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The Lesson
THE LESSON explores the nature of belief, the impact of colonialism, and asks how far are we willing to go for progress? Breaking ground as one of the first science fiction novels set in the Virgin Islands, THE LESSON is not only a thought-provoking literary work, delving deeply into allegorical themes of colonialism, but also vividly draws the community of Charlotte Amalie, wherefrom the author hails.
An alien ship rests over Water Island. For five years the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands have lived with the Ynaa, a race of super-advanced aliens on a research mission they will not fully disclose. They are benevolent in many ways but meet any act of aggression with disproportional wrath. This has led to a strained relationship between the Ynaa and the local Virgin Islanders and a peace that cannot last. A year after the death of a young boy at the hands of an Ynaa, three families find themselves at the center of the inevitable conflict, witness and victim to events that will touch everyone and teach a terrible lesson.
An alien ship rests over Water Island. For five years the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands have lived with the Ynaa, a race of super-advanced aliens on a research mission they will not fully disclose. They are benevolent in many ways but meet any act of aggression with disproportional wrath. This has led to a strained relationship between the Ynaa and the local Virgin Islanders and a peace that cannot last. A year after the death of a young boy at the hands of an Ynaa, three families find themselves at the center of the inevitable conflict, witness and victim to events that will touch everyone and teach a terrible lesson.
286 pages, Hardcover
First published June 19, 2019
318 people are currently reading
12848 people want to read
About the author
Cadwell Turnbull
30 books833 followersHello, I'm Cadwell Turnbull, author of the science fiction novel The Lesson and No Gods, No Monsters (Book One of The Convergence Saga).
My short fiction has appeared in The Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, and Asimov’s Science Fiction. My short story “Loneliness is in Your Blood” was selected for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018. My short story "Jump" was selected for the Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019.
The Lesson was the recipient of the 2020 Neukom Institute Literary Award. My novel No Gods, No Monsters was the winner of a Lambda and a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award.
My short fiction has appeared in The Verge, Lightspeed, Nightmare, and Asimov’s Science Fiction. My short story “Loneliness is in Your Blood” was selected for The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2018. My short story "Jump" was selected for the Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019.
The Lesson was the recipient of the 2020 Neukom Institute Literary Award. My novel No Gods, No Monsters was the winner of a Lambda and a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award.
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June 8, 2020This. Was. Terrific. Set in the Virgin Islands, the premise is that aliens arrive to do some research and give humanity all sorts of amazing tech in exchange for their stay. But they stay on an inhabited island. They look like people, mix with people, drink and have sex with people...and if anyone bothers or threatens them, they kill brutally and immediately. It's just their culture.
Obviously this is about colonialism--one of the characters is even writing a book about the subject and we go into the history of the island's slave revolts. It's terrifically powerful, conveying a tremendous sense of choking injustice and rage, plus the way some people just shut down or even collaborate with the new, advanced, fascinating invaders.
I couldn't stop reading. There's a terrific engaging cast (it's multiple stories and voices, some of which we dip into only briefly) and the set up is really compelling. One of those books that leaves you compulsively imagining yourself in the situation. I can't believe I hadn't even heard of this book till a recs thread.
The lesson of the title, btw, is "if we feel threatened [no matter if it's a real threat, no matter that we'd be better off and safer reacting another way] we will kill and kill to assert our power." Which, looking at the US right now, sounds about right.
Obviously this is about colonialism--one of the characters is even writing a book about the subject and we go into the history of the island's slave revolts. It's terrifically powerful, conveying a tremendous sense of choking injustice and rage, plus the way some people just shut down or even collaborate with the new, advanced, fascinating invaders.
I couldn't stop reading. There's a terrific engaging cast (it's multiple stories and voices, some of which we dip into only briefly) and the set up is really compelling. One of those books that leaves you compulsively imagining yourself in the situation. I can't believe I hadn't even heard of this book till a recs thread.
The lesson of the title, btw, is "if we feel threatened [no matter if it's a real threat, no matter that we'd be better off and safer reacting another way] we will kill and kill to assert our power." Which, looking at the US right now, sounds about right.
January 22, 2019
Cadwell Turnbull paints a stunningly intricate portrait of humanity, capturing hopes and dreams, flaws and failings with remarkable depth and texture. The Lesson is a blast to read and a meaningful exploration of the bearing of colonialism and the perils of human ambition.
December 20, 2018
I absolutely LOVED this book!
I was so thrilled that The Lesson was set in the Caribbean I immediately reached out to the Publishers and author to review it in advance of its June 2019 release. I was so happy that I did!
The Lesson is set in the U.S. Virgin Islands and is a story that unfolds around different islanders who live amicably among The Ynaa, Earth's newest visitors who just happen to be alien lifeforms. The story also follows one of the alien leaders, Mera, on her mission to bridge the gap between humans and Ynaa, as an intermediate of sorts. Unsurprisingly, there are challenges that must be overcome on both sides and this makes for an engrossing story.
Don't let the word "Alien" fool you. This book is so much more than Sci-Fi, I am at a loss for words. The story flows, the characters are developed, and everything just fits together so nicely I just felt entranced. I joke that I wanted to skip work to finish it but the truth is The Lesson was an addictive and fluid read, I almost tried.
I must give credit to Turnbull for setting this story in the Caribbean. I almost feel like the Caribbean setting was designed for this story. Turnbull did not steer away from our accents, slang, history or culture and in turn I think it helped him to create The Lesson. I am wishing for a sequel but as a standalone, it is superb ( and this is coming from a person who isn't the biggest fan of Sci-Fi). I encourage everyone to grab this book come June 2019!
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As stated previously, I received an e-ARC via Blackstone Publishing for an honest review. Many thanks to the Publisher and author for the same.
I was so thrilled that The Lesson was set in the Caribbean I immediately reached out to the Publishers and author to review it in advance of its June 2019 release. I was so happy that I did!
The Lesson is set in the U.S. Virgin Islands and is a story that unfolds around different islanders who live amicably among The Ynaa, Earth's newest visitors who just happen to be alien lifeforms. The story also follows one of the alien leaders, Mera, on her mission to bridge the gap between humans and Ynaa, as an intermediate of sorts. Unsurprisingly, there are challenges that must be overcome on both sides and this makes for an engrossing story.
Don't let the word "Alien" fool you. This book is so much more than Sci-Fi, I am at a loss for words. The story flows, the characters are developed, and everything just fits together so nicely I just felt entranced. I joke that I wanted to skip work to finish it but the truth is The Lesson was an addictive and fluid read, I almost tried.
I must give credit to Turnbull for setting this story in the Caribbean. I almost feel like the Caribbean setting was designed for this story. Turnbull did not steer away from our accents, slang, history or culture and in turn I think it helped him to create The Lesson. I am wishing for a sequel but as a standalone, it is superb ( and this is coming from a person who isn't the biggest fan of Sci-Fi). I encourage everyone to grab this book come June 2019!
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As stated previously, I received an e-ARC via Blackstone Publishing for an honest review. Many thanks to the Publisher and author for the same.
December 21, 2024
And they didn't invade. They arrived...
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull is unlike anything I have ever read before and I cannot stop talking about it and I didn't want it to end.
Set on the U.S. Virgin Islands, we meet the members of the community of Charlotte Amalie-like most Islanders, they are pretty laid back, but all living complicated lives. Things get even more complicated when one day the sky opens up and an alien ship docks close to the island. The five hundred Ynaa came in "peace" and with advance technology to offer for their five year stay on the island. The Ynaa's message to the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands is that they are looking for "something", they needed time to "research" and "they would leave the planet as they found it". Yes, the Ynnas were very vague but their ask seemed reasonable at the time.
Fast forward to a year into the invasion and tension between the Islanders and Ynaas is strong. While the Ynaas's tries to blend in by using human disguise, they are easily prone to anger, so much so, a Ynaa ripped an Islander to his death. The Ynaa's Ambassador Mera, tries to keep the peace by using Derrick a fellow Islander to help her get the message out but things are now beyond her control. The Islanders realize there are no consequences for the Ynaas action. Things spiral, quickly.
When I say I have never read a book like this, I mean it. Cadwell is able to traverse and blend various genres together, it is hard to classify exactly what genre this book falls under. I think that is what I loved most about it. We get a bit of Sci-Fi, historical fiction and young adults. The book starts out exploring the complicated lives of the community members of Charlotte Amalie. We see a married couple coming to terms with the impending doom of their marriage and how their daughter might be affected. We meet a young man who grew up in church questioning Christianity, while wondering “what else could be out there?”
Cadwell, took his time in The Lesson to explore the history of colonialism and what the invasion meant for an island that have a history of being invaded and taken over. We get a historical look on how the island was colonialized, and the question was posed to the reader and the members of the community, whether the Ynaa invaded or they arrived.
If you are looking for a book that will grab you from the very beginning and won’t let go until the end, this is it. If you have never read about an alien invasion happening on an island- well this might be the only book for you to read.
A must read!
The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull is unlike anything I have ever read before and I cannot stop talking about it and I didn't want it to end.
Set on the U.S. Virgin Islands, we meet the members of the community of Charlotte Amalie-like most Islanders, they are pretty laid back, but all living complicated lives. Things get even more complicated when one day the sky opens up and an alien ship docks close to the island. The five hundred Ynaa came in "peace" and with advance technology to offer for their five year stay on the island. The Ynaa's message to the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands is that they are looking for "something", they needed time to "research" and "they would leave the planet as they found it". Yes, the Ynnas were very vague but their ask seemed reasonable at the time.
Fast forward to a year into the invasion and tension between the Islanders and Ynaas is strong. While the Ynaas's tries to blend in by using human disguise, they are easily prone to anger, so much so, a Ynaa ripped an Islander to his death. The Ynaa's Ambassador Mera, tries to keep the peace by using Derrick a fellow Islander to help her get the message out but things are now beyond her control. The Islanders realize there are no consequences for the Ynaas action. Things spiral, quickly.
When I say I have never read a book like this, I mean it. Cadwell is able to traverse and blend various genres together, it is hard to classify exactly what genre this book falls under. I think that is what I loved most about it. We get a bit of Sci-Fi, historical fiction and young adults. The book starts out exploring the complicated lives of the community members of Charlotte Amalie. We see a married couple coming to terms with the impending doom of their marriage and how their daughter might be affected. We meet a young man who grew up in church questioning Christianity, while wondering “what else could be out there?”
Cadwell, took his time in The Lesson to explore the history of colonialism and what the invasion meant for an island that have a history of being invaded and taken over. We get a historical look on how the island was colonialized, and the question was posed to the reader and the members of the community, whether the Ynaa invaded or they arrived.
If you are looking for a book that will grab you from the very beginning and won’t let go until the end, this is it. If you have never read about an alien invasion happening on an island- well this might be the only book for you to read.
A must read!
September 23, 2021
Aliens have made first contact in the Virgin Islands. Amazingly, they look just like humans and come bearing gifts of advanced medicine and clean energy. All they ask in return is that they be able to hang out for awhile to conduct some unspecified scientific research. Sure, they look human, but something seems just a bit off with the way they move, almost like they're not used to their own bodies. The locals immediately distrust the alien presence and see them as just the latest in a long line of colonizers.
If the plot sounds familiar, then you probably watched the television show V. The original came out in the mid 80's and there was a reboot around 2010. The book is more or less V set in the Virgin Islands, only with all the interesting storylines cut out of it.
The book starts 15 days prior to first contact. Each day has a few paragraphs introducting the two families that make up most of the main characters. Day 0 ends with a spaceship hovering over the Virgin Islands. Things are about to get good. Then, the book inexplicably cuts to FIVE YEARS LATER. Why? You just got rid of the most entertaining part of the story. It's like ordering a double cheeseburger and asking them to hold the meat and cheese.
At this point, we discover that almost everyone in the Virgin Islands is dumb. The aliens are basically Superman without the ability to fly; they're super strong, super fast and impervious to harm. This doesn't stop people from frequently attacking them. Surprise, surprise, this doesn't go well for the attackers.
Why are the aliens being attacked? Well, there are a couple reasons. First, people are mad that the aliens killed the people who attacked them, so they attack the aliens and get killed, creating more mad people who go on to....you get the picture. Second, there are no aliens in the bible (apparently no one watches Ancient Aliens on the History Channel), so that means they must be demons. Ok, that's one way to go. Personally, I think they'd fit the description of biblical angels better than demons, you know, coming from the sky and healing people and all, but what do I know.
Around the halfway point, a bunch of new POV characters are introduced for no good reason. Other stuff happens, but none of it is terribly intersting until the King Idiot of the Virgin Islands shows up and doubles down on the stupid. The book ends with a fairly ambiguos ending that leaves no one satisfied.
If the plot sounds familiar, then you probably watched the television show V. The original came out in the mid 80's and there was a reboot around 2010. The book is more or less V set in the Virgin Islands, only with all the interesting storylines cut out of it.
The book starts 15 days prior to first contact. Each day has a few paragraphs introducting the two families that make up most of the main characters. Day 0 ends with a spaceship hovering over the Virgin Islands. Things are about to get good. Then, the book inexplicably cuts to FIVE YEARS LATER. Why? You just got rid of the most entertaining part of the story. It's like ordering a double cheeseburger and asking them to hold the meat and cheese.
At this point, we discover that almost everyone in the Virgin Islands is dumb. The aliens are basically Superman without the ability to fly; they're super strong, super fast and impervious to harm. This doesn't stop people from frequently attacking them. Surprise, surprise, this doesn't go well for the attackers.
Why are the aliens being attacked? Well, there are a couple reasons. First, people are mad that the aliens killed the people who attacked them, so they attack the aliens and get killed, creating more mad people who go on to....you get the picture. Second, there are no aliens in the bible (apparently no one watches Ancient Aliens on the History Channel), so that means they must be demons. Ok, that's one way to go. Personally, I think they'd fit the description of biblical angels better than demons, you know, coming from the sky and healing people and all, but what do I know.
Around the halfway point, a bunch of new POV characters are introduced for no good reason. Other stuff happens, but none of it is terribly intersting until the King Idiot of the Virgin Islands shows up and doubles down on the stupid. The book ends with a fairly ambiguos ending that leaves no one satisfied.
February 26, 2019
[3.5 stars] First contact stories in science fiction have been used for decades to explore cultural and anthropological themes. More than anything, I would say SF writers use alien contact as a kind of emotional tonic, a way to relieve humanity’s existential distress at the very real likelihood we are either alone in the universe, or so far away from any other advanced, spacefaring species that contact with them will be effectively impossible before both we and the aliens become, in the natural course of time, extinct. First contact stories can be scary, exciting, action-packed, dramatic and serious, or satirical, and SF writers have shown remarkable invention in spinning endlessly imaginative variations on the theme.
One of these variations involves presenting the aliens as mirrors to ourselves, and that’s what Cadwell Turnbull does in his debut novel, The Lesson. It’s an unusual and mostly gentle story that nonetheless has a distinct apocalyptic inevitability, and though there are times Turnbull keeps some of his ideas perhaps a little too close to the vest for the story’s overall good, The Lesson is a story that should not be missed by readers who embraced such books as Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven or even Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End.
It’s all about colonialism, basically. The Lesson takes place on the island of St. Thomas in the Caribbean, Turnbull’s own birthplace, and right away this piqued my interest, as I’ve read more than enough white-America-centered stories of alien visitation and invasion to last a lifetime. We meet a handful of perfectly ordinary characters managing their daily lives in the two weeks prior to the aliens’ arrival. Jackson is a college instructor who is midlifing so hard that even he is embarrassed by what a walking cliché he’s become. His wife Aubrey responds to the general malaise of their marriage by rekindling an old flame with her coworker Alice. And their teenage daughter Patrice is heading off to Pittsburgh for college, much to the dismay of Derrick, her childhood friend and semi-serious boyfriend, who lives downstairs in the same house with his grandmother and kid sister, Lee.
It’s all boringly normal until (continued...)
One of these variations involves presenting the aliens as mirrors to ourselves, and that’s what Cadwell Turnbull does in his debut novel, The Lesson. It’s an unusual and mostly gentle story that nonetheless has a distinct apocalyptic inevitability, and though there are times Turnbull keeps some of his ideas perhaps a little too close to the vest for the story’s overall good, The Lesson is a story that should not be missed by readers who embraced such books as Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven or even Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End.
It’s all about colonialism, basically. The Lesson takes place on the island of St. Thomas in the Caribbean, Turnbull’s own birthplace, and right away this piqued my interest, as I’ve read more than enough white-America-centered stories of alien visitation and invasion to last a lifetime. We meet a handful of perfectly ordinary characters managing their daily lives in the two weeks prior to the aliens’ arrival. Jackson is a college instructor who is midlifing so hard that even he is embarrassed by what a walking cliché he’s become. His wife Aubrey responds to the general malaise of their marriage by rekindling an old flame with her coworker Alice. And their teenage daughter Patrice is heading off to Pittsburgh for college, much to the dismay of Derrick, her childhood friend and semi-serious boyfriend, who lives downstairs in the same house with his grandmother and kid sister, Lee.
It’s all boringly normal until (continued...)
July 27, 2019
An interesting new take on the alien invasion novel. Ultimately I wanted more from it, I wanted to dive deeper and learn more and build the world, so the 3 stars is mostly that.
THE LESSON does the opposite of what a big Hollywood movie would do and that is very much a compliment. It skips pretty much entirely over the moments of first contact with aliens. Instead it sets the stage and then we jump forward several years to a kind of stasis, to examine what the world is like now. The Ynaa can look human and are mostly separate, but the world has allowed them to have the run of one part of the Virgin Islands. The mostly-black islanders take the brunt of the unpredictable, mysterious, and sometimes violent nature of the Ynaa while the rest of the world benefits from their technology.
There's a lot that's interesting here theme-wise, and while colonialism is the obvious one, my mind jumped to several different places, which is just what you want to happen in good speculative fiction. We also get multiple points of view, allowing us to see those who are fascinated by the Ynaa and those who abhor them and everything in between. It's a fun world to play around in, with characters you really care about, I just want Turnbull to go further.
I listened to this book on audio, something I particularly enjoy doing when characters have non-US accents.
THE LESSON does the opposite of what a big Hollywood movie would do and that is very much a compliment. It skips pretty much entirely over the moments of first contact with aliens. Instead it sets the stage and then we jump forward several years to a kind of stasis, to examine what the world is like now. The Ynaa can look human and are mostly separate, but the world has allowed them to have the run of one part of the Virgin Islands. The mostly-black islanders take the brunt of the unpredictable, mysterious, and sometimes violent nature of the Ynaa while the rest of the world benefits from their technology.
There's a lot that's interesting here theme-wise, and while colonialism is the obvious one, my mind jumped to several different places, which is just what you want to happen in good speculative fiction. We also get multiple points of view, allowing us to see those who are fascinated by the Ynaa and those who abhor them and everything in between. It's a fun world to play around in, with characters you really care about, I just want Turnbull to go further.
I listened to this book on audio, something I particularly enjoy doing when characters have non-US accents.
May 16, 2019
I get what the author was trying to do here. The alien race Ynaa invading and taking over the Virgin Islands is an obvious comment to colonialism and an overall interesting idea. So the basis for a good story is there, I just don't feel as though the author truly pulled it off.
Many parts of the novel were confusing and disjointed, and didn't quite fit back together for the reader in the way the author likely believed they would. Another thing that really disconnected the story from the reader was the lack of effort the author put into fleshing out his characters.
There wasn't enough characterization for many of the novel's main players (except for Mera, she was superb) and therefore the events of the story didn't have as much of an emotional impact as they could have.
The author did do a good job representing different groups of people that are usually underrepresented in common literature, such as the community of the Virgin Islands and the LGBTQ+ community, which was a definite strength of this novel.
Overall, "The Lesson" had a lot of promise, yet ended up being rather underwhelming.
Many parts of the novel were confusing and disjointed, and didn't quite fit back together for the reader in the way the author likely believed they would. Another thing that really disconnected the story from the reader was the lack of effort the author put into fleshing out his characters.
There wasn't enough characterization for many of the novel's main players (except for Mera, she was superb) and therefore the events of the story didn't have as much of an emotional impact as they could have.
The author did do a good job representing different groups of people that are usually underrepresented in common literature, such as the community of the Virgin Islands and the LGBTQ+ community, which was a definite strength of this novel.
Overall, "The Lesson" had a lot of promise, yet ended up being rather underwhelming.
March 3, 2021
3.5 stars
Trigger Warnings: violence, death, cancer
This is such an interesting and fresh take on the first contact trope in alien science fiction stories. However, this book is not as much about aliens as I thought it would be going into it. The set up for this is 5 years prior, an Alien race known as the Ynaa arrives at the US Virgin Islands and have been living with the people there ever since. They are on a research mission and while there they have offered up their advanced technology to the humans. And while benevolent in many ways, they can also be quick to aggression and wrath. This story is mainly following 3 families, across multiple perspectives and time periods, as they all interact with the presence of the aliens differently. And specifically a year after the death of a young man at the hands of the Ynna.
This book very much leans into its characters and its concepts more than anything. There is very little plot, but that is kind of the point of the story. It's really not about the aliens, rather, the aliens are sort of used as a tool, as a backdrop, to explore various themes - invasion, colonization - to explore the history of the Virgin Islands, to explore people and humankind. And while this wasn't what I was expecting of this story, it still did an excellent job of conveying and exploring those concepts.
While I love a character-driven story, my main gripe with this book was the characters. There are many and in turn, many POVs. And I just thoughts that some of them needed more time to develope the character. This book is on the shorter side - under 300s, and I just kind of felt like this could have been improved with a few more chapters from each of these perspectives to give us everything we need to connect with the characters and understand their perspective and truly get the impact of their story.
Overall, I do think this is a good story. Not exactly what I was expecting but still an enjoyable experience. I do really like conceptual stories that really take a larger look at things and make you think. It is a debut, so I am very much looking forward to what more this author will come out with.
Trigger Warnings: violence, death, cancer
This is such an interesting and fresh take on the first contact trope in alien science fiction stories. However, this book is not as much about aliens as I thought it would be going into it. The set up for this is 5 years prior, an Alien race known as the Ynaa arrives at the US Virgin Islands and have been living with the people there ever since. They are on a research mission and while there they have offered up their advanced technology to the humans. And while benevolent in many ways, they can also be quick to aggression and wrath. This story is mainly following 3 families, across multiple perspectives and time periods, as they all interact with the presence of the aliens differently. And specifically a year after the death of a young man at the hands of the Ynna.
This book very much leans into its characters and its concepts more than anything. There is very little plot, but that is kind of the point of the story. It's really not about the aliens, rather, the aliens are sort of used as a tool, as a backdrop, to explore various themes - invasion, colonization - to explore the history of the Virgin Islands, to explore people and humankind. And while this wasn't what I was expecting of this story, it still did an excellent job of conveying and exploring those concepts.
While I love a character-driven story, my main gripe with this book was the characters. There are many and in turn, many POVs. And I just thoughts that some of them needed more time to develope the character. This book is on the shorter side - under 300s, and I just kind of felt like this could have been improved with a few more chapters from each of these perspectives to give us everything we need to connect with the characters and understand their perspective and truly get the impact of their story.
Overall, I do think this is a good story. Not exactly what I was expecting but still an enjoyable experience. I do really like conceptual stories that really take a larger look at things and make you think. It is a debut, so I am very much looking forward to what more this author will come out with.
September 5, 2021
First off, the description for this book doesn't really describe what it's about. Or rather, it sort of describes it, but sets it up in a way that doesn't really give you a good idea of what actually happens or when.
This is a heavily character driven story about the intertwined lives of people living in the aftermath of an alien arrival/occupation. That dichotomy of thought plays a large role in how the people in the tight island community of St. Thomas feel about life alongside the Ynaa.
This is a slow moving and deftly plotted story, focusing on the everyday lives of people living through extraordinary events. Events which rarely touch them personally, except when they do, often with crushing consequences.
This is a heavily character driven story about the intertwined lives of people living in the aftermath of an alien arrival/occupation. That dichotomy of thought plays a large role in how the people in the tight island community of St. Thomas feel about life alongside the Ynaa.
This is a slow moving and deftly plotted story, focusing on the everyday lives of people living through extraordinary events. Events which rarely touch them personally, except when they do, often with crushing consequences.
July 18, 2019
My love for alien invasion novels has become a life long passion. Over the years, I’ve added many favorites to my personal bookshelf and now I will be adding another. It’s rare to pick up a debut as unique as The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull. This is a deeply emotional story of suspense about an alien race that has traveled to the US Virgin Islands with seemingly unknown intentions. As the plot slowly unfolds through the POV of multiple complex characters, Turnbull sets the stage for a revelation and ending that not only rewards the reader but has us thinking about the story long after we turn the last page. By the time I was finished, I had no doubt this is the beginning of an epic career for Cadwell Turnbull. I anxiously await his next book.
February 19, 2022
That one was weird. More horror than scifi. ...or something... it could be that I totally misunderstood the plot...
3.5 Stars
Listened to Audible. The performances by Janina Edwards and Ron Butler were very well done. The storyline...ehh, it was OK.
3.5 Stars
Listened to Audible. The performances by Janina Edwards and Ron Butler were very well done. The storyline...ehh, it was OK.
dreaded-dnf
January 6, 2023Retrying this DNF from last year or the year before. Let's see if it works better for me this time around.
February 3, 2021
The Lesson is a literary take on an alien invasion story, set in the Virgin Islands. It largely centers Black characters, local culture, and touches on the history of slavery and colonization. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but explores some interesting ideas. It uses the aliens as a metaphor for colonization, where they are both benevolent and brutally violent.
If you're looking for a book that spends most of it's time on describing and understanding the aliens, you aren't going to get it. Although what we do learn about the Ynaa is fascinating and around the middle of the book we get a bit more on them. Really though, this is a character study of people who live through this alien invasion in the Virgin Islands, their responses, their complicated personal relationships, and violence visited on them by their past and present. We also see a variety of responses to the alien presence- those who want to be like them, those who love them, those who fear them, and those who refuse to have anything to do with them. As a study of colonization and racism, it's pretty fascinating to think about.
Go in knowing this is more literary and philosophical than fun sci-fi, but it accomplishes what it's trying to do very well. Do be aware there are content warnings that include violence, death, violence toward animals, infidelity, medical trauma, and flashbacks to slavery and attempted sexual assault.
If you're looking for a book that spends most of it's time on describing and understanding the aliens, you aren't going to get it. Although what we do learn about the Ynaa is fascinating and around the middle of the book we get a bit more on them. Really though, this is a character study of people who live through this alien invasion in the Virgin Islands, their responses, their complicated personal relationships, and violence visited on them by their past and present. We also see a variety of responses to the alien presence- those who want to be like them, those who love them, those who fear them, and those who refuse to have anything to do with them. As a study of colonization and racism, it's pretty fascinating to think about.
Go in knowing this is more literary and philosophical than fun sci-fi, but it accomplishes what it's trying to do very well. Do be aware there are content warnings that include violence, death, violence toward animals, infidelity, medical trauma, and flashbacks to slavery and attempted sexual assault.
November 16, 2018
A speculative alien invasion novel set in the Virgin Islands--and it has a large contingent of female characters who actually do things! I know that sounds like a low bar, but I really did admire the dynamic characters Turnbull created. The story is well paced, and I loved how the aliens (who inhabit humanoid bodies) were incorporated into society, or rather, how they affect society. Honestly, this book was right up my alley, and will definitely be recommending it to everyone upon its release. Add it to your TBR now!
January 27, 2020
This is a near future first contact SF novel from an author from the Virgin islands.
The story starts a few days before the contact and acquaints the reader with main protagonists: teenage boy and girl, Derrek and Partice, who grew together and now in an awkward stage where they are unsure what they feel toward each other. Derrek is a SF fan. Partice’s father Jackson Paige is a teacher with the middle-age crisis: they grew distant with his wife while his former student (Lisa), who writes stories and asks him to review them, is maybe making advances. Jackson’s wife Aubrey has a mixed feeling about her friend, Alice, who once kissed her… a small provincial town with its ubiquitous trite problems.
Then alien Ynaa came. They offered a wealth of technologies in return asking for a place to stay. Five years pass by. Derrek is working with Mina, Ynaa’s ambassador. The aliens look like ordinary people but with jerky movements and impenetrable skin. One problem with them is that if they construe something as an attack they don’t hesitate to hit back, already killing several islanders and fermenting unrest. Jackson has a theory that actually the aliens lived on the islands much longer, but in disguise.
The story reminds me of China Mountain Zhang with its SF background but ordinary ‘real world story’ otherwise. It is well written (esp., for a debut novel), but is hasn’t ‘grabbed’ me, which is more the question of my preferences I guess. It’s structure also seemed strange for me, a great calamity closer to the end had much larger potential than was actually used.
The story starts a few days before the contact and acquaints the reader with main protagonists: teenage boy and girl, Derrek and Partice, who grew together and now in an awkward stage where they are unsure what they feel toward each other. Derrek is a SF fan. Partice’s father Jackson Paige is a teacher with the middle-age crisis: they grew distant with his wife while his former student (Lisa), who writes stories and asks him to review them, is maybe making advances. Jackson’s wife Aubrey has a mixed feeling about her friend, Alice, who once kissed her… a small provincial town with its ubiquitous trite problems.
Then alien Ynaa came. They offered a wealth of technologies in return asking for a place to stay. Five years pass by. Derrek is working with Mina, Ynaa’s ambassador. The aliens look like ordinary people but with jerky movements and impenetrable skin. One problem with them is that if they construe something as an attack they don’t hesitate to hit back, already killing several islanders and fermenting unrest. Jackson has a theory that actually the aliens lived on the islands much longer, but in disguise.
The story reminds me of China Mountain Zhang with its SF background but ordinary ‘real world story’ otherwise. It is well written (esp., for a debut novel), but is hasn’t ‘grabbed’ me, which is more the question of my preferences I guess. It’s structure also seemed strange for me, a great calamity closer to the end had much larger potential than was actually used.
July 16, 2020
Sign me up for character-driven scifi, always and forever. 🙌
Within the first few pages, I knew this one would be a winner, and from there, it just kept pleasing with the twists and turns.
The 'first contact' narrative of other alien invasion stories and films is immediately re-entered to the US Virgin Islands, specifically St. Thomas. A closely linked network of characters witnesses the alien's arrival in the sky, and each has different stories, beliefs, and effects of the event.
Turnbull keeps that focus on how this new form of colonization by the Ynaa, a semi-aquatic alien species that can slither into a human form, is actually yet *another* in a LONG history of colonizers for the Caribbean islands. Of course, all previous colonizers have been from earth...
"When the Ynaa arrived, they came speaking human languages and bearing gifts. Cures for diseases, energy technologies that solved Earth’s sustainability problems. In exchange for some time on the planet. The nations of the world were awestruck, thankful, and afraid. They accepted the offer, knowing they had no choice and grateful for the opportunity to save face. As another gesture of good faith, the Ynaa chose to stay where they landed. The United States, in continuance of its absentee landlordism over the Virgin Islands, wasted no time agreeing."
Turnbull writes his characters with care and compassion. He explores how both human and Ynaa characters interact / feel, the way that beliefs and preconceived notions change, and the strength of family and friends in times of crisis.
Within the first few pages, I knew this one would be a winner, and from there, it just kept pleasing with the twists and turns.
The 'first contact' narrative of other alien invasion stories and films is immediately re-entered to the US Virgin Islands, specifically St. Thomas. A closely linked network of characters witnesses the alien's arrival in the sky, and each has different stories, beliefs, and effects of the event.
Turnbull keeps that focus on how this new form of colonization by the Ynaa, a semi-aquatic alien species that can slither into a human form, is actually yet *another* in a LONG history of colonizers for the Caribbean islands. Of course, all previous colonizers have been from earth...
"When the Ynaa arrived, they came speaking human languages and bearing gifts. Cures for diseases, energy technologies that solved Earth’s sustainability problems. In exchange for some time on the planet. The nations of the world were awestruck, thankful, and afraid. They accepted the offer, knowing they had no choice and grateful for the opportunity to save face. As another gesture of good faith, the Ynaa chose to stay where they landed. The United States, in continuance of its absentee landlordism over the Virgin Islands, wasted no time agreeing."
Turnbull writes his characters with care and compassion. He explores how both human and Ynaa characters interact / feel, the way that beliefs and preconceived notions change, and the strength of family and friends in times of crisis.
January 15, 2019
I wasn't sure what to expect from The Lesson. Alien invasion I suppose? Regardless, I was lost from the beginning. I couldn't relate to the characters or the plot. Unfortunately, this story fell flat for me. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in for an arc in exchange for an honest review.
August 10, 2022
A great read!
Set in the Caribbean, Turnbull has given us an alien-human story that is character driven and tackles big themes. What defines an invasion, what becomes of the invaded, and how will the interactions change the landscape as we know it? It is a story of family, friendship, belonging, violence, community, and resilience.
The beauty and strength of Caribbean people is stamped all over this one.
Turnbull's prose is practically liquid the way it flows across the page, creating such a vivid picture and connection between reader and character, it is as if one is inhabiting the page.
The lives, loves, experiences, and scape are depicted with a familiarity that immediately grips and holds the attention. There is no pomp or overly done construction here. It is pure simplicity and renders the characters even more real because of it.
This narrative raises questions around who defines invasions and what is the nature of a particular arrival that allows it to either be stamped or negated as an invasion? Is the position and perception of the native inhabitants being taken into consideration or is the story being steered by larger and uninvolved foreign powers?
It also addresses belonging: what does it mean to belong to a society when one has been embedded in it for centuries but is different from and has been carrying out specimen collections and societal observations that aim to benefit a distant home planet?
Is it surprising or unexpected that one should form bonds and begin to understand the people and planet on which one has been integrated into?
What made me love this book, even more than just because it is set in the Caribbean, is that it portrayed people not unlike those who we grew up with. People who are falling in and out of love, discovering a new passion, allowing themselves to exist in the moment, adjusting to a new reality while still maintaining behaviours and mores that they have always known.
Set in the Caribbean, Turnbull has given us an alien-human story that is character driven and tackles big themes. What defines an invasion, what becomes of the invaded, and how will the interactions change the landscape as we know it? It is a story of family, friendship, belonging, violence, community, and resilience.
The beauty and strength of Caribbean people is stamped all over this one.
Turnbull's prose is practically liquid the way it flows across the page, creating such a vivid picture and connection between reader and character, it is as if one is inhabiting the page.
The lives, loves, experiences, and scape are depicted with a familiarity that immediately grips and holds the attention. There is no pomp or overly done construction here. It is pure simplicity and renders the characters even more real because of it.
This narrative raises questions around who defines invasions and what is the nature of a particular arrival that allows it to either be stamped or negated as an invasion? Is the position and perception of the native inhabitants being taken into consideration or is the story being steered by larger and uninvolved foreign powers?
It also addresses belonging: what does it mean to belong to a society when one has been embedded in it for centuries but is different from and has been carrying out specimen collections and societal observations that aim to benefit a distant home planet?
Is it surprising or unexpected that one should form bonds and begin to understand the people and planet on which one has been integrated into?
What made me love this book, even more than just because it is set in the Caribbean, is that it portrayed people not unlike those who we grew up with. People who are falling in and out of love, discovering a new passion, allowing themselves to exist in the moment, adjusting to a new reality while still maintaining behaviours and mores that they have always known.
July 15, 2019
The first two-thirds of the book were amazing! But unfortunately towards the end of the book I was just trying to get through it.
Mera was my favorite character—she was so complex and well thought out! I could have read more about her, her past and beyond that. Lee was another amazing character that I could have read more about! However, on the other end of the spectrum, Patrice was my least favorite and one that got on my nerves.
There are some great moments in this book! But those are fleeting. I question why some of the characters made the choices that they made, given the circumstances that they were in—simply seemed like a means to an end, to move the plot along.
I had so much hope for this book! It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t what I was expecting in the end.
Mera was my favorite character—she was so complex and well thought out! I could have read more about her, her past and beyond that. Lee was another amazing character that I could have read more about! However, on the other end of the spectrum, Patrice was my least favorite and one that got on my nerves.
There are some great moments in this book! But those are fleeting. I question why some of the characters made the choices that they made, given the circumstances that they were in—simply seemed like a means to an end, to move the plot along.
I had so much hope for this book! It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t what I was expecting in the end.
July 13, 2022
I'm really torn on what to rate this one, so, as per the norm, I will figure it out as I ramble. Be forewarned - I may delve into a bit of spoilery territory. Proceed at your own risk.
I don't remember how I discovered this book, but I do know that the cover would have immediately snagged my attention no matter where it was. LOVE the cover. I may have requested it based on that alone, but more likely it was the fact that just a handful of words into the book description, it mentions that this book deals with the impact of colonialism. Sign me up.
So I was a little surprised to find that this was also a First Contact story. I have no problem with that, at all, but sometimes find that they can be a little hard in the sci-fi for my personal taste, so I wasn't sure what I would think of this one for that reason - especially as I had never heard of nor read this author before. But regardless, I was in it, and so through it we went.
My concerns about the hardness of the sci-fi were unfounded - this was definitely a character-driven story. I listened to this on audio, which was lovely and immersive due to the two narrators and their lending island accents to the characters, but when we got to the Ynaa's dialect, it got a bit hard for me to ONLY listen. So I paused a few days until I could snag the ebook and be able to follow along. These conversations among the Ynaa were critical to understanding the story, but how the reader read them was very hard to track. Hissy in some places, staccato cadence, some words merely whispered, some sounding like they are said on the in-breath... it was really hard to follow without the text to accompany it.
I'm not really complaining - I LIKED how it was read, and the way it very much differentiated the Ynaa amongst themselves from everyone else, and even from the Ynaa amongst humans - but given how important these parts were, it was a little frustrating to feel like I was missing pieces based on how they were read. I should mention here that I did use headphones, and even increased the volume, but that only helped so much. Between the heavily sibilant susurration, and the unpredictable volume variation, it was very easy to miss something.
OK, so I have some pros and cons about the rest of this, but I'm gonna try to make it quick because I have to be up early for work. (Gross.)
- Pro: The human characters were wonderful. Fully fleshed out and realistic and predictable in the worst and most frustrating ways, which is of course what makes them human.
- Con: I just didn't really feel like the Ynaa were fleshed out nearly as much. Except for Mera, they all seemed pretty monolithic and samey, except for ONE throwaway at the end.
-Pro: That last con point could be part of the allegorical element on colonialism - that the invaders/colonizers have all the power in the dynamic and thus have no need to be humanized, because they act inhumanly. In which case, it's a pro.
-Con: I didn't really like that the landing of the Ynaa, and then their leaving were both missing. We see the landing of the ship, and then jump ahead 5 years. Then at the end, things go bad, very very bad, and then... we jump ahead another year to after they are gone. Some of the most critical elements to me are in those missing times, and I really wanted to see and know what happens and how people react and how the YNAA react and behave and such. But we only get told about those things, and really the leaving is barely touched on at all.
- Pro: But should it have been? If this is seen as a colonization allegory, then the real story is about the people who survived it, who carried on and rebuilt and regained their freedom.
- Con: But that allegory breaks down a bit for me, because the Ynaa always said that they were looking for a "thing", and would be leaving once they had it. That's not the case with colonization - that was all about power and economic gain in the form of enslaving and controlling people, and was not ever envisioned or structured to be temporary. The enslaved people had to FIGHT and often die to demand their freedom, not just wait out a temporarily volatile situation.
I understand the lesson that the story refers to, and I think that this was wonderfully written (in that I still find myself thinking about aspects of the story and characters, days later), but I feel like there are massive gaps that I really wanted filled.
So, I'm going middle of the road. I liked it more than not, quite a bit more, but I can't justify giving it a higher rating when I feel there was so much left off the page, and leaving me wondering whose story this really was. I would definitely recommend reading it, though, because it's worth a read for sure.
I don't remember how I discovered this book, but I do know that the cover would have immediately snagged my attention no matter where it was. LOVE the cover. I may have requested it based on that alone, but more likely it was the fact that just a handful of words into the book description, it mentions that this book deals with the impact of colonialism. Sign me up.
So I was a little surprised to find that this was also a First Contact story. I have no problem with that, at all, but sometimes find that they can be a little hard in the sci-fi for my personal taste, so I wasn't sure what I would think of this one for that reason - especially as I had never heard of nor read this author before. But regardless, I was in it, and so through it we went.
My concerns about the hardness of the sci-fi were unfounded - this was definitely a character-driven story. I listened to this on audio, which was lovely and immersive due to the two narrators and their lending island accents to the characters, but when we got to the Ynaa's dialect, it got a bit hard for me to ONLY listen. So I paused a few days until I could snag the ebook and be able to follow along. These conversations among the Ynaa were critical to understanding the story, but how the reader read them was very hard to track. Hissy in some places, staccato cadence, some words merely whispered, some sounding like they are said on the in-breath... it was really hard to follow without the text to accompany it.
I'm not really complaining - I LIKED how it was read, and the way it very much differentiated the Ynaa amongst themselves from everyone else, and even from the Ynaa amongst humans - but given how important these parts were, it was a little frustrating to feel like I was missing pieces based on how they were read. I should mention here that I did use headphones, and even increased the volume, but that only helped so much. Between the heavily sibilant susurration, and the unpredictable volume variation, it was very easy to miss something.
OK, so I have some pros and cons about the rest of this, but I'm gonna try to make it quick because I have to be up early for work. (Gross.)
- Pro: The human characters were wonderful. Fully fleshed out and realistic and predictable in the worst and most frustrating ways, which is of course what makes them human.
- Con: I just didn't really feel like the Ynaa were fleshed out nearly as much. Except for Mera, they all seemed pretty monolithic and samey, except for ONE throwaway at the end.
-Pro: That last con point could be part of the allegorical element on colonialism - that the invaders/colonizers have all the power in the dynamic and thus have no need to be humanized, because they act inhumanly. In which case, it's a pro.
-Con: I didn't really like that the landing of the Ynaa, and then their leaving were both missing. We see the landing of the ship, and then jump ahead 5 years. Then at the end, things go bad, very very bad, and then... we jump ahead another year to after they are gone. Some of the most critical elements to me are in those missing times, and I really wanted to see and know what happens and how people react and how the YNAA react and behave and such. But we only get told about those things, and really the leaving is barely touched on at all.
- Pro: But should it have been? If this is seen as a colonization allegory, then the real story is about the people who survived it, who carried on and rebuilt and regained their freedom.
- Con: But that allegory breaks down a bit for me, because the Ynaa always said that they were looking for a "thing", and would be leaving once they had it. That's not the case with colonization - that was all about power and economic gain in the form of enslaving and controlling people, and was not ever envisioned or structured to be temporary. The enslaved people had to FIGHT and often die to demand their freedom, not just wait out a temporarily volatile situation.
I understand the lesson that the story refers to, and I think that this was wonderfully written (in that I still find myself thinking about aspects of the story and characters, days later), but I feel like there are massive gaps that I really wanted filled.
So, I'm going middle of the road. I liked it more than not, quite a bit more, but I can't justify giving it a higher rating when I feel there was so much left off the page, and leaving me wondering whose story this really was. I would definitely recommend reading it, though, because it's worth a read for sure.
July 22, 2019
I'm not going to re-cap the blurb or give a synopsis.
It's classic SF, about first contact, and humanity's struggle with a more technologically developed species. The book is informed by the authors background, the history of his birthplace.
History most of us know little about.
In it, all these half century old tropes spring to life on the page, vital and new and infused with fresh meaning, enacted by real characters we feel like we know.
There's stuff about colonialism I knew in my head, that I now feel in my flesh and bones. The book has made me a bigger person. This is the best case scenario; this is what we want books to do.
Human scaled interaction with global importance, existential impact. No straw men. No villains. No superheroes.
Just humanity, love, wonder, loss, resilience.
It's classic SF, about first contact, and humanity's struggle with a more technologically developed species. The book is informed by the authors background, the history of his birthplace.
History most of us know little about.
In it, all these half century old tropes spring to life on the page, vital and new and infused with fresh meaning, enacted by real characters we feel like we know.
There's stuff about colonialism I knew in my head, that I now feel in my flesh and bones. The book has made me a bigger person. This is the best case scenario; this is what we want books to do.
Human scaled interaction with global importance, existential impact. No straw men. No villains. No superheroes.
Just humanity, love, wonder, loss, resilience.
February 14, 2020
I heard about The Lesson when I looked up Arisia 2020 guest of honor Cadwell Turnbull, and I was excited to read it. Aliens establishing a secretive research mission on the US Virgin Islands is such a cool premise. I wanted to discover why they came, and see how they would interact with the human residents. Sadly, I have mixed feelings about the actual book.
The Lesson is about an alien race Ynaa arriving in the US Virgin Islands in 2019. The Ynaa motivations are not clear, but they seem to be searching for something. The story jumps five years, when tensions come to a boil. That premise has tremendous potential. I was eager to see what the story did with it.
I have so many questions after reading the story, and not the good kind of questions. Why did the Ynaa choose the US Virgin Islands? Did they interact with any other governments or populations? Why were they so universally and intensely hated? What were they specifically looking for on Earth? What did they find? Some of my questions may be nitpicky, but this story leaves too many loose threads.
I have seen The Lesson described as an allegory for imperialism. I feel like it really failed on that point. The Ynaa (for lack of a better word) “occupation” does not resemble actual imperialism. The Ynaa did not extract resources from the islands, make laws, restrict freedoms, or impose new religions or languages. In fact, they offered gifts like a cure for cancer and cheap, reliable, environmentally friendly electricity in exchange for the right to live on the US Virgin Islands. Still, they are widely despised by the human residents. The residents call the Ynaa demons, and openly attack them. Only then do the Ynaa visit violence upon the human population. If the humans just refrained from attacking the Ynaa, the relationship would have been 100% beneficial. Unless Turnbull meant to suggest that indigenous people should not have resisted colonizers, I think the allegory is fundamentally broken.
The titular lesson was incoherent and disappointing as well. The lesson seems to be the cover for the true mission of the Ynaa. Whenever humans ask why the Ynaa came to Earth, they say “to teach the lesson.” It’s mysterious and ominous. I never believed they came to teach humans, but I was still intrigued. Eventually, the lesson is revealed (to the reader, not the in-story humans): . The reveal is deeply unsatisfying. It does not explain why the Ynaa came, and few of their actions could conceivably teach the lesson. It fails both as motivation and misdirection.
I would have made human investigation into the Ynaa motivations a larger part of the story. Have the Ynaa claim to be on Earth to teach humans what we need to reach the stars, but with a secret motivation of extracting something from the planet’s biosphere. Jackson could find clues and convince Derrick to take the job with Mera to learn more. Increasingly intrusive Ynaa presence and mistrust from the investigation would fuel human unrest, and the Ynaa could react violently to maintain their operation on Earth. Derrick and Jackson could discover the truth, and unite humans to expel the now obviously colonizing Ynaa. I think it could have tied the disparate elements - Ynaa public and secret motivations, Derrick’s choice to work for Mera, Jackson’s book, human unrest, Ynaa violence - into a more coherent and satisfying whole. It would also reinforce an imperialism allegory, as imperialists often arrived under false pretenses and gradually infiltrated indigenous societies.
After reading The Lesson, I really want to read more about the Virgin Islands. The story whetted my appetite, but did not go deep enough. I am sure that as a native of the US Virgin Islands, Turnbull knows the islands and accurately portrayed them. Still, I did not feel that The Lesson used the setting to the fullest. The story could have happened anywhere that had slavery. If I stopped paying attention, I could forget that it was even on the Virgin Islands. I want to see how other stories handled the setting.
This review is so critical in part because the elements of the story are so interesting. The setting, the characters, the aliens - those elements carried me through the story. I was disappointed they didn’t connect into a more coherent whole. I wanted the story to be excellent because I think it really could have been. I will keep an eye on Cadwell Turnbull’s future writings, but I am in no rush for his next novel.
CHARACTER LIST (abridged)
The Lesson is about an alien race Ynaa arriving in the US Virgin Islands in 2019. The Ynaa motivations are not clear, but they seem to be searching for something. The story jumps five years, when tensions come to a boil. That premise has tremendous potential. I was eager to see what the story did with it.
I have so many questions after reading the story, and not the good kind of questions. Why did the Ynaa choose the US Virgin Islands? Did they interact with any other governments or populations? Why were they so universally and intensely hated? What were they specifically looking for on Earth? What did they find? Some of my questions may be nitpicky, but this story leaves too many loose threads.
I have seen The Lesson described as an allegory for imperialism. I feel like it really failed on that point. The Ynaa (for lack of a better word) “occupation” does not resemble actual imperialism. The Ynaa did not extract resources from the islands, make laws, restrict freedoms, or impose new religions or languages. In fact, they offered gifts like a cure for cancer and cheap, reliable, environmentally friendly electricity in exchange for the right to live on the US Virgin Islands. Still, they are widely despised by the human residents. The residents call the Ynaa demons, and openly attack them. Only then do the Ynaa visit violence upon the human population. If the humans just refrained from attacking the Ynaa, the relationship would have been 100% beneficial. Unless Turnbull meant to suggest that indigenous people should not have resisted colonizers, I think the allegory is fundamentally broken.
The titular lesson was incoherent and disappointing as well. The lesson seems to be the cover for the true mission of the Ynaa. Whenever humans ask why the Ynaa came to Earth, they say “to teach the lesson.” It’s mysterious and ominous. I never believed they came to teach humans, but I was still intrigued. Eventually, the lesson is revealed (to the reader, not the in-story humans): . The reveal is deeply unsatisfying. It does not explain why the Ynaa came, and few of their actions could conceivably teach the lesson. It fails both as motivation and misdirection.
I would have made human investigation into the Ynaa motivations a larger part of the story. Have the Ynaa claim to be on Earth to teach humans what we need to reach the stars, but with a secret motivation of extracting something from the planet’s biosphere. Jackson could find clues and convince Derrick to take the job with Mera to learn more. Increasingly intrusive Ynaa presence and mistrust from the investigation would fuel human unrest, and the Ynaa could react violently to maintain their operation on Earth. Derrick and Jackson could discover the truth, and unite humans to expel the now obviously colonizing Ynaa. I think it could have tied the disparate elements - Ynaa public and secret motivations, Derrick’s choice to work for Mera, Jackson’s book, human unrest, Ynaa violence - into a more coherent and satisfying whole. It would also reinforce an imperialism allegory, as imperialists often arrived under false pretenses and gradually infiltrated indigenous societies.
After reading The Lesson, I really want to read more about the Virgin Islands. The story whetted my appetite, but did not go deep enough. I am sure that as a native of the US Virgin Islands, Turnbull knows the islands and accurately portrayed them. Still, I did not feel that The Lesson used the setting to the fullest. The story could have happened anywhere that had slavery. If I stopped paying attention, I could forget that it was even on the Virgin Islands. I want to see how other stories handled the setting.
This review is so critical in part because the elements of the story are so interesting. The setting, the characters, the aliens - those elements carried me through the story. I was disappointed they didn’t connect into a more coherent whole. I wanted the story to be excellent because I think it really could have been. I will keep an eye on Cadwell Turnbull’s future writings, but I am in no rush for his next novel.
CHARACTER LIST (abridged)
May 11, 2019
In Turnbull's debut novel he gives us a compelling and engaging character driven story that focuses on the humanity despite the backdrop of an alien presence. Through the intricately woven, yet distinct viewpoints of a family's already present discord compounded by the aliens’ arrival, he gives us a diverse cast who all deal with their personal traumas in their own ways, yet together link an emotionally captivating look at how change shapes us inside and out. His rendering of St. Thomas is visceral and thorough, and I can so easily picture the locations described and feel like I could navigate them myself were I ever to visit the island thanks to his efforts. The fleshed out setting and structure of the story make the inevitability of the climax even more tragic, but the events feel earned and consequential, not forced or out of place. The pacing is excellent, as the characters’ journeys go on simultaneously, and the focus on humanity while dealing with complex themes of love, loss, existence, and violence, among others, all come together wonderfully. A page turner, especially when the climax begins, a heart wrenching culmination of divergent arcs and many characters. My only lament is the unexplored, tantalizing bits of lore about the Ynaa, the wonderful character of Mera illuminating them in a brilliant way, and I’m left wanting to see what happens next for these characters after the ending. For fans of sci-fi and human stories alike, Turnbull confidently makes his presence known in the genre, drawing on our shared humanity to deliver topical commentary on society and the relationships that get us through the day. All I can say is I want a sequel, or at least more of this world/characters, and only wish there was already more to dive into.
September 16, 2021
A very grounded and human story of aliens colonising Earth. Pretty unremarkable for the genre despite the Virgin Islands setting.
Three and one half stars rounded down.
Three and one half stars rounded down.
February 16, 2025
Set on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, this debut sci-fi novel wrestles with some big and weighty concepts. We are introduced to two families, neighbors, with their own interwoven concerns: a married couple struggling with relationship, a woman questioning her sexuality, a teen questioning her faith, a man yearning for more ambitious career and travel options in middle age. Then an alien ship arrives above the island and the book jumps forward 5 years in time to show how a powerful controlling presence has impacted the lives of everyone on the island. The Ynaa offered advanced medicines and technology to humans in exchange for staying for a time to do an unspecified type of research. But the co-existence is not peaceful: the Ynaa lash out with extreme violence over minor provocations. This tense situation cannot last. There was much to enjoy in this novel, and the audiobook was very well read by two narrators. I did think the final act suffered from some pacing issues, and a second time jump near the end worked much less well for me than the big time jump near the beginning. It was interesting to read this after having read Turnbull's second novel No Gods, No Masters which contains similar themes but with a much more complex story structure and much larger cast.
November 1, 2020
I’ve been looking for a good science fiction read to diversify my reading diet and this certainly fit the bill. What usually makes science fiction good or great for me is originality and social relevance and this novel delivers on both accounts, especially the latter. Originality wise…ok, it did remind me very much of V, the recent ish tv show. A quiet first contact sort of thing, a steady but not overly exciting or explosive alien invasion, where a race of extraterrestrials known as Ynaa come to Earth bearing gifts and looking to just kind of hang out for a while. They land on a small island of the US Virgin Islands for some reason. I mean, it works for the story’s purpose, but it’s never quite explained while Ynaa go the way of cruise ships. Then again Columbus landed in the Bahamas originally, so there’s that. Anyway, so that’s the main event. The story follows a group of interconnected and/or related characters from just before to during and after the arrival and it’s done so immersively, with such potent character driven writing and high degree of character engagement , that essentially the book reads like a work of dramatic fiction…with aliens. But aliens are definitely the plot drivers, for as benevolent as they seem, they are also prone to extreme violence upon provocation and therefore don’t assimilate as easily as they might wish to. Their ambassador, Mera, has been on Earth for a long time and has to the extent gone native, so her affections and motivations are divided at best, she even takes a lover, one of the locals, who as a boy dreamed of other worlds and as a young man is, above all, excited to discover it for himself. Needless to say, it doesn’t endear him to those around him. But then again, everyone’s got to do their own thing, chase their own joy, it’s what the people in this book try to do, on or off the island, familial and romantic dynamics all the more complicated for the smallness of the stage they play out on. So that’s the basic bones of it, but the main theme, the thing that animates the skeleton if you will, is that the alien invasion is used as a metaphor for colonialism. Set on the island that has been settled by different peoples and then colonized successively by foreign nations, one after another after another, Ynaa in a way are just the latest in the series of invaders. Different as different can be, but in the end the results tend to be the same…tragic. Th dream of symbiosis set to remain just that, a dream, unrealistic and unrealizable. A balance of power too profoundly uneven, cultural difference too insurmountable. All those colonial dynamics that made colonialism a thing of the past, but redone in such a fresh and interesting way as to give food for much thought. So yeah, just how I like it. Fans of more stereotypical first contact stories might be disappointed, expecting more about the actual aliens. For me, there was enough of that, actually, the character of Mera, alone, made it worthwhile. But the goal was the metaphor, the parable, Ynaa is just a tool the author used to tell it. What you do get to know of Ynaa is very interesting, actually, but there isn’t much of it. Then again it isn’t a large book either. In fact it’s lean and dynamic and reads very quickly. I enjoyed it very much, stayed up well into the night to finish it. Very nicely done, especially for a debut. Recommended.
February 1, 2019
I adore this book - it deals with such big questions, and yet feels so intimate. The family dynamics are rich and complex, and the Ynaa are fascinating in their similarities and differences to humans.
A must-read.
(Disclosure: Cadwell and I studied together at Clarion West)
A must-read.
(Disclosure: Cadwell and I studied together at Clarion West)
October 31, 2022
What a book. My brain is still trying to decipher that ending!
March 12, 2022
The Lesson is first contact sci-fi that is not flashy or action-packed: it is thoughtful and deliberate, with big emotional payoff. Character-driven and humanity-focused, it grapples with the social impact and existential trauma of invasion and colonialism through intimate life portraits. The author grounds the narrative in deceptively simple depictions of daily life in an island community choking under alien occupation, over echoing layers of Caribbean history. It's one of those stories where I couldn't stop wondering what I would do if I were in it, or how such an event would change my community and my relationships. Really impressive.
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