Name: The Membranes - a Novel
ISBN: 9780231195713

Ta-wei Chi

First published in Taiwan in 1995, The Membranes is a classic of queer speculative fiction in Chinese. Chi Ta-wei weaves dystopian tropes--heirloom animals, radiation-proof combat drones, sinister surveillance technologies--into a sensitive portrait of one young woman's quest for self-understanding.

The Membranes - a Novel

The ocean surrounded her body but never touched her.

What Momo’s mother told her next was not the simple, perfunctory version of what you learn in sex ed. Instead she explained that a long, long time ago, Mommy had taken a trip with a friend. They were walking along hand in hand in the hills when they came to the base of a peach tree at the top of a knoll. The peaches gave off a mesmerizing scent: to smell them was to go limp with ecstasy. Not worrying about pesticides or being accused of theft, Mommy’s friend asked Mommy to let her stand on her shoulders. With a little teamwork, the crafty pair plucked the biggest peach of all. It was as big as a human head. Mommy was delighted. She told her friend: “In China there’s a legend that ‘peach splitting’—when you share a peach with a friend—is the mark of an extraordinary friendship, the kind that other people wouldn’t understand. Let’s share the peach and bless our friendship!” And so, according to Momo’s mother’s story, the two women split the peach with a knife … never anticipating that, as soon as the knife broke the skin, a shrill wailing cry would burst out of the peach. Inside was a baby! As shocked as they were, both women felt that this tiny baby was destined to be their daughter. It was just like a fairy tale.

“Little Momo thought: When I grow up, I’ll never fight with my friends. I’ll be close with my friends forever.

lily lily 

“Take your name: ‘Momo.’ It’s so silly. It sounds … yummy.”

Even though she felt a profound sadness, this made her laugh. “Why?”

“When you eat a peach you make a ‘nom nom’ sound! And when you eat a tasty mushroom soup. And when my owner kisses his lover, it’s ‘nom nom’ for most of the day! The lips and tongue must taste delicious.”

Momo rushed to calm the little dog. “Shhhh, Andy. Behave. This is Momo’s mother.”

(Momo almost thought Mother was going to say: Momo, we can go home now. You haven’t been home in so very, very long.)

rarely enjoy class obligated books but this one was so uncomfortably enjoyable👍 read it in class with the lecturers voice in the background 10/10 core memory 

sophie yang 

"Momo was like a canary locked inside a beautiful cage."

[lets out a scream] oh my god. what was this book? i wasn't prepared to be so devastated. 

 is a disturbing but worth enough read revolving around reality, gender, sexuality, perceptions, senses and experiences. Too many questions in a tiny book of 136 pages.

My first thoughts were that this book must be newly published considering the contents but imagine my shock when it was written in 1995? My respect for the author has increased tremendously.

I imagine peeling off a peach as I processed by each chapter, discovering new and new things until I reached the ending which of course, shook me to my core. Written in a light way and yet it forces you to question everything around you. I love my books like that.

NO. I refuse to believe in the ending. What do you mean none of this was real? Oh, Momo, poor Momo. And her Mother. I can't ever forgive the author for this. This was so unexpected and I couldn't have foreshadowed that in my worst imaginable dreams. How do I get over it now?

sani

"Momo was like a canary locked inside a beautiful cage."

[lets out a scream] oh my god. what was this book? i wasn't prepared to be so devastated. The Membranes is a disturbing but worth enough read revolving around reality, gender, sexuality, perceptions, senses and experiences. Too many questions in a tiny book of 136 pages.

My first thoughts were that this book must be newly published considering the contents but imagine my shock when it was written in 1995? My respect for the author has increased tremendously.

I imagine peeling off a peach as I processed by each chapter, discovering new and new things until I reached the ending which of course, shook me to my core. Written in a light way and yet it forces you to question everything around you. I love my books like that.

SPOILERS‼️

NO. I refuse to believe in the ending. What do you mean none of this was real? Oh, Momo, poor Momo. And her Mother. I can't ever forgive the author for this. This was so unexpected and I couldn't have foreshadowed that in my worst imaginable dreams. How do I get over it now?

I thought this book was interesting but emotionally, just "fine" for the first 75%...and then the shift happened and I couldn't stop crying. Chi Ta-wei's portrayal of a strained mother-daughter relationship among his vision of the 21st and 22nd centuries—much of which was prescient then at the time of publication and familiar now—is masterful, along with his writing of privatization, the military-industrial complex, gender, sexuality, and technology.

alice

enticing concept with an even more insane plot twist

amelo

ta-wei chi was able to create (or, in a way, foretell) such a sophisticated tale of postmodern loneliness, isolation, exploitation and decadence. now, a painstakingly familiar world where you live your secluded life, occasionally breaking free from a birdcage to a digital haven. every experience is custom made for you to gobble, just pick and choose, or try on someone else's shoes. and don't forget to pay the price with your precious data when leaving. but don't stress too much and relax, poor children crafting your treasured haven portals will pay a much higher price for you. 

but even in a world like this, mothers can love their daughters very dearly

ta-wei chi was able to create (or, in a way, foretell) such a sophisticated tale of postmodern loneliness, isolation, exploitation and decadence. now, a painstakingly familiar world where you live your secluded life, occasionally breaking free from a birdcage to a digital haven. every experience is custom made for you to gobble, just pick and choose, or try on someone else's shoes. and don't forget to pay the price with your precious data when leaving. but don't stress too much and relax, poor children crafting your treasured haven portals will pay a much higher price for you. 

but even in a world like this, mothers can love their daughters very dearly

Shona Tiger

Unexpected! It took me a little effort to get into this, because the writing felt a little stilted (due to the fact that it’s a translation, perhaps? I don’t know), but once I grasped the story, I was amazed over and over that it was written 25 years ago, with some concepts feeling very modern. There’s a touch of cli-fi about it, as most humans now live under the ocean. There are also a lot of interesting medical/biological and transhumanist concepts, as well as some thoughts about identity. The central theme is the relationship between a mother and a daughter, with a touching (I felt) twist.

Read for: The other-worldliness of it all, an exploration of queerness, and some questions about what it means to be human. Also definitely read because it is something that is not out of the Western canon (thank God), although there are numerous Western cultural references.

The Membranes - a Novel

Reviews

Highlights