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nenya_kanadka's review
3.0
This was a fast read. It deals with a lot of drama and pain, so not exactly a light read, but there were some funny parts mixed in with it as well. It's a first novel, which I think shows; the author didn't quite convince me of everything she was going for. I feel like this was Gwen's story from start to finish, but we only got POV sections from other people's perspectives--her mother, her human husband, her alien husband. I don't know if this was on purpose. I'm a big fan of polyamory and three-person marriages, but some of how that was developed here seemed less well-thought-out than it could have been. I really don't think the whole planet will ratify same-sex marriage in two or three years, aliens or no aliens, for example; combined with some of the minor sexist stuff that made it in (all men, on all planets, don't know how to react when a woman cries? Really?? That has not been my experience!) it just seemed a bit rushed and under-developed. I also think that calling out Canada and Europe as places more used to immigrants than anywhere else in the world was inaccurate; Canada as having a fuckton of space, sure, fine, but what about for example South America, South Asia, which are full of people from everywhere too?
All that said, I liked a lot of this book. I really enjoyed the part of the plot on Gwen's parents' farm early in the book. Her mom especially is great. Trying to adjust to what Gwen will become, while still loving her a lot. All the sci-fi references were great, though the Back to the Future and Doctor Who nods made me hope for a different ending than we got re: Kalp. The author may be fonder of Rodney McKay than I am, as well. Loved Kalp's nest of pillows and his attempts at deducing human social customs from the classes and guidebooks and then having to actually hold conversations with humans. His people's distress and his grief for his first triad was beautifully done. I wasn't quite as sold on how the human/alien threesome started up--wish there'd been more from Gwen's POV, or even Basil's--but the book absolutely had me believing that they all loved each other by the end. I did also love that it wasn't just a woman with two husbands; there was a distinct sexual and romantic relationship between the two guys, as well.
Probably don't read this if you don't want to hit a chapter with an assault on a pregnant woman, or if you hate shovel talks. It's good for a nicely-plotted time-travel loop plot, though, and I am always glad to see more bisexual polyamory in fiction.
All that said, I liked a lot of this book. I really enjoyed the part of the plot on Gwen's parents' farm early in the book. Her mom especially is great. Trying to adjust to what Gwen will become, while still loving her a lot. All the sci-fi references were great, though the Back to the Future and Doctor Who nods made me hope for a different ending than we got re: Kalp. The author may be fonder of Rodney McKay than I am, as well. Loved Kalp's nest of pillows and his attempts at deducing human social customs from the classes and guidebooks and then having to actually hold conversations with humans. His people's distress and his grief for his first triad was beautifully done. I wasn't quite as sold on how the human/alien threesome started up--wish there'd been more from Gwen's POV, or even Basil's--but the book absolutely had me believing that they all loved each other by the end. I did also love that it wasn't just a woman with two husbands; there was a distinct sexual and romantic relationship between the two guys, as well.
Probably don't read this if you don't want to hit a chapter with an assault on a pregnant woman, or if you hate shovel talks. It's good for a nicely-plotted time-travel loop plot, though, and I am always glad to see more bisexual polyamory in fiction.
mxsallybend's review
3.0
I love science fiction books best when they do something a little outside the norm . . . when they push boundaries . . . and when they make you stop and think. While I do enjoy some mindless carnage on the big screen, it simply doesn’t work for me on the page. Mind you, what I like on the page doesn’t necessarily translate well to the screen, but I have a pretty solid production crew inside my head.
Anyway, Triptych is a book that I’m delighted to say falls comfortably outside the norm, pushes sexual/racial/gender boundaries, and leaves you quite delighted to stop and think.
Take one heterosexual human couple. Introduce an oddly gendered alien into the mix. Then watch a family emerge, only to be confronted by the worst of both societies. As a story of first contact and social justice, this reminds me of the old TV series Alien Nation. It has that same conscience . . . . that same sense of something significant taking place on a personal and intimate level, even if it is approached in a very different manner.
Given Gwen and Basil’s role within the grand scheme of first contact, I was afraid we’d be left with a lot of technical asides and scientific musings to explore the aliens. Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of being cold and clinical, the approach here is warm and human. I won’t spoil any of what happens between them, but I will say I shed tears of joy and tears of sorrow for this unusual family, and that’s an accomplishment few authors can claim.
Not only is this a wonderful story, but it’s a wonderfully told story. Initially, I had my doubts as to how well it would work – not because of any failing on the part of the author, but simply because there were so many ways it could have gone wrong. Fortunately, the pop-culture references are used wisely; the aliens are neither almost-human nor completely-monstrous (but something interesting in between); the core relationship is loving and tender, presented as something natural (rather than erotic or taboo); and there’s no sign of the usual time travel clichés.
More importantly, beneath all the action and the drama, there are some big questions asked within the novel – the answers to which we’re guided, but have to realise for ourselves. That’s what makes a good science fiction novel memorable, and Triptych certainly is that.
Anyway, Triptych is a book that I’m delighted to say falls comfortably outside the norm, pushes sexual/racial/gender boundaries, and leaves you quite delighted to stop and think.
Take one heterosexual human couple. Introduce an oddly gendered alien into the mix. Then watch a family emerge, only to be confronted by the worst of both societies. As a story of first contact and social justice, this reminds me of the old TV series Alien Nation. It has that same conscience . . . . that same sense of something significant taking place on a personal and intimate level, even if it is approached in a very different manner.
Given Gwen and Basil’s role within the grand scheme of first contact, I was afraid we’d be left with a lot of technical asides and scientific musings to explore the aliens. Fortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of being cold and clinical, the approach here is warm and human. I won’t spoil any of what happens between them, but I will say I shed tears of joy and tears of sorrow for this unusual family, and that’s an accomplishment few authors can claim.
Not only is this a wonderful story, but it’s a wonderfully told story. Initially, I had my doubts as to how well it would work – not because of any failing on the part of the author, but simply because there were so many ways it could have gone wrong. Fortunately, the pop-culture references are used wisely; the aliens are neither almost-human nor completely-monstrous (but something interesting in between); the core relationship is loving and tender, presented as something natural (rather than erotic or taboo); and there’s no sign of the usual time travel clichés.
More importantly, beneath all the action and the drama, there are some big questions asked within the novel – the answers to which we’re guided, but have to realise for ourselves. That’s what makes a good science fiction novel memorable, and Triptych certainly is that.
witchdoctormike's review
4.0
Rarely does a character come along and maintain a chokehold on my soul but Kalp managed it, the monster. This book made me cry and that shit's rare. Only reason I'm retaining a star is cos I'm a petty bitch who cannot get over the destruction of my favorite ship.
alexperc_92's review
5.0
One of the best written, most heartbreaking stories I've read. It touched so many issues, making me cry, laugh and scream at the book. I love Kalp, that's the truth for this book and I wish there were more people like Gwen and Basil.
lolajoan's review
4.0
For a story about furry blue aliens and time travel, this has a lot of emotion and heartbreak. The conceit is clever and the story is well crafted. Frey seems to have a knack for developing tension and anticipation without it being a sledgehammer of anxiety, which is nice. My only complaint is that Basil's character seemed spotty to me - he did/said things that seemed out of character just to advance the plot, and his jokey/insouciant geekyness was laid on a little too thick sometimes - even the most cocky of nerds knows when a joke is inappropes. But the other characters were pretty believable, and even the trickiness of time travel was handled pretty adroitly. Recommended with a warning that you'll probably tear up at least once.
alexandra_92's review
5.0
One of the best written, most heartbreaking stories I've read. It touched so many issues, making me cry, laugh and scream at the book. I love Kalp, that's the truth for this book and I wish there were more people like Gwen and Basil.
dan_ackerman's review
4.0
THIS BOOK isn’t what I thought it was going to be. For one, it’s bittersweet. It opens with a tragedy. Triptych moves through settings and time frequently but never becomes hard to follow. It also changes its point of view character fairly often and I thoroughly enjoyed reading from the POV of Kalp, an alien refugee from a destroyed world. The pace also waffles at times, moving very quickly in some parts, then slowing to one that focuses on cozy domesticity. The contrast works.
I also didn’t expect this book to be as good as it was. I am a deeply biased person and the more I read, the more I come to realize how finicky I am. But this book is good; it never felt like a chore to read and the writing style kept its action tight, its romance sweet, and its characters blessedly complex. Often (especially in science fiction), we’re given static, one-dimensional characters. Basil could have been nothing more than a cowardly, sharp-tongued nerd, Gwen could have been a ‘strong woman’ with blunted emotions, and Kalp could have easily stayed a sweet, naïve thing, lost and hurting. And they were those, sometimes. But they were also more than that and tagging along as the book peeled back the layers of it characters proved enjoyable.
Frey also goes out of her way to create an alien that is humanoid but still clearly not of our world. I appreciated this more when reading from Kalp’s POV; learning more about his physiology, culture, and perception of the world is a refreshing change from aliens that are either mostly like humans or monstrously inhuman.
Of course, not every element of the book worked for me. The main conflict in the book revolves around people targeting the thrupple for homophobic and xenophobic reasons; violence against people who don’t fall into the banality of cis-heteronormativity will always leave a bad taste in my mouth. It’s an old story and I just don’t like sad endings. I want, I need to see queer people happy at the end of it all. I need that light. More than that, this is the first time that I’ve been given a main character who is nonbinary and that character dies because of humanity’s intense hatred for things that are Other.
I knew it wasn’t coming, that it couldn’t be, but I held out so much hope that somehow the three of them would find a way back together. The ending, overall, wasn’t unsatisfactory, but I also got the sense that Kalp, in the end, didn’t matter. Yes, he was a driving force for change in both Basil and Gwen, but in the end, he is gone. Basil and Gwen move towards a future from which Kalp feels excised. The next part of their life is about finding a way to still be together without him and I understand that dwelling in loss isn’t healthy, but to go from the violent death of a partner to moving on in a matter of weeks feels abrupt.
I also didn’t expect this book to be as good as it was. I am a deeply biased person and the more I read, the more I come to realize how finicky I am. But this book is good; it never felt like a chore to read and the writing style kept its action tight, its romance sweet, and its characters blessedly complex. Often (especially in science fiction), we’re given static, one-dimensional characters. Basil could have been nothing more than a cowardly, sharp-tongued nerd, Gwen could have been a ‘strong woman’ with blunted emotions, and Kalp could have easily stayed a sweet, naïve thing, lost and hurting. And they were those, sometimes. But they were also more than that and tagging along as the book peeled back the layers of it characters proved enjoyable.
Frey also goes out of her way to create an alien that is humanoid but still clearly not of our world. I appreciated this more when reading from Kalp’s POV; learning more about his physiology, culture, and perception of the world is a refreshing change from aliens that are either mostly like humans or monstrously inhuman.
Of course, not every element of the book worked for me. The main conflict in the book revolves around people targeting the thrupple for homophobic and xenophobic reasons; violence against people who don’t fall into the banality of cis-heteronormativity will always leave a bad taste in my mouth. It’s an old story and I just don’t like sad endings. I want, I need to see queer people happy at the end of it all. I need that light. More than that, this is the first time that I’ve been given a main character who is nonbinary and that character dies because of humanity’s intense hatred for things that are Other.
I knew it wasn’t coming, that it couldn’t be, but I held out so much hope that somehow the three of them would find a way back together. The ending, overall, wasn’t unsatisfactory, but I also got the sense that Kalp, in the end, didn’t matter. Yes, he was a driving force for change in both Basil and Gwen, but in the end, he is gone. Basil and Gwen move towards a future from which Kalp feels excised. The next part of their life is about finding a way to still be together without him and I understand that dwelling in loss isn’t healthy, but to go from the violent death of a partner to moving on in a matter of weeks feels abrupt.
dearbhla's review
5.0
When the aliens came it was nothing like the way science fiction and popular culture had predicted it. There was no invasion, instead they were refugees. Their own planet had collapsed, killing the majority, only a few escaped. Earth took them in and began to integrate them into human culture.
Of course there were plenty of differences.
And then the rumours of a conspiracy started. And the possibility that the aliens were actually invaders, invaders by stealth.
Gwen and Basil were part of the Institute’s team of specialists, responsible for trying to learn about the aliens. Their culture, their technology, their language. They even take one of the aliens into their house. Into their lives. Is it possible that Kalp is acting against them?
As far as I can remember I picked this book up because I’d seen the author quoted somewhere, something to do with gender and female authors in science fiction, and being advised to publish under J. M. rather than something more identifiably female. And the plot of the book itself seemed interesting. I’m so glad I did read it because this book is wonderful.
It starts off with the death of Kalp. That’s his body falling to the floor in the opening line, and basil reacting to it. And then suddenly we are in the past, with Gwen’s parents and Gwen as a baby. The story then moves to Kalp’s point of view as he tries to integrate himself into human society. He calls himself “he” even though they are much more gender neutral in his culture. Gender only really matters when you intend to procreate. And finally back to after Kalp’s death, the causes, the reasons for it, and the fall out from it.
It is so well written, every character voice is different and distinct. I really connected with them as they told their stories. Poor Kalp who has lost everything when his home world was destroyed and who is trying so hard to fit in, to be part of Basil and Gwen’s life. All he wants is to find a home of his own.
And Basil and Gwen, who go through so much together.
It’s just a great read. So gripping, I found it so hard to put down.
But it isn’t just an entertaining story. It is all about gender, and sex roles and dynamics. About how prejudiced some people are, and how that can have such huge impacts on other people. Kalp, as I mentioned, decides to take on the male descriptive pronoun, but his lack of understanding of what makes something culturally male or female serves to point out ridiculous we are for thinking that cooking if for women, for example. It isn’t a huge hammer in the book. Kalp decides to be known as male and never makes a big deal about it again, but it comes up in subtle ways throughout the story that his gender isn’t so important to him as it might be to a human.
It isn’t a perfect book. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and really recommend it to anyone interested in a first-contact story of a different kind.
Of course there were plenty of differences.
And then the rumours of a conspiracy started. And the possibility that the aliens were actually invaders, invaders by stealth.
Gwen and Basil were part of the Institute’s team of specialists, responsible for trying to learn about the aliens. Their culture, their technology, their language. They even take one of the aliens into their house. Into their lives. Is it possible that Kalp is acting against them?
As far as I can remember I picked this book up because I’d seen the author quoted somewhere, something to do with gender and female authors in science fiction, and being advised to publish under J. M. rather than something more identifiably female. And the plot of the book itself seemed interesting. I’m so glad I did read it because this book is wonderful.
It starts off with the death of Kalp. That’s his body falling to the floor in the opening line, and basil reacting to it. And then suddenly we are in the past, with Gwen’s parents and Gwen as a baby. The story then moves to Kalp’s point of view as he tries to integrate himself into human society. He calls himself “he” even though they are much more gender neutral in his culture. Gender only really matters when you intend to procreate. And finally back to after Kalp’s death, the causes, the reasons for it, and the fall out from it.
It is so well written, every character voice is different and distinct. I really connected with them as they told their stories. Poor Kalp who has lost everything when his home world was destroyed and who is trying so hard to fit in, to be part of Basil and Gwen’s life. All he wants is to find a home of his own.
And Basil and Gwen, who go through so much together.
It’s just a great read. So gripping, I found it so hard to put down.
But it isn’t just an entertaining story. It is all about gender, and sex roles and dynamics. About how prejudiced some people are, and how that can have such huge impacts on other people. Kalp, as I mentioned, decides to take on the male descriptive pronoun, but his lack of understanding of what makes something culturally male or female serves to point out ridiculous we are for thinking that cooking if for women, for example. It isn’t a huge hammer in the book. Kalp decides to be known as male and never makes a big deal about it again, but it comes up in subtle ways throughout the story that his gender isn’t so important to him as it might be to a human.
It isn’t a perfect book. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and really recommend it to anyone interested in a first-contact story of a different kind.
faethered's review
1.0
I really, really wanted to like this book. I was excited about it. I love stories heavily featuring aliens, especially when they employ alien POV. I love stories with polyamory. I love time travel. This book has all of those things, but could not make it work for me.
The structure of the book is non-linear, with an opening scene that makes very little sense on first read. The first section drops lots of references to things the reader doesn't understand yet, which are finally explained in the second section. I see what the author tried to do here, but it didn't work for me at all. I spent way too long being totally confused about the plot, and by the time things were finally explained, I'd forgotten what the explanation was for. In the end, I lost interest so completely that I stopped reading. I think the book would have worked a lot better with a more linear structure, even with the time travel.
The structure of the book is non-linear, with an opening scene that makes very little sense on first read. The first section drops lots of references to things the reader doesn't understand yet, which are finally explained in the second section. I see what the author tried to do here, but it didn't work for me at all. I spent way too long being totally confused about the plot, and by the time things were finally explained, I'd forgotten what the explanation was for. In the end, I lost interest so completely that I stopped reading. I think the book would have worked a lot better with a more linear structure, even with the time travel.