A translation of author Claude Ponti’s 2018 Le fleuve, this tale tells of the Oolongs and Kukichas, two communities of whimsical creatures who live on the river Longo. Both cultures feel idyllic and in tune with the natural resources around them, and have flexible ideas about gender—though readers should be careful in seeing exact analogies to human experiences.
Grandparents in their societies, we learn, may come back to life as one of their future grandchildren. One Oolong grandmother has enjoyed her life as a girl, but wants to come back as a boy, to learn of “boy-life.” Soon after her “rebirth” (the book’s term for death), a girl is born, and the family says, “For Grandmatcha’s sake, we’ll make him a boy.” They name him Lu Cha. Similarly, a Kukicha grandfather wants to come back as a girl; a boy is born and the family says, “For Grandpa’s sake, we’ll make him a girl.” They name her Ali Roo.
To this reviewer’s mind, however, it’s unclear whether the children are reincarnated versions of their grandparents, with genders determined before their birth based on their grandparents’ desires, or whether it is the parents who “make” the children into a certain gender based on the grandparents’ wishes. Either way, but especially the latter, could be read as unintentionally playing into right-wing fears that some adults are “making” children transgender. I’m not sure if something was lost in translation or if the worldbuilding was simply unclear on this point; I don’t think that interpretation was what the author intended, but I have to mention it as a possible concern given today’s climate.
Young Oolong boy Lu Cha is learning much about the products that can be traded for Oolong food, such as twillycloth, wassercane, karrialls, and healiherbs. We see that young Oolongs wear different hairstyles depending on whether they are boys, girls, or “haven’t yet decided who they’ll be.” Ali Roo is likewise learning about her own Kukicha culture. Lu Cha speaks to the voice of his grandmother about his life, “so chockfull of charm”; Ali Roo says the same to her grandfather about life as a girl. The two youth befriend each other.
When a giant, crab-like monster who wants to be “bossless and rulefree” captures and freezes all of the parents and grandparents in their villages, however, Lu Cha and Ali Roo must work together to save them.
In the midst of the monster’s threat, though, Lu Cha reveals to Ali Roo that he has just learned (presumably from conversing with the voice of his grandmother) that “I’m not a boy,” while Ali Roo likewise reveals that she has learned “I’m not a girl.” That lends further credence to the interpretation that it is the parents who “make” the children into the genders their grandparents desired—even though the book also tells us that the grandparents come back to life “as” their desired gender, implying that this is built into their grandchildren from the start. Perhaps, we might conclude, the grandparent’s original sex passes on to the grandchildren, while the grandparent’s desired gender for the grandchild is somehow communicated to the parents, who then raise the child that way. The book, however, doesn’t distinguish between sex and gender, and this may cause confusion for the reader.
Regardless, Lu Cha tells Ali Roo that he likes being a boy and wants to stay that way; she feels the same about being a girl. The story then jumps back to an action sequence of them concocting what is needed to save their village. The village is duly saved, and later, Lu Cha and Ali Roo build themselves a floating house, having decided to live together as long as they can and to “live girl-life or boy-life whenever they choose.”
From a narrative standpoint, Lu Cha and Ali Roo’s reflections on gender seem bluntly plunked in. We also never learn what exactly distinguishes “boy-life” and “girl-life” in this society, beyond minor differences in hairstyles; both seem very much the same (which would be fine, except that the book insists there are differences to be experienced). Additionally, there is no concept of being anything besides a girl or boy, just of being able to choose between those two options.
This fantastical tale with playful images and invented words is somewhat reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, without the rhymes, and readers will likely enjoy learning about the two lively and peaceful communities here; Ponti’s world is lush and creative. Some may also appreciate the mutable sense of gender seen among the cultures here, and that may provide food for thought and discussion. We should be careful, however, before viewing the story as a specific analogy for trans or nonbinary identities, because of the reasons outlined above. Having said that, as a cisgender reviewer, I cannot say what stories may resonate with trans readers. If some see themselves or their experiences here, that’s up to them and not for me to question. Otherwise, use this book with care. (I am tagging it as having trans girl and boy characters only because I feel some will interpret them that way, and I want prospective readers to be able to find this review and evaluate the book and characters for themselves.)
Translated by Margot Kerlidou and Alyson Waters.
