Review: The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

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. —The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

In The Future Is Red Catherynne M. Valente returns to her talent of crafting a story that goes beyond the surface. I never feel too guilty reading deeply into these books—though I often delve too far. She makes the process too enjoyable to pass up.

Tetley Abednego brings a sense of joy to a devastated world. As someone who had to be persuaded not to take the Saint Azarias (Abednego) as a confirmation name, I couldn’t help but compare her to Daniel’s friend who escaped the fiery furnace through his belief in God along with Ananais and Mishael. For me it is hard not to see the joy of escaping the human-induced fate through this lens. As the Prayer of the Children says, “yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted” and Tetley seeks this acceptance in each of the two stories, The Future Is Blue and The Past Is Red.

I think Valente teases those of us who dare to look for the breadcrumbs, enriching the experience of reading her book. The final realization that Tetley isn’t the only offspring neglected and abandoned due to the circumstances of her birth, the origin of her name paired with the nuchal cord which set her along her life’s path, the constant reminders that I am one of the despised f*ckwits living a life of coveted ease all combine to create a garbage pile of wonders to explore.

Tetley is the ultimate optimist. Not being empty-headed or bubbly, she approaches life in Garbagetown with the genuine joy and awe for the everyday occurrences of life on a in a floating garbage pile. She is as bright as a person has any hope of being and rightly believes in her own ability to understand a situation — and in the rest of the population’s ability to ignore it all. She is willing to hold the truth and suffer for it, shouldering the burden and pain with a saintly dignity.

It is easy to see how Tetley can stand up to abuse and dejection as long as she has her beloved Garbagetown. How being the most hated person in the world is easy, but the being the most loved, while alone and stranded is impossible. Her hidden truths burned holes in my heart as they were revealed, but they were believable. I wish this book was less believable.

The weight of this small book is hard to ignore. It will force you to confront your complicity with the slow death of this planet. Valente is able to beautifully wrap the message that we can induce or rescue the degradation of our only home.

Though I worry the feeling will be fleeting, The Future Is Red is a thought-provoking and gorgeous novella that challenges us to examine our relationship with the planet. It leaves me with hope that humanity will not lose its ability to seek out, in some small way, the beauty and awe that every day brings.

I ear-read this book first, borrowed through Libby. The reader does an amazing job capturing the characters and setting of a world that has accepted profanity as it's lot in life. Her embodiment of this dejected-but-still-smiling character was spot on. As with every Valente book I have ever read, I then purchased a print version to mark up and love. No one crafts a sentence like Catherynne M. Valente.

ISBN 978-1-250-30113-0 Goodreads