COMPOSITE CREATURES by Caroline Hardaker – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Composite Creatures by Caroline Hardaker
Published by Angry Robot on April 13 2021
Genres: Adult, Science fiction
Pages: 400
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A peculiar, melancholy but ultimately uplifting futuristic story, beautifully written. 

Composite Creatures is a strange, heartbreaking story that completely took me by surprise. I want to make sure my review is spoiler free, because this is one of those books where you should discover its secrets for yourself. And in fact, it wasn’t until the three-quarter mark that I finally figured out what was going on. But the mysteries are what compelled me to keep reading, so do be aware that this is the type of story that you will probably need patience for. And trust me, it’s worth the effort.

The story takes place in a dismal future where an incurable cancer-like disease called the greying is killing a big portion of the population. Due to climate change and years of humankind poisoning the land and oceans with plastic and toxic chemicals, animals and insects have all died out. Even worse, healthcare is very hard to come by and out of reach for most people. But a company called Easton Grove offers hope—if you can afford it. Only those with enough money can apply to join the exclusive club, but after a series of rigorous physical and mental evaluations, those who are accepted will have access to the best healthcare and can expect long and happy lives.

Norah is a thirty-one year old woman whose mother left her a windfall after she died, allowing Norah the means and opportunity to apply to Easton Grove. She’s been “paired” with a writer named Arthur, and their contract requires that they move in together in order to start their new lives of privilege. As Norah and Arthur awkwardly get to know one another, they prepare the attic space of their new home for a very special arrival. It isn’t long before Nut is delivered to the house in a small box, complete with food and instructions for her care.

Norah immediately bonds with the small, cat-like creature, but Arthur warns her that Nut isn’t supposed to learn or develop a personality. In fact, Norah wasn’t even supposed to name the creature. Despite the rules, Norah can’t deny the protective instinct she feels towards Nut. At first, Norah and Art are careful to do everything that Easton Grove tells them to do with Nut, but when Nut falls ill one day and Easton Grove must step in to help her, everything changes. Norah begins to question everything she’s been told and imagine a different future—one that only includes Norah and Nut.

I hesitate to give too many comparisons for fear of spoilers, but I will say that I got some Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? vibes, mostly because this is a world without natural animals. There is one lovely moment where Norah thinks she sees a frog in her garden that immediately took me back to that book, and I loved that the author didn’t ever explain what Norah had seen, but let the reader interpret it in their own way. Also, Nut reminded me of Borne from Jeff VanderMeer’s book of the same name, an alien-like creature who is much more complex than it appears. There are other spoilery comparisons in other reviews that I’ve read, so I’m not going to mention them here, but once you read the book those comparisons are pretty obvious.

Don’t expect any hand holding in this story, as Hardaker jumps right in with no explanation at all as to what’s going on. I actually love stories like this where I have to do a little mental work to figure things out. There are several tantalizing mysteries in Composite Creatures: what’s up with Easton Grove, exactly? Why are Norah and Arthur living together but they barely know each other? And what the heck is Nut and why did she come to live with them? The author slowly reveals each secret in a completely organic way, and a feeling of unease builds as we learn the true nature of Easton Grove and how Nut is connected to it. And being an animal lover, of course I adored Nut and I loved seeing the relationship bloom between her and Norah, who for all intents and purposes is Nut’s mother. I imagined Nut as a cross between a cat and a squirrel, although as she grows (and she gets very big!) it’s hard to compare her to either one of those animals. Norah is a sort of sad character who doesn’t seem to have much to live for, but once Nut enters her life, you can see her personality blossom. There are so many things about Nut that I’d love to discuss, but I can’t due to spoilers!

The author includes flashbacks into Norah’s childhood and her relationship with her beloved mother, an artist who taught Norah how to paint and opened her eyes to the joys of the natural world—but only through stories as the natural world has all but disappeared. These added a wonderful poignancy to the story and gave it an extra emotional layer. Her mother is old enough to remember a time when birds filled the skies, and she used to collect discarded feathers and kept them as souvenirs. To Norah, these feathers were magical and represented something that Norah will never get to experience in her own lifetime.

Norah also has a group of friends who fall by the wayside as soon as she moves in with Arthur, and we get a few uncomfortable scenes when Norah tries to reconnect with them. One of the themes that Hardaker addresses is the societal gulf between the rich and the not so rich, and the fact that those without the money to save themselves are most likely going to die of a disease because they can’t afford healthcare. Norah’s friends are part of this group, and Norah is horrified to watch them struggle with things that she no longer has to worry about. 

Norah herself is such an interesting character, and I ended up really relating to her. She appears to be unmotivated, working at a boring job and being overshadowed by Arthur’s writing career. But Nut awakens something in her that gives meaning to her life, and even though things don’t go the way you expect them to, Norah ends the story much stronger and a bit happier—or at least more accepting—than she started. 

The last few chapters—when Hardaker finally reveals her secrets—were such a punch to the gut, that even days after I’ve finished the book, I can still feel a lump in my throat when I think about Nut and Norah. Caroline Hardaker has taken some familiar ideas and science fiction tropes, but twisted them into something raw and unique. This is one story I won’t be able to get out of my head any time soon.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.