In this sci-fi novel, an extremely long-lived woman unexpectedly reunites with her long-lost brother.
It’s 2019, and Tae-hee Kim is a nurse in the university town of Springfield; she looks 33 but was actually born in Korea in 1867. She owes her long life to hosting a threlphax, an “extraterrestrial life form” that, when merged with a human, is “something akin to what we might call [a] spiritual companion.”
Although she’s kept this fact a secret from most people, she’s met a few elder threlphax-human hybrids; she spends much of her time outside of work with a few of them at KSH House, an auction house and communal living space.
At the beginning of the novel, Tae-hee is startled by a man she’s never seen before, who claims to be her twin brother, Tae-soo. He looks nothing like the sibling she remembers; besides, she saw his dead body years ago and even scattered the ashes from his cremation. The man explains that during a battle, he “knew he was dying, so he jumped into a Thai soldier’s body,” transmigrating his consciousness. Tae-soo, who now goes by the name Kit, is able to convince her of the truth of his claims, and Tae-hee introduces him to the KSH House group.
Romantic sparks soon fly between Kit and Jong, a group member who comes “from a long line of Korean shamans” and can sense something different about Kit’s energy. Dooley also delves into the history of the threlphax, their presence on Earth, and the story of a rogue threlphax called Mroniea.
The latter’s dangerous goals, and the fact that the main threlphax tribe’s leader is missing, provide the book with compelling stakes, although Kit’s identity crisis and complicated romance with Jong also effectively drive the narrative. The group of friends at KSH House are diverse and have well-developed and satisfying backstories.
Some of the threlphax-related logistics become confusing, and their overall aims remain opaque, but Dooley effectively pivots between the alien narrative and the interpersonal drama to create a balanced plot with an intriguing cliffhanger.
An inventive sci-fi tale with plenty of heart and an emphasis on the benefits of found families.