The Book of Strange New Things invites readers on a captivating journey beyond our earthly bounds. Intertwining themes of love, faith, and the unknown, in a narrative that resonates deeply with our human experience.
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Join us in this LitStack Rec of The Book of Strange New Things and discover why this is a must-read for anyone seeking both adventure and introspection.
In This LitStack Rec Of The Book of Strange New Things
The Book of Strange New Things
by Michel Faber
Delicate and Strangely Disturbing The Book of Strange New Things
In The Book of Strange New Things, Faber masterfully explores the complexities of connection in a universe filled with alien wonders and strange new truths. Whether you’re a seasoned reader or just looking for your next great book, this story will not only entertain but also challenge your perspectives.
It’s hard to describe Michel Faber’s novel The Book of Strange New Things. It’s a science fiction book, set in the not so entirely distant future, partially unfolding in a distant galaxy, and yet while it is filled with otherworldly things, it is not all that outlandish. Even though religion plays a major role in the book, it is not a faith-based story, not really. And there are no explosions – not that we see, anyway. But it’s still a brilliant book, surprisingly delicate and strangely disturbing in equal measures.
The main character, Peter, is a drug addict turned pastor, chosen to travel for a multi-year contract to the USIC corporate campus on a planet in an entirely different galaxy.
He leaves behind on Earth his beloved and incredibly down to earth wife, sensual and worldly Beatrice. He hasn’t been recruited to bring succor to USIC employees, but to bring the word of the Gospel to the indigenous population – which, for some reason, he is given scant information. In fact, he’s not given much information about anything, including what’s happening back on Earth. If it weren’t for Bea’s “letters” to him, he wouldn’t know that the Earth is on the edge of economic and societal collapse, brought on by escalating climatic disasters and massive disruptions of the global infrastructure.
Wrong, Wrong, Wrong
So you hear this scenario and you think to yourself, “Man separated for years from his wife back at home – bound to be some issues with fidelity, or at least temptations. And a man brought in to placate – or infiltrate – an indigenous population with religion? Must be some attempt to wrest control of the natives, or at least an excuse for colonization or even indoctrination, right? And a corporation set up to utilize a planet that operates under a lack of communication? There has to be corporate manipulation here, malfeasance at the least, some kind of nefarious profit-mongering agenda, surely.” These are the tropes we’ve come to expect.
Wrong, wrong and wrong. There is a glance at these token plot motifs, but merely because we expect them – to not have them at least nodded at would feel disingenuous. But they do not supply the gist of the story.
What The Book of Strange New Things is really about is relationships: new and strange relationships as a constant, the toll of being physically close but emotionally distant, of having distance erode emotional intimacy, the challenges of seeking relationships when communication and perspectives are vastly different, how to have personal relationships with others without placing personal standards and expectations on them, maintaining a relationship with a higher existence, maintaining faith – in yourself, in others – without the framework of support that you have come to expect.
Peter turns out to be a pretty unflappable and very patient man (which is hinted at as the reason he was chosen for the mission with USIC whereas his more empathetic wife was not). Yet even he finds himself overwhelmed in such an alien landscape, that is both foreign and startlingly familiar, both isolated and intimately open, both mundane and exhilarating.
The Impact Strikes Surprisingly Deep
The Book of Strange New Things is unflappable and patient – and beautifully rendered. You will read pages and pages of it and ask yourself, “Gee, when will something actually happen?” And then you realize that a whole helluva lot has, it just doesn’t have the bells and whistles and fireworks that you’ve come to expect from genre fiction.
While The Book of Strange New Things may not have explosions, fisticuffs, murder or mayhem, it packs an awfully huge wallop. And the impact of it will strikes surprisingly deep, will manifest itself as amazingly evocative, and will last an extraordinarily long time. Highly, highly recommended.
~ Sharon Browning
About Michel Faber
Michel Faber is a Dutch-born writer of English-language fiction, including his 2002 novel The Crimson Petal and the White, and Under the Skin which was adapted for film by Jonathan Glazer, starring Scarlett Johansson. His novel for young adults, D: A Tale of Two Worlds, was published in 2020. Wikipedia
Other Titles by Michel Faber
Other LitStack Resources
Be sure and look at our other LitStack Recs for our recommendations on books you should read, as well as these reviews by Lauren Alwan, and these reviews by Sharon Browning.
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You can find and buy the books we recommend at the LitStack Bookshop on our list of LitStack Recs.
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