Authority (Southern Reach #2)

by Jeff VanderMeer

They endured nine months of questions, and yet we never found out anything. And the whole time they were dying. How would that make you feel?” Long months of disorientation, and then their deaths from a particularly malign form of cancer.

The border was invisible. It did not allow half measures: Once you touched it, it pulled you in (or across?). It had discrete boundaries, including to about one mile out to sea. The military had put up floating berms and patrolled the area ceaselessly.

Except that Hsyu, as a linguist, didn’t have security clearance.