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pistachios42 's review for:
Beggars in Spain
by Nancy Kress
Even though I don't think it works as well as a science fiction work, there's a lot I really liked about Beggars in Spain. It's a story about a genetic modification that becomes popular with parents to make their children 'sleepless', that is, not having the need to sleep, and while I think the social/technological aspect of it is quite clumsy, there's a family drama at the centre of this that I think holds it all together really well.
Rather than a critique of technology or discrimination against modified humans, what the novella most wants to explore is individualism. The technology more than anything seems to complement this theme, with Leisha being brought up by her father with high expectations after he paid for her to not need sleep. This creates quite a toxic environment in the family with Leisha's mother spiralling into alcoholism, and her twin sister Alice being relieved of her father's expectation and praise. Leisha's father views it as him giving his child the best possible headstart for a competitive world, but really she's treated like an investment that will pay off long in the future. It's a selfish kind of parenting.
The relationship between Alice and Leisha was drawn together really well, despite them being twins they mirror each other, and Alice serves as a control variable against her sister. The end of the novella returns to this relationship, and I think it's the perfect thing to end on, with Leisha seeing the value in her sister that her father never could. The anti-individualism kicks in too, with the title referring to the oft-used argument that if you gave every beggar a dollar you'd end up a beggar yourself. I think the book quite convincingly argues against this, treating the world not as one-way trades but as an ecology, where an act of generosity will always be a net gain for the world, if not for the individual. It's passionate, hopeful writing, and I think the heart of the book is in the right place.
That being said, the science fiction aspect of the book did feel like it was often ignored, with sleeplessness being an allegory for competitive individualism. Sleeplessness is a complete and utter positive for the individual, with no side effects, no physical changes, no need for dreams, and I would have liked to have seen a bit more exploration into the physical changes. The novella seems to be happening pretty much in our world, with hovercars and holograms dropped in now and again, but never really creating something that feels like an entirely different world. I would be interested in reading the novel after this though, because I think the novella left a lot to be desired.
Rather than a critique of technology or discrimination against modified humans, what the novella most wants to explore is individualism. The technology more than anything seems to complement this theme, with Leisha being brought up by her father with high expectations after he paid for her to not need sleep. This creates quite a toxic environment in the family with Leisha's mother spiralling into alcoholism, and her twin sister Alice being relieved of her father's expectation and praise. Leisha's father views it as him giving his child the best possible headstart for a competitive world, but really she's treated like an investment that will pay off long in the future. It's a selfish kind of parenting.
The relationship between Alice and Leisha was drawn together really well, despite them being twins they mirror each other, and Alice serves as a control variable against her sister. The end of the novella returns to this relationship, and I think it's the perfect thing to end on, with Leisha seeing the value in her sister that her father never could. The anti-individualism kicks in too, with the title referring to the oft-used argument that if you gave every beggar a dollar you'd end up a beggar yourself. I think the book quite convincingly argues against this, treating the world not as one-way trades but as an ecology, where an act of generosity will always be a net gain for the world, if not for the individual. It's passionate, hopeful writing, and I think the heart of the book is in the right place.
That being said, the science fiction aspect of the book did feel like it was often ignored, with sleeplessness being an allegory for competitive individualism. Sleeplessness is a complete and utter positive for the individual, with no side effects, no physical changes, no need for dreams, and I would have liked to have seen a bit more exploration into the physical changes. The novella seems to be happening pretty much in our world, with hovercars and holograms dropped in now and again, but never really creating something that feels like an entirely different world. I would be interested in reading the novel after this though, because I think the novella left a lot to be desired.