The Membranes: A Novel (Modern Chinese Literature from Taiwan)

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. "It is the late twenty-first century, and Momo is the most celebrated dermal care technician in all of T City. Humanity has migrated to domes at the bottom of the sea to escape devastating climate change. The world is dominated by powerful media conglomerates and runs on exploited cyborg labor. Momo prefers to keep to herself, and anyway she's too busy for other relationships: her clients include some of the city's best-known media personalities. But after meeting her estranged mother, she begins to explore her true identity, a journey that leads to questioning the bounds of gender, memory, self, and reality. 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. Predicting everything from fitness tracking to social media saturation, this visionary and sublime novel stands out for its queer and trans themes. The Membranes reveals the diversity and originality of contemporary speculative fiction in Chinese, exploring gender and sexuality, technological domination, and regimes of capital, all while applying an unflinching self-reflexivity to the reader's own role. Ari Larissa Heinrich's translation brings Chi's hybrid punk sensibility to all readers interested in books that test the limits of where speculative fiction can go"-- Provided by publisher It is the late twenty-first century, and Momo is the mostcelebrated dermal care technician in all of T City. Humanity hasmigrated to domes at the bottom of the sea to escape devastatingclimate change. The world is dominated by powerful mediaconglomerates and runs on exploited cyborg labor. Momo prefers tokeep to herself, and anyway she's too busy for other relationships:her clients include some of the city's best-known mediapersonalities. But after meeting her estranged mother, she beginsto explore her true identity, a journey that leads to questioningthe bounds of gender, memory, self, and reality. First published inTaiwan in 1995, The Membranes is a classic of queerspeculative fiction in Chinese. Chi Ta-wei weaves dystopiantropes-heirloom animals, radiation-proof combat drones, sinistersurveillance technologies-into a sensitive portrait of one youngwoman's quest for self-understanding. Predicting everything fromfitness tracking to social media saturation, this visionary andsublime novel stands out for its queer and trans themes. TheMembranes reveals the diversity and originality ofcontemporary speculative fiction in Chinese, exploring gender andsexuality, technological domination, and regimes of capital, allwhile applying an unflinching self-reflexivity to the reader's ownrole. Ari Larissa Heinrich's translation brings Chi's hybrid punksensibility to all readers interested in books that test the limitsof where speculative fiction can go