Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Seep | 2020 | Chana Porter | Buy |
| 2 | The Thick and the Lean | 2023 | Chana Porter | Buy |
Chana Porter’s standalone novels both use speculative premises to explore questions about the body, desire, and social control. The Seep (2020) is set after a benevolent alien entity has merged with Earth, allowing humans to change nearly everything about themselves. The story follows a woman grieving her wife’s decision to transform into something entirely new.
The Thick and the Lean (2023) builds a dystopia around food, where one society teaches that eating is shameful while another celebrates it. The novel alternates between a young woman rebelling against her culture’s rules and a cook in a gated community. Both books have drawn comparisons to Ursula K. Le Guin for their use of speculative worlds to examine real social dynamics.