The word “edgy” is bandied about so much in
reviews as to become almost cliché, however, Lauren Beukes’s recent collection
has stories that happen right at the edge.
Beukes, the award-winning, South African writer, has authored novels,
graphic novels, plays. Her new collection
Slipping brings together over a decade’s worth of short stories, non-fiction,
essays and vignettes.
The short stories in this book detail the sort
of thing that sometimes happens in the peripheral – from the lovelorn and
slightly creepy traffic warden (‘Parking’) to the survival tactics needed in
absolute poverty (‘Smileys’). ‘Ghost Girl’ occurs on the liminal edge of life
and death as an architect is haunted by a teenage girl. Beukes has a fine touch
for satire in the pop culture Selfie world of ‘Pop Tarts’ and the benefits of
corporate branding in ‘Branded’.
While it’s difficult to choose the stand-outs
from the collection, the titular piece ‘Slipping’ is astonishing: a tale
focussing in on South African runner Pearl Nitseko brutally damaged in an
accident and now biologically and bionically enhanced. The race that Pearl and other
young women (alive and dead) are forced to participate in is treated as a freak
show only of interest to rubber neckers, pharmaceutical companies and the
military. You’re left wondering about Pearl long after your eyes fall on the
final sentence.
Slipping is a dizzying array of stories, a “greatest hits” from a prolific
and imaginative writer. There’s a mash
of scenarios and genres from alternative histories to Manga, cyberpunk to
feminist fairy tale. It’s kick-ass speculative
fiction with brains and heart.
While the short stories outbalance the
non-fiction pieces, Beukes’s journalism has a zippy, thoughtful, and compelling
style to it. Her passion for social justice shines through in her articles
about South Africa and women. (I defy you not to get all the feelings when you
read the letter to her five-year-old daughter.) This section also demonstrates
underlying themes that inform Moxyland,
Zoo City, The Shining Girls, and recent novel Broken Monsters. For budding writers this will give you a valuable
insight into the writing process; you can see how non-fiction seeps into
fiction and how short stories can be developed into longer pieces. (If you’re
inspired you should definitely slip on the muse-skin gloves from the opening story
and try typing!)
Beukes’ writing is incomparable, however, if you
haven’t read her work and love writers like Jeff Noon (Vurt, Automated Alice),
William Gibson (Neuromancer) mixed
with the unflinching ballsiness of writers like Emma Jane Unsworth (Animals) then you’ll absolutely love
Lauren Beukes.
SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS & OTHER WRITING / AUTHOR: LAUREN BEUKES / PUBLISHER: TACHYON / RELEASE DATE: 29TH NOVEMBER 
