Translated By: Paul Roochnik
Genre: Dystopian adult queer literature
Publisher: Iskanchi Press
Format: Ebook (NetGalley copy)
TW: sexual torture, conversion therapy, forced transition, state brutality, parental death
The New Eve is alien. Ironic for whom the title of the book alludes to, but a thought provoking read nonetheless.
The book concerns two cis (?) gendered lovers, Adam and Mandi, trying to find each other after their mandated sex-times, and avoid capture by the state. Otherwise, men and women have completely separate spheres of life, and live apart from one another. Same-sex relationships are the norm. There is a third gender as well who bridge the gap between both worlds.
The setting was the most intriguing part of the book for me. It was so unique and made enough sense that I was able to immerse myself in it. The feeling of the last few chapters in particular showed what a gendered city would look like and was fascinating.
However, I cannot decide whether this book is queer affirming or not. A significant portion of the book takes place in a conversion camp. Adam in particular earns a happy ending through this conversion which rubbed me the wrong way. And for such a queer narrative, the same sex relationships were de-emphasized until the end as a neat bow.
I think the ambiguity comes from this being a translated text from Arabic and French. The author is Mauritanian so I fully acknowledge I may be missing out on how transgressive this actually is. I do not agree with the book’s conclusion however.
I also wish we also could’ve spent more time with Maneki aside from the conversion camp scenes as her last chapter was one of my favorite parts of the book.
Ultimately, I enjoyed my experience but heed those trigger warnings and your own cultural biases; this is a hard read and might not be to your tastes.
I hope that this author’s other works become translated.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the book!
Final Rating: 3 Stars
Drink Paring: Mint green tea, sharp and cutting
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