A review by brnineworms
The Seep by Chana Porter

fast-paced

1.5

“The room was filled with about forty or so people of all ages, races, gender expressions, doing all manner of things.”

I think The Seep is the worst book I’ve ever read.

It’s very... affected? Diversity purely for the sake of scoring representation points, jarring weirdness that comes across as lol so random XD, therapy-speak dialogue at all times. I dunno. It’s over-the-top and totally underdeveloped, maybe even undeveloped. The author hardly engages with her own worldbuilding. Nothing is explained or explored. The protagonist, Trina FastHorse Goldberg-Oneka, is hard to root for. She has this general attitude of distaste and her motives are inscrutable. The central message of the book – that life isn’t perfect and that’s okay – is fine, I guess. The execution is clumsy to say the least.

I could dissect it further but frankly I just want to move on to something else. I had a miserable time reading this book.

This edition also includes “And the World Was New”, a sixty-six page “short story” which I cannot bring myself to read. Sorry. I’m done here.

CONTENT WARNINGS: alcoholism, suicidality, death