• FidelCashflow [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Maybe. In an earlier book windup girl the protagonist character is a women who was doing survival sex work and she was written in a compeletly sympathetic light and to my understanding there was no actual sex scenes. It was about her inner life as it related to her making the best of a bad situation, and then doing a hero's journey. Although, my radar might just be miscalibrated.

    Hmm... I wonder if writing dystopian novels about the impendong climate collapse, and then living in the impending climate collapse has been bad for his mental health. I know I have seen sensationalist accounts of catels doing stuff like that.

    I think your take makes sense though. I was honestly not going to read it anyway just because I don't need that level of horror in my life. Even though I prior had a positive look on him as a writer. So I am never going to have any more context to examine it.

    • bubbalu [they/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      if you're looking for a similar, more hopeful, if somewhat less here's the science I can't recommend 'Parable of the Sower' enough. Also good contrast in terms of presenting sex work and extreme exploitation as a plot and character element in away that is actually insightful and critical—not just fetishistic.

      • FidelCashflow [he/him]
        ·
        edit-2
        3 years ago

        That is an excellent reccomendation. Howerver, I remain a little baby. I read two of butler's books and it made me too sad. I was trying to expand my horizions or whatever but instead I just ended up with a small depressive episode.

        I don't think I am emotioanlly strong enough to handle the emotional weight of empathizing with a margalized story like that. Especially now a days.

        I get that makes me kinda a shitty comrade. It's in the self crit pile. But that pile is under trying to make rent or whatver right now. I don't have the strength for it.