The Seep

Powell's Picks of the Month

Hot new releases and under-the-radar gems for adults and kids.

Gorgeous, hypnotic writing accompanies this futuristic story of the costs of what we become when we abandon our tangible identities. Without any moralistic presumptions, author Chana Porter explores this theme with an air of whim and genuine curiosity. Who are we without imposed constraints, and can we really be understood and loved when all known boundaries are removed? Recommended By Aubrey W., Powells.com

A blend of searing social commentary and speculative fiction, Chana Porter's fresh, pointed debut is perfect for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Carmen Maria Machado

Trina Goldberg-Oneka is a trans woman whose life is irreversibly altered in the wake of a gentle — but nonetheless world-changing — invasion by an alien entity calling itself The Seep. Through The Seep, everything is connected. Capitalism falls, hierarchies and barriers are broken down; if something can be imagined, it is possible.

Trina and her wife, Deeba, live blissfully under The Seep's utopian influence — until Deeba begins to imagine what it might be like to be reborn as a baby, which will give her the chance at an even better life. Using Seep-tech to make this dream a reality, Deeba moves on to a new existence, leaving Trina devastated.

Heartbroken and deep into an alcoholic binge, Trina chases after a young boy she encounters, embarking on an unexpected quest. In her attempt to save him from The Seep, she will confront not only one of its most avid devotees, but the terrifying void that Deeba has left behind. A strange new elegy of love and loss, The Seep explores grief, alienation, and the ache of moving on.

"The standard canard is that utopian settings are boring, monolithic, didactic, and make for bad fiction. How lucky we are to have Chana Porter to blow such nonsense out of the water with this moving and beautiful book." China Miéville

"An intoxicating takeover narrative....The Seep is a daring paean to human vulnerability and a bold speculative inquest into what makes life worth living." Foreword Reviews

"[A] surreal, introspective debut...exploring themes of grief and discontentment within a seemingly perfect world....Readers will delight in the eerie disquietude and optimism of this well-calibrated what-if." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

"This surreal debut takes on themes of utopia, identity, love, and loss, while readers are pulled into a full experience through Porter’s fluid prose. This unusual story will linger long past the last page." Library Journal (Starred Review)

Chana Porter is a playwright, teacher, MacDowell Colony fellow, and co-founder of The Octavia Project, a STEM and fiction-writing program for girls and gender non-conforming youth from underserved communities. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and is currently at work on her next novel.

The other day, I was in a coffee shop with a friend of mine, and he said with a casual gesture of his hand like he was waving away a fly, “The world is ending anyway.”...

Read More»

Describe your latest book: The Thick and The Lean follows a young woman, Beatrice, who is growing up in a cult that believes abstaining from food brings you closer to God. But Beatrice longs to become a chef, and following that longing will lead her to a life unrecognizable to her parents. Meanwhile, Reiko, a brilliant artist...

Read More»