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A review by lizshayne
The Little Homo Sapiens Scientist by S.L. Huang
4.0
I don't know why my brain is convinced that short books are cheating - that I somehow am a better reader if the books I complete are 750 pages rather than 75. It's not like the purpose of a book is to be as long as possible and encountering new authors and their works is just as important regardless of the book's length.
Anyway, this month has been my excuse to read all the short fiction I've been meaning to get around to. Including this one, which I knew was going to be dark and sad because it's The Little Mermaid and that story is always going to be dark and sad, but I was somehow surprised at how much I was invested in things maybe being okay anyway...
Anyway, Huang's inventiveness shines through every aspect of the story and the impossible plausibility of her fairy tale is both delightful and fascinating. Her most impressive translation, however, is the way she takes the quest for humanity and a soul from the HCA original and turns it into something deeply resonant with contemporary life. The story is so good--and so painful--because Huang succeeds in that translation.
Anyway, this month has been my excuse to read all the short fiction I've been meaning to get around to. Including this one, which I knew was going to be dark and sad because it's The Little Mermaid and that story is always going to be dark and sad, but I was somehow surprised at how much I was invested in things maybe being okay anyway...
Anyway, Huang's inventiveness shines through every aspect of the story and the impossible plausibility of her fairy tale is both delightful and fascinating. Her most impressive translation, however, is the way she takes the quest for humanity and a soul from the HCA original and turns it into something deeply resonant with contemporary life. The story is so good--and so painful--because Huang succeeds in that translation.