Maximum Occupancy

I was in a reading slump. After the birth of my son, I had the ability to read a lot while he was breastfeeding. But then I had to learn how to navigate being a work from home mom with a year old, and it was hard to find any sort of routine. I lost myself and stopped reading. (I did fall in love with The Wire and Oz. I watched a lot of Law and Order SVU. It was easy to get the need for story from amazing tv.)

This book brought me back. I have read two of her other titles, this one by far is my favorite. I am a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing.

Sometimes I judge other writers for the tropes they slip into, it doesn’t prevent me from buying their books - it just prevents me from being kind. This is not the case with her, she has a style and a distinct voice. I do not spend my time predicting what she will write next so I can congratulate myself of seeing that shit coming, I savor her choice of words and the story she decided to tell. I would say that I am patient, but I was not with this novel. Though I read it quickly, I have such a vivid mental impression of the world it was if I spent weeks in the Yucatán peninsula.

I have not read the novel that this retelling is based off of, but now I want to. Will I be disappointed in the original now after hearing from the daughter?

This novel is not explicit, not like some of the others I read since then. It is the only one recently that managed, even in the subject matter, to be sexy. Not steamy, but a honest and non-cringe inducing way to describe sexuality. And the reveal… with the nuance she weaves into the story, there are layers stacked to give depth to the characters that is admirable.

The context changes as more secrets are revealed. This is a science fiction novel, it fits the genre well because it questions who are the monsters, why do humans believe that they are not animals and more closer to creators, and how much control does anyone really have within the roles of society. Even with the impossible elements, compared to the life I have lived and the stories that I have read, the women in the novel felt real. This was one of the more believable depiction of women’s place, how that leads to the roles that are chosen for us, and what we do and become when we fall into it.

Read it, read it, read it.