“We still can’t reach the speed of light. But people are acting like we’ve conquered the universe. When all we’ve conquered is what the universe allows us.”
This quote from Kim Choyeop’s If We Cannot Go At The Speed of Light perfectly captures the vibe and themes of this seven-story short collection. Translated from Korean by Anton Hur, this collection of novellas is apparently a best seller in Korea and is just now finally getting an English translation. Which is a shame, because these seven stories are all fabulous and specialize in a special kind of haunting beauty that left me crying and full of wonder.
Kim Choyeop’s shorts in order of appearance are:
- Symbiosis Theory
- Spectrum
- If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light
- The Materiality of Emotions
- Archival Loss
- Pilgrims
- My Space Hero
Each of these shorts specializes in examining a different massive leap forward in technology and culture for humanity, but also focuses on how, despite this huge progression forward, there is still so much to uncover. It is a collection that has wonder at its core. Wonder at the miracles of science. Wonder at how incredible the universe is. And wonder at how, despite all the headway and miracles we can achieve, we have actually only scratched the surface.
In a rare turn of events, I actually enjoyed all seven of the shorts immensely, but Symbiosis Theory–lurking like an ambush predator right at the start–was my absolute favorite. This story had me crying uncontrollably in the waiting room of my daughter’s gymnastics class and had me struggling to pull it together as other parents came up to me to chat as we waited for our kids to finish.
Since each story is only about 25 pages long, I don’t want to go into any details, but each of the shorts works its magic by asking interesting questions about a long-standing scientific question. What is the meaning of life? How is consciousness formed? What is memory? Can you quantify emotions? And more. In each of these scenarios, Choyeop provides a scientific discovery or invention that gives humanity the answer it has been looking for, but that ultimately falls short. All these answers seem to do is reveal that there are endless more questions that need to be answered, or that we weren’t asking the right first question, or that we have skipped steps in answering something that need to be addressed. In each case, there is a sweet and sad beauty to the story, often in the form of someone who has been left in the dust of progress, clawing their way towards personal resolution while the rest of humanity glides effortlessly forward in ignorance. But there is a wonderful sense of togetherness to all of the tales. When the lost souls are discovered, there is almost always someone who takes a step back and tries to understand how to help. There is an essence of cooperation and joint humanity that pervades the entire collection that gives it a hopeful angle I really enjoyed.
If We Cannot Go At The Speed of Light is wonderful. Each of the seven stories contained inside has a clear sense of direction and strong messages about the positives and negatives of technological revolution. It was an experience that felt, at once, strangely equal parts meditative and cathartic, and I had a wonderful time. I highly recommend it, and I can’t wait to get access to more of Kim Choyeop’s work as soon as possible.
Rating: If We Cannot Go At The Speed of Light – 9.0/10
-Andrew
An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts on this book are my own.
