Review: The Seep

The Seep by Chana Porter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Seep is a novel of speculative fiction by playwright Chana Porter. Presenting us with Trina (a Native American and Jewish trans woman doctor and artist) and Deeba, her wife, the novel begins shortly after alien contact has occurred with humans on earth. In the "softest of invasions," the sophisticated alien entity called The Seep infiltrates the consciousness of humans, providing them with the means to fulfill their dreams in myriad ways. But it's a tricky process, as Trina finds out when Deeba decides to leave their marriage and start her life all over as the daughter of a Persian couple in the South of France. Trina is left heartbroken, but she isn't lured into The Seep's plan of trying to assuage her loss with similar offers, which effectively would alter her memory and perceptions of Deeba. While she can see things that The Seep has improved (no wars, because everyone is drunk on their personal happiness), Trina also feels that for some, particularly herself, The Seep has broken her irretrievably. She also questions whether the growth the world seems to have made is real since she believes some degree of unhappiness is necessary to drive change in people. And with The Seep messing with people's thoughts and memories, she has a lot of questions about whether The Seep is ultimately just erasing human existence.

This is a thought-provoking novella* that contemplates our mortality, existence, and how we define ourselves through our relationships with others.

"Oh, babe, go figure out who you are without me." ~ Deeba

*Though sold as a novel, at a slender 216 pages, it appears to be novella length?


I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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The Seep is available as a digital audiobook on Audible.com and an MP3 audiobook.

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