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A review by thistle_and_verse
Claiming T-Mo by Eugen Bacon
4.0
Combining science fiction and literary fiction, Bacon's novel Claiming T-Mo meanders through the lives of several generations of the titular character's family. It's like an orchestral arrangement where several instruments riff on the same notes but with staggered entrances - certain themes and experiences reappear in the lives of each of the characters but resolve when all the characters gather at the end. This is a world of magic and alien life where neither is explained in any depth. The story focuses on the characters' relationships and experiences. There's a funny scene where T-Mo brings his wife Salem alien produce, and she cooks it L'Alchemista style.
I was confused about the division between T-Mo and Odysseyus. Bacon provides a magical explanation for the personality change, but it seemed more likely to me that it was a response to the abusive household he was raised in. Novic is the closest thing this story has to a villain, and the effects of his parenting are felt in every corner of the book, even though he's never confronted about it. T-Mo's mother Silhouette was a child bride, married to Novic at 11, and Novic was physically abusive. I didn't think it was a stretch that Novic would abuse T-Mo too and that would account for T-Mo's mood swings.
The elements that reverberate through the lives of each of the cast are the prison planet Shiva, absentee parents, murder, and disability. I'm still parsing out why Bacon chose those elements.
I was confused about the division between T-Mo and Odysseyus. Bacon provides a magical explanation for the personality change, but it seemed more likely to me that it was a response to the abusive household he was raised in. Novic is the closest thing this story has to a villain, and the effects of his parenting are felt in every corner of the book, even though he's never confronted about it. T-Mo's mother Silhouette was a child bride, married to Novic at 11, and Novic was physically abusive. I didn't think it was a stretch that Novic would abuse T-Mo too and that would account for T-Mo's mood swings.
The elements that reverberate through the lives of each of the cast are the prison planet Shiva, absentee parents, murder, and disability. I'm still parsing out why Bacon chose those elements.