Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin — book review

Now this is how you write a great short story.
There is a reason why many, me included, regard N.K. Jemisin as one of the best speculative fiction writers out there it’s because of stories such as this one.
One of her greatest strengths is her ability to use innovative writing perspectives in such a compelling way. In Emergency Skin she once again masterfully utilises the second person point of view.
The narrative never lets us see through the eyes of the explorer himself and we follow the progress of him mission thanks to the running commentary of his ‘ancestors’ that thanks to some advanced form of technology are able to give him directions and orders. They refer to him as ‘you’, answer to his questions and or comments, and attempt to command his every action. Time and again they remind him that the successful completion of his mission will result in his earning his skin. Because yes, the explorer comes from a society that considers skin a privilege that only a few should have.
Things do not go as planned as the explorer, much to his ancestors chagrin, discovers that the planet Earth isn’t the rusty shell he was it would be.
The vivid narrative and intriguing storyline immediately grabbed my attention. Although speculative in nature there many aspects that make this short story quite topical. Jemisin manages to comment on the behaviour of a certain group of people without turning her story into a didactic one. Her organic storytelling allows her to work within her story a discussion and interrogation regarding our world’s current state of affair…and in some ways one could see this story as a cautionary tale of sorts as it presents us with some of the worst aspects of our society. There are plenty of clever and thoughtful arguments within Emergency Skin which is why I would be happy to read this again.
This is yet another example of Jemisin’s rich imagination.

I listened to the audiobook edition narrated by Jason Isaacs, actor best known for portraying the imperious Lucius Malfoy….and maybe that’s why his voice perfectly lends itself to that of the ancestors. What a terrific narrator!

My rating: ★★★★✰ 4 stars

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