The Strangers by Naomi Alderman review
A bereavement memoir mingles with speculative fiction, in a wise and ragged examination of grief from the author of The Power
TL;DR
- Ludwig Wittgenstein's ideas on grief and the disorienting nature of loss are discussed, particularly an anecdote about Franz Schubert's scores.
- Naomi Alderman's novel "The Strangers" is described as a hybrid of memoir and speculative fiction that explores grief.
- The narrator, mourning her mother and failed pregnancies, experiences a wide range of emotions associated with grief.
- The book incorporates an eco-horror element with the appearance of 'mimmoths', a new species that positively impacts the local soil but becomes a subject of conspiracy theories and polarized reactions.
- Alderman's handling of political allegories is light, though some moments seem outdated compared to contemporary media consumption.
- The novel is presented as a deeply moving and wise exploration of grief, touching upon themes of selfhood, potential, and persistence.
- The arrival of mimmoths coincides with an increase in fungus, prompting reflections on sociality, connectivity, and how we allocate resources of attention and love.