An Unkindness of Ghosts

has solidified Rivers Solomon as a fave author

I am already a fan of Rivers Solomon’s writing, having read Blood is Another Word for Hunger and Sorrowland, and loving them both. I was so excited to read An Unkindness of Ghosts and ended up loving it even more. I found the beginning a little difficult to follow, but I think that is more because it’s in a space, sci-fi setting with which I am unfamiliar, not because of a flaw in the writing. As this is a dystopian setting, there are a few trigger warnings for this book that I would like to add here: corporal punishment, discrimination, death, execution, graphic medical descriptions, and suicide.

Aster is a passenger aboard the Matilda, a spaceship that houses mankind after they have left earth. It is structured on deep inequalities, very much resembling the American Antebellum South. Aster lives on Q Deck, making her a second- (or third-) class citizen aboard the ship. She works in medicine/healing – I don’t think she has a set job title like doctor, nurse, physician’s assistant, or medical assistant – and also conducts botanical research. The themes of science, research, and medicine were really interesting and artful.

Aster assists the surgeon general of the ship and they have a good and close relationship. They are both unhappy with the injustice and harsh physical punishments aboard the Matilda and formulate a plan to overthrow the system when the current Sovereign unexpectedly dies. The characters in this story have amazing depth and motivations that are both interesting and understandable. They also show great growth over the course of the book.

The thing that struck me immediately, reading An Unkindness of Ghosts was the main character’s name, Aster. Solomon mentions Aster is named after the flower, of the family Asteraceae, as her mother was a scientist. These flowers look like stars, which brings me to my second thought about Aster. The Minotaur of the Greek myths was originally named Asterion, meaning “starry,” by his mother, Pasiphae. The Minotaur and Aster are both seen as “monstrous” in their respective societies and are treated accordingly. Both characters also have complicated parents whose legacy they (and the reader) need to engage in critically. I may be reading too much into this name parallel, but I thought I would include it anyway, as a treat.

An Unkindness of Ghosts has solidified Rivers Solomon as a fave author. I hope to read The Deep soon and any other work they might publish in the future. More, please