Ever since I started voting for the Hugo awards, I have tried to be more mindful of the names of authors that I enjoy so I can seek them out again. Hugo reading is where I first discovered John Chu. I rarely read short stories except when I am reading for the Hugos so I hadn’t encountered him before, but I enjoyed his stories and looked forward to seeing what else he wrote. I was very happy when NetGalley and the publisher gave me an advanced copy of his debut novel, The Subtle Art of Folding Space. This is a family drama in an sff setting. The protagonist is coping with the impending death of her mother and the disdain of her much older sister while studying for her PhD. She and her family are also part of a secret organization that helps maintain the universe. I really enjoyed this book, but much more for the family and character work than for the sff aspects. They weren’t bad, mind you, but what the author does with character is so much more powerful. It reminded me of how I felt reading 11/22/63 by Steven King - I enjoyed it but I wondered how great a non-sff book by the author would be. I look forward to his next book!
