Imago by Octavia E. ButlerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
"You'll have a life. Be careful who you give it to."
It's been several months since I read the previous book in Octavia E. Butler's trilogy, and while Book 3 had several familiar characters from the previous books (the Oankali alien race with three sexes: male, female, and Ooloi, the only sex that can manipulate genetic material), I think it was the most complicated in the series in terms of plot. It also had the most interesting title.
A quick Google search tells us that imago is the last adult stage of an insect that undergoes metamorphosis. Insects are so unlike us humans, they seem almost alien. And it's a fitting title for a book whose protagonist, Jodahs, is the first of its kind: a product of both Lilith, its human mother, and Ooloi.
Book 3 is Jodah's story, and I shall use the pronoun "it" to describe Jodah because it changes gender throughout. It is certainly a very novel experience (to put it mildly!!) to place one's self in the mind of what is essentially a bisexual alien creature, albeit temporarily! It was also a disturbing read in some parts, because after all, Jodahs is struggling to survive, to find meaning and love, in a world where it is perceived as alien even by its fellow aliens. This is one book that is definitely for mature readers only.
Am giving it three stars because I can't honestly claim that I liked it, it was far too disturbing a read for that. But I do recognize its worth, because after all, that is what great literature is supposed to do: provoke questions that stimulate reflection about imperialism, human nature, and the universal desire for touch and love.
Above all, it is a book about identity.
"Before I met you, Jodahs, I knew myself much better." This line was uttered by one of Jodahs' many partners towards the end. But in the beginning, it was Jodahs who kept changing itself to please its current partner.
"What would happen to me when I had ... more mates? Would I be like the sky, constantly changing, clouded, clear, clouded, clear? Would I have to be hateful to one partner in order to please the other?"
Ultimately the book makes us ask questions of our individual identity as well as the identity of our species.
P.S. Hello there bookish friends! I'm more than happy to lend this book, but the edition I have is anthology where you get all three novels in one book. Also, you should know that the cover is too risqué to post on social media, haha, which is why I will borrow Goodreads' and Amazon's images! So maybe you'll have to get a book cover if you want to read this one in the MRT station. *wink*
Click on the links for Book 1 and Book 2 for my reviews.
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