A review by abbie_
The Seep by Chana Porter

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

3.5

Read this one for Queer Your Year 2025 (trans protagonist over 40 and set in the future), and it was v weird, trippy to ponder, and I mostly dug it but also found myself drifting at times. The titular ‘Seep’ is an alien entity which comes to earth and imbues everyone with a sort of hive mind. People become aware of the ridiculousness of modern society, doing away with money, greed, conflict. Everyone just sort of vibes now - except for the communes where contact with the Seep is forbidden. I actually wish more of these communes had been explored more, but the story focuses on Trina, a trans woman who’s coming to terms with her wife deciding to end their 25 year marriage and become a baby again - made possible with the seep.

The worldbuilding that’s contained within this slim novella is very impressive. Nothing’s over explained nor are you left totally clueless as to how the seep works. Given it’s more of a character driven novel, I wanted a little more from Trina. I dunno, I just felt like by the end of the book I wasn’t going to particularly miss her.

Philosophical and melancholy with a chill alien invasion.