Title: Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel
Author: Julian K. Jarboe
Genre: Science Fiction/Short Stories
Trigger Warnings: Transphobia, prejudice/bigotry, ableism, menstruation, body horror, self-harm
Back Cover:
In this debut collection of body-horror fairy tales and mid-apocalyptic Catholic cyberpunk, memory and myth, loss and age, these are the tools of storyteller Jarboe, a talent in the field of queer fabulism. Bodily autonomy and transformation, the importance of negative emotions, unhealthy relationships, and bad situations amidst the staggering and urgent question of how build and nurture meaning, love, and safety in a larger world/society that might not be “fixable.”
Review:
I had never heard of Julian K. Jarboe before picking up this book, likely because they are mainly a short fiction writer and the only time I read short stories is when they’re collected into books like this. But I think I’m going to have to keep an eye out for new work from them, because these stories are so wise and insightful.
The main theme across all of these stories is queerness, especially transness, and what it’s like to be trans in a world that’s not friendly to transness. Only-slightly-less-main themes are neurodivergance and poverty and the experience of being neurodiverse and poor in a world that’s not friendly to either. It’s very raw and very powerful and very real, capturing much of the nuance of those situations. All of these stories are 100% written by someone who knows what it’s like to be trans, neurodiverse, and poor.
All of these stories are great (although I did think the title story, “Everyone on the Moon is Essential Personnel,” was a little longer than it needed to be), but I want to touch on a few of my favorites.
- “Self Care.” Raw and full of anger – at capitalism, religion, transphobia, and being poor. Relatable and validating.
- “The Heavy Things.” The sad truth that sometimes even people who should (and said they did) love you unconditionally care more about what they can get from you than you yourself.
- “Estranged Children of Storybook Houses.” The changeling myth made real. For all the children whose parents feel like they are owed someone different than the child they have.
- “We Did Not Know We Were Giants.” I’m still not completely sure of the philosophical or emotional meaning behind this one but I love it. It may be my favorite in the book.
Saying that these stories are “deep” sounds weird and cheap, but they’re full of layers of emotion, philosophy, and wisdom. I highlighted so many quotes from so many of the stories. The stories don’t always make a lot of sense to my head – full of tangents and strange turns of phrase, feeling no need to include any “traditional” elements like plot or character arcs – but they felt real and they hit hard. These stories are fantastic.
Bluejay Reads 