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sasha_featherYesterday I finished reading "The Return of the Thief" by Megan Whalen Turner. It's rare for me to read an actual novel these days, but I'm pretty invested in this series. This book is the 6th and final volume.
I'm copying this over from Twitter; some thoughts on disability portrayal in this book. Cut for possible spoilers, but I'm trying to avoid any major ones.
Our narrator is Pheris, a boy from a noble family who has a congenital disability. He doesn't speak, has mobility problems, and has chronic pain. He's clever, but not a genius. The main thing is, he becomes an attendant to the king and is therefore close to the action. He's a keen observer: often ignored by others, he listens in. Although treated cruelly by many people, Pheris regrets the times when he himself has been cruel. He notices kindness in others.
There is another disabled character in this series, and that's Gen (the main character throughout the series). But see, Gen is god-touched, a genius, an extraordinary person. I think it matters more to me, to see someone who is an ordinary disabled person.
Pheris talks about struggling to sit in a bad position through dinners and meetings; struggling to stand for long periods; lagging behind when others are walking or riding ahead. This is so relatable. When you have chronic pain, sometimes ordinary activities like this are a tremendous act of will. In one such scene, an acolyte keeps frowning at Pheris when he fidgets.
People who treat Pheris kindly stand out. One physician says acidly, to a random character, in reference to disability: "Just because some things are easy for you, does not mean they are easy for the rest of us." This same physician looks at Pheris, says, ok, sometimes your walking is worse. Logically, then, sometimes it is better, and we can replicate those conditions and improve your walking.
Pheris is riding his pony and is lagging behind a large group. Quiety, without fuss, a minor character hangs back and rides with him. Then has them both dismount and ride in a cart. This sort of thing, it's access intimacy-- that sense of safety you get with people who understand.
Content note for this book; there is a fair amount of ableist abuse, esp. at the beginning, directed toward Pheris. Later on there is mention of a murder of a disabled person.
I like Bujold's work overall, but I get tired of those books being held up as the main/only disability rep in SF/F. If you are looking for more disability content, check out this series. the first book is "The Thief," the author is Megan Whalen Turner.
I'm copying this over from Twitter; some thoughts on disability portrayal in this book. Cut for possible spoilers, but I'm trying to avoid any major ones.
Our narrator is Pheris, a boy from a noble family who has a congenital disability. He doesn't speak, has mobility problems, and has chronic pain. He's clever, but not a genius. The main thing is, he becomes an attendant to the king and is therefore close to the action. He's a keen observer: often ignored by others, he listens in. Although treated cruelly by many people, Pheris regrets the times when he himself has been cruel. He notices kindness in others.
There is another disabled character in this series, and that's Gen (the main character throughout the series). But see, Gen is god-touched, a genius, an extraordinary person. I think it matters more to me, to see someone who is an ordinary disabled person.
Pheris talks about struggling to sit in a bad position through dinners and meetings; struggling to stand for long periods; lagging behind when others are walking or riding ahead. This is so relatable. When you have chronic pain, sometimes ordinary activities like this are a tremendous act of will. In one such scene, an acolyte keeps frowning at Pheris when he fidgets.
People who treat Pheris kindly stand out. One physician says acidly, to a random character, in reference to disability: "Just because some things are easy for you, does not mean they are easy for the rest of us." This same physician looks at Pheris, says, ok, sometimes your walking is worse. Logically, then, sometimes it is better, and we can replicate those conditions and improve your walking.
Pheris is riding his pony and is lagging behind a large group. Quiety, without fuss, a minor character hangs back and rides with him. Then has them both dismount and ride in a cart. This sort of thing, it's access intimacy-- that sense of safety you get with people who understand.
Content note for this book; there is a fair amount of ableist abuse, esp. at the beginning, directed toward Pheris. Later on there is mention of a murder of a disabled person.
I like Bujold's work overall, but I get tired of those books being held up as the main/only disability rep in SF/F. If you are looking for more disability content, check out this series. the first book is "The Thief," the author is Megan Whalen Turner.
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Date: 2021-01-19 06:13 am (UTC)That's really cool.
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Date: 2021-01-19 09:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-19 12:50 pm (UTC)Ah, that sounds so lovely.
Is this book series-dependent? Is Pheris a character throughout?
(A respectful doctor: evidence that this is a work of fantasy.)
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Date: 2021-01-19 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-20 02:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-01-19 09:24 pm (UTC)For disability rep in fantasy novels, I do appreciate the character of Thick in Robin Hobb's "Golden Fool" and "Fool's Fate", who is heavily coded as having Down's Syndrome. There are a lot of problematic elements to Thick's portrayal, but I really appreciate that he's central to the action, and is consistently shown as having his own personality and agency. I don't think I've seen a character with Down's Syndrome in any other fantasy novel, certainly not one that takes a central role.
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Date: 2021-01-20 02:18 am (UTC)I read the Robin Hobb books but it was more than a decade ago; that's wonderful to hear.
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Date: 2021-01-20 01:21 pm (UTC)