The Past is Red

 Tell me a story... about the perils of climate change

The Past is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

Publication date: July 20, 2021

Date read: July 4, 2021

This book is broken into two parts. "The Future is Blue" was previously published in a short story collection called Drowned Worlds in 2016, and then again in 2018 in Valente's own short story collection called, appropriately, The Future is Blue. "The Past is Red" is a new story. Both are included in this book. 

These stories follow Tetley, an outcast who lives in Garbagetown, one of the remaining livable places on Earth after the sea levels rose and covered all the land. (Garbagetown is exactly what it sounds like - a large floating pile of garbage). Tetley is hated by her community for something that she has done, so she sets off on her own to try to find a new place in Garbagetown where she can live in peace.

It's really difficult to write a summary for this book, because it's really short (160 pages) and I don't want to give away any plot points. Especially because this book isn't super plot-heavy... it's mostly just the story of an individual's day-to-day life through a post-apocalyptic world where everyone hates her. There are important things that happen, especially in the "The Past is Red" section, but it's not the kind of book where big dramatic events are happening on every page. 

I loved the world building in this book. Valente creates a world that is terrifyingly possible. I would love to read more stories set in this world, both about Tetley and about other characters, or just to read about how Garbagetown was set up after the world flooded. It's amazing how Valente was able to craft such an incredible (and incredibly realistic) place, set in this post-flood future, in so few pages. 

The narration is sort of stream-of-consciousness (not completely, but it gives that impression at times), which can sometimes make the story a tiny bit hard to follow - I found myself having to re-read some paragraphs in order to follow the idea. Not a negative, but just a point I have to make. It just takes a little getting used to. But I adored Tetley and following her story. And I didn't mind being in her head. 

If you like a good post-apocalyptic story, I recommend this one. It's a quick read, and while not a lot happens throughout the story, the ending packs a real punch. No spoilers, but I loved the ending. It's a wonderfully tragic world to immerse yourself in for 160 pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Trigger Warnings: physical assault, death of a loved one

Caution: LOTS of swearing