societal status. Against all odds, Tetley, who hails from Candlehole, meets a boy from Electric City named Goodnight Moon, forming a lifelong friendship despite their differences. However, all that comes to an end when a terrible truth is revealed to Tetley, and she takes it upon herself to literally blow it all up. For many years after that, she lives in isolation, ostracized by everyone including her own family. Still, she has never regretted her violent actions, believing Garbagetown to be a magical, wonderful place anyone would be lucky to call home. She can’t imagine why anyone would ever want to leave and sail into the great unknown just to chase an illusion, but she accepts her punishment and is prepared to live alone for the rest of the days…until a visitor shows up with a mysterious summons, bearing intriguing gifts.
Somewhere in my pile of books is a copy of The Future is Blue, an anthology containing the title story in which Tetley first appears. The Past is Red is an expansion of that novelette into a lengthier work giving us an update on the character, and I love that it offers a glimmer of hope in her otherwise dark and broken world. That said, this story is still pretty bleak. Tetley literally lives on a garbage heap, she doesn’t get much love at home, and she is harassed and bullied mercilessly whenever she’s out and about. When you’re living a life hers, there just doesn’t seem to be much to look forward to.
And yet, that isn’t going to stop this girl from dreaming, even if her dreams for the future are vastly different from everyone else’s. While the rest of the world is still chasing a fantasy, building grand plans to leave Garbagetown, or losing themselves in utopic visions that may never come to pass, Tetley has her feet planted firmly in the detritus-strewn streets asking questions like, “Well, just what is so wrong about what we have right in front of us?” Why bother seeking out a new land, after all, if we’re just going to fuck it all up again? Why not just stay and rebuild, and make something beautiful out of what we already have?
In fact, there is beauty in Garbagetown already—but only if you cared to look. Tetley loves her world because she lives in the now, recognizing that many of the Earth’s problems were caused by the myopic views of the generations that came before hers, AKA the Fuckwits. But for all her hatred of the Fuckwits, Tetley also loves the things they left behind. All their creators are dead and gone now, and nothing can be done about that, just like there’s nothing they can do about the crap place the world has become. Nevertheless, while no one can ever accuse Tetley of being an idealist, she’s also not afraid to see the magic and wonder around her. There’s also wisdom in her practicality of accepting the situation, along with her preparedness to address things accordingly.
As you can probably tell, Tetley made this whole book for me. While she can be both rash and foolish at times, everything about her is also sincere. If I’m to be honest, like most novellas, the story felt too short, and nothing about the plot was particularly mind-blowing. World-building was also great, certainly above average when it comes to imagination, but again, not enough detail came through given the format’s restrictions. Tetley, though, was a shining beacon. Like I always say, a well-written character can change everything. The Past is Red could have easily become this bleak, preachy overblown piece with little substance, but instead it came across very charming and full of heart as it was told through Tetley’s narrative.
All in all, this was a wonderful read.
July 10, 2022
3.5 stars rounded down? This is written in a stream of consciousness style- which if I just wasn’t in the mood for while I was reading.
The garbage-pocalypse was definitely interesting, and I liked the cultural elements included in the worldbuilding. Especially the naming tradition.
The thing is, this story is kind of propelled forward by some artificial suspense. There’s a big twist at the end - the whole time Tetley is telling her story she’s teasing all this stuff, so you read on just wanting to get to the good part already, which for me isn’t always the nicest feeling (because of you aren’t at the “good part” yet, it means you’re spending too much time in the not-good part.)
I will say it was beautifully written and I highlighted quite a few passages. And the message was good. I liked it more in the end then the beginning. Will definitely check out more from Valente in the future.
The garbage-pocalypse was definitely interesting, and I liked the cultural elements included in the worldbuilding. Especially the naming tradition.
The thing is, this story is kind of propelled forward by some artificial suspense. There’s a big twist at the end - the whole time Tetley is telling her story she’s teasing all this stuff, so you read on just wanting to get to the good part already, which for me isn’t always the nicest feeling (because of you aren’t at the “good part” yet, it means you’re spending too much time in the not-good part.)
I will say it was beautifully written and I highlighted quite a few passages. And the message was good. I liked it more in the end then the beginning. Will definitely check out more from Valente in the future.
December 3, 2021
5 stars
January 23, 2021
"But that was long ago and far away. Memory-petrol. Which is all petroleum ever was, when you think about it. A planet's memories of when it was young, burned up to keep warm and keep going."
Catherynne M. Valente's THE PAST IS RED is a gut punch in the best way. Tetley's journey from bright-eyed optimist to jaded outlaw makes her the perfect tour guide for the magical and terrifying world of Garbagetown. Generations ago the oceans rose and the entire world flooded except a few floating settlements. Garbagetown is the most beautiful place on earth and created wholly from humanity's discards. What feels off-putting and traumatic to the reader is just Tetley's everyday. With prose that feels akin to a journey into Oz, Valente takes the reader down a path that twists beyond any that could be dreamed up in our reality.
Catherynne M. Valente's THE PAST IS RED is a gut punch in the best way. Tetley's journey from bright-eyed optimist to jaded outlaw makes her the perfect tour guide for the magical and terrifying world of Garbagetown. Generations ago the oceans rose and the entire world flooded except a few floating settlements. Garbagetown is the most beautiful place on earth and created wholly from humanity's discards. What feels off-putting and traumatic to the reader is just Tetley's everyday. With prose that feels akin to a journey into Oz, Valente takes the reader down a path that twists beyond any that could be dreamed up in our reality.
July 22, 2021
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
For many, it’s tough to imagine the future without going through a meltdown. What does it have in store for me? Where will I be next? Will I be happy? Others look beyond themselves and worry about it through lenses that some would never think or dare to do. What’s my carbon footprint like? Am I doing enough to save this planet? Will it stay as green as we always imagined it? For one author, she offers a far-future where not everyone sees life the same way and perspective is what makes all the difference. Originally imagined in The Future is Blue, author Catherynne M. Valente revisits her original short story to expand her protagonist’s journey in a bleak post-apocalyptic world where the past and future put the present in perspective.
What is The Past is Red about? Set in a world where seas have submerged lands and leaving only a few territories free of its reach, the story follows Tetley Abednego in what she considers to be the most magical place in the world: Garbagetown. Split into two parts, the first one has her roaming around the garbage-filled home alongside her twin brother, while the second one looks at her lonely hermit life over a decade later. It is a tragedy that turns her life upside down at a young age, after having met up with a boy, that she finds herself on a strange yet twisted path where she constantly remembers her time and her unique vision of the world unlike anyone else.
I can’t say that I was fully immersed in this story despite the excellent world-building offered by author Catherynne M. Valente. She paints a vivid picture of a terrifying future that makes it difficult for anyone to not realize the waste, the neglect, and the ignorance that many humans have embraced regarding their planet. Without serving a moralizing story around climate change, she does an excellent job to convey the underlying and alarming issues pertaining to humans and their ignorant behaviours on Earth. It’s mostly through her fascinatingly unique protagonist that she’s also able to relativize the perception of this world built on garbage while also exploring the concept of hope in other characters who still dream to find and live on dry land. It’s the strange resilience shown by the protagonist that gives this world a unique flavour and, through her perception of the world and colourful voice, the story makes for a question-raising journey like none other.
Although the narrative structure is confusing more often than not, there is an interesting progression that shifts between past and present to help better comprehend the chain of events that led to the current state of affairs. The creative and highly imaginative prose filled with references to countless consumerist products of our time also makes for an interesting reading experience, despite being a bit heavy to indulge. The main character’s voice remains the single most powerful hook of this novella that really allows the story to be distinctive in its style and essence but it didn’t feel like it connected with me as much as I would’ve liked it to. There are some intriguing moments that appear throughout the story, mostly related to the world-building, as author Catherynne M. Valente does a fantastic job in depicting some truly original settings but the execution is what I mostly struggled with.
The Past is Red is an intriguing yet baffling journey into a bleak far-future post-climate apocalypse world that confusingly explores hope and change.
Thank you to Raincoast Books for sending me a copy for review!
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
September 3, 2021
The Past is Red is both a post apocalyptic and a coming of age story.
The world as we knew it is gone, there is nothing but blue ocean and garbage. . We didn't listen, we just wasted and abused until there was nothing left. The fu*kwits who just waste and waste, destroying everything, using up all the Earths recourses.
And Tetley our mc, is one of the many humans that living their life in Garbagetown, she's never known and other way. She was born a few generations after the world went to hell.
She's alone and every day she get's belittled, cursed at, beat and she has to take it. It's the law, she did something that no one can forgive, she took away their hope. She doesn't see it that way because Garbagetown is the most beautiful place on Earth.
This be it small packs a punch. I felt as if I had a lump in my throat the whole time reading it. Climate change is happening, we are using up the worlds resources. We are killing the planet daily. This heartbreaking and I just don't understand why people just seem to not care, or chose to ignore it.
Wonderfully written, full of emotion.
Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom for my copy.
Originally posted on I Can Has Books?
The world as we knew it is gone, there is nothing but blue ocean and garbage. . We didn't listen, we just wasted and abused until there was nothing left. The fu*kwits who just waste and waste, destroying everything, using up all the Earths recourses.
And Tetley our mc, is one of the many humans that living their life in Garbagetown, she's never known and other way. She was born a few generations after the world went to hell.
She's alone and every day she get's belittled, cursed at, beat and she has to take it. It's the law, she did something that no one can forgive, she took away their hope. She doesn't see it that way because Garbagetown is the most beautiful place on Earth.
This be it small packs a punch. I felt as if I had a lump in my throat the whole time reading it. Climate change is happening, we are using up the worlds resources. We are killing the planet daily. This heartbreaking and I just don't understand why people just seem to not care, or chose to ignore it.
Wonderfully written, full of emotion.
Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom for my copy.
Originally posted on I Can Has Books?
October 19, 2022
Novella Hugo Ranking Video: https://youtu.be/qJ2EdO2_Kig
The longer I spend away from this novella the more I love it. It has such a distinct voice from Tetley, a character who nobody loves in her world but who still looks at the world through an optimistic lens. The way she also tells her story reminds me of what I love about faery tale story telling. Combine that with a fascinating take on a post climate disaster world and its a fascinating time. And its the type of climate disaster sci-fi that I have personally been needing these days. I need a character like Tetley to look at the apocalypse and go "I love my world, this is the best and I don't need the past" it was such a refreshing perspective. For all those reasons I love this work and recognize that the unique voice will not work for everyone but I am now eager to try out any and all works by this author.
The longer I spend away from this novella the more I love it. It has such a distinct voice from Tetley, a character who nobody loves in her world but who still looks at the world through an optimistic lens. The way she also tells her story reminds me of what I love about faery tale story telling. Combine that with a fascinating take on a post climate disaster world and its a fascinating time. And its the type of climate disaster sci-fi that I have personally been needing these days. I need a character like Tetley to look at the apocalypse and go "I love my world, this is the best and I don't need the past" it was such a refreshing perspective. For all those reasons I love this work and recognize that the unique voice will not work for everyone but I am now eager to try out any and all works by this author.
Read
April 30, 2021This compelling science fiction novel is set in a future in which the planet is fully underwater, with the exception of such floating places as Garbagetown, the home of Tetley Abednego. Tetley, raised in Candlehole, loves two things: the world and telling the truth. Her second love leads her into serious difficulty when she decides to blow up Electric City to prevent a foolhardy attempt at a voyage to find non-existent dry land and is ostracized by the rest of the inhabitants.
This darkly funny, often angry tale of a young woman who discovers a terrible secret makes for great reading with adults and mature teens! -Louisa A.
This darkly funny, often angry tale of a young woman who discovers a terrible secret makes for great reading with adults and mature teens! -Louisa A.
March 12, 2023
My favourite book of the year so far.
This book (of barely 150 pages) is poetic, thought-provoking and emotional. It weird and tragic, yet also hopeful and persistent in seeing the best in everything. We'll, that is, our protagonist Tetley is. It is book that first made me cry and then gave me a big hug to comfort me afterwards.
So damn beautiful.
This book (of barely 150 pages) is poetic, thought-provoking and emotional. It weird and tragic, yet also hopeful and persistent in seeing the best in everything. We'll, that is, our protagonist Tetley is. It is book that first made me cry and then gave me a big hug to comfort me afterwards.
So damn beautiful.
June 2, 2025
روایتی متفاوت در دل دنیایی پساآخرالزمانی که روی قارهای از زباله میگذره. شخصیت اصلی، دختری به نام تتلی، بهزبان خودش دنیایی رو شرح میده که ترکیبی از طنز تلخ، کودکوارگی، و فلسفهای سادهدلانهست.
کتاب با نثری خاص و لحنی تجربهگرا شروع میشه و تا انتها بیشتر روی حس و نگاه تتلی تمرکز داره تا داستانپردازی کلاسیک.
✅ نکات مثبت:
سبک زبانی منحصربهفرد و طنزآلود
پایان نسبتاً غافلگیرکننده و رضایتبخش
مفاهیم جالبی دربارهی امید، حقیقت و بقا در دل ویرانهها
❌ نکات منفی:
روایت غیرخطی و گاهی بیهدف
فضای دیستوپیایی کلیشهای
شخصیتپردازی کمعمق (جز شخصیت اصلی)
زبان کودکانه ممکنه برای برخی خوانندهها آزاردهنده باشه
در مجموع:
نه شاهکار بود، نه افتضاح. اگه دنبال یه رمان خاص با نثری متفاوت و ساختارشکن هستید که بیشتر حس رو منتقل کنه تا داستان، میتونه تجربهی جالبی باشه.
ولی اگه به دنبال روایتی پرکشش، شخصیتمحور و پر از جزئیات جهانسازی هستید، احتمالاً انتظارتون رو برآورده نمیکنه.
کتاب با نثری خاص و لحنی تجربهگرا شروع میشه و تا انتها بیشتر روی حس و نگاه تتلی تمرکز داره تا داستانپردازی کلاسیک.
✅ نکات مثبت:
سبک زبانی منحصربهفرد و طنزآلود
پایان نسبتاً غافلگیرکننده و رضایتبخش
مفاهیم جالبی دربارهی امید، حقیقت و بقا در دل ویرانهها
❌ نکات منفی:
روایت غیرخطی و گاهی بیهدف
فضای دیستوپیایی کلیشهای
شخصیتپردازی کمعمق (جز شخصیت اصلی)
زبان کودکانه ممکنه برای برخی خوانندهها آزاردهنده باشه
در مجموع:
نه شاهکار بود، نه افتضاح. اگه دنبال یه رمان خاص با نثری متفاوت و ساختارشکن هستید که بیشتر حس رو منتقل کنه تا داستان، میتونه تجربهی جالبی باشه.
ولی اگه به دنبال روایتی پرکشش، شخصیتمحور و پر از جزئیات جهانسازی هستید، احتمالاً انتظارتون رو برآورده نمیکنه.
December 1, 2021
An interesting novella.
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