A story that juggles so much, so inventively, with impressive clarity.
Defekt is the most enjoyably bubbly book I’ve read
exploring the burden of shackles. Not literal shackles, but ones
that can extend to life as a retail worker or a one of self-doubt. Those
shackles siphon your time at the expense of empty praise from apathetic
bosses, or it hamstrings the growth of your relationships. But Defekt shows
that being unshackled and free is a possibility and is only deceptively
difficult. With just a prompt and some effort for self-growth, you can see that
you are your biggest enemy, and once you understand that, you become your
biggest friend. And what makes this novella most impressive is that these
themes aren’t explored in hallmark-card-cheesiness, but through an inventive,
twisty story full of clones, animated objects, and wormholes, that’s always
compelling.
Defekt is the sequel to Nino Cipri's Hugo-nominated novella Finna, but is accessible to those who haven't read its predecessor, as even though it takes place in a familiar setting, it follows completely different characters In Defekt, Derek is an employee at
LitenVärld, always following his instructions to the letter, never letting his
bosses down. But then Derek starts feeling off, taking his first sick day. As
consequence, his boss sends him to work inventory at night. During that shift,
he stumbles upon animated objects and four people who appear to be clones of
him, tasked with dealing with the animated objects—defective products.
Wormholes, romance, and heart-pounding action ensues.
Derek is a
terrific character in his own right. His personality, despite its rigidity,
doesn’t lend itself to a monotone, uninteresting voice, because his care for
others in the story exudes heartwarming, upbeat warmth. Nino Cipri has made a
really interesting choice by not making the clones exactly like Derek, but as their own distinct, fully-formed individuals. There are quirks and features
that are synonymous amongst all of them, but their personalities are fluid,
whether it be their gender identity or chunks of their worldview. This makes
later romantic relationships between some of them un-creepy because Defekt makes
it clear that these people aren’t the same at all—it’s way less like romancing
themselves and more like romancing someone different who possesses certain
qualities they enjoy.
Character
identities aren’t the only thing that’s fluid—the writing is, too. Defekt struck the right balance of explaining enough to orient me in the world and
characters, without overburdening the story in description. It’s on the longer
side of a novella length and absolutely earns its word count, moving with pep,
surprising reveals, and skillfully conceived weird humor. Even the beginning,
which is largely absent of fantastical imagery and heart-pounding action is
engaging because the oppressive but strangely amusing setting of LitenVärld
is richly drawn and peppered with characters who act in ways that
spotlight the stores rigidity and soul-sucking effect on its employees, imbuing
the story with internal roiling and strife that still infuses it with energy.
The energy always exists in the novella—just in different ways.
Capturing one life in a story is
hard enough. But to capture many clones in a fleshed-out manner that highlight
facets of the protagonist, while deviating into fully-formed individuals seems
impossible, but Defekt does it. It’s a writerly feat that
lends itself to the themes of being unshackled both in work and
personally. Because not only does it tell its readers to think and act
expansively, but its writing is aptly expansive, too, championing a
well-trodden theme in a way that’s unique, and most importantly, grand.
The Math
Baseline Score: 8/10
Bonuses: +1 For finding moments of hilarity amidst all the
plot threads.
Nerd
Coefficient: 9/10
Cipri, Nino. Defekt [Tordotcom,
2021].
POSTED BY: Sean Dowie - Screenwriter, editor, lover of all books that make him nod his head and say, "Neat!"
