November 5, 2021

It has been a rough two years. Like many others, I have taken solace from all the messiness in reading. Sometimes, I find comfort in an angsty book that rages with me. But sometimes, I just need a book to give me a hug. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers is the biggest, cuddliest, most-needed hug I could have ever asked for.

Sibling Dex is a monk of the Child God Allalae in Panga’s City and is completely unsatisfied with their life. They change their vocation, becoming a tea monk traveling around to the various villages and towns to bring whatever comfort they can to the citizens through good tea and patient listening…except that’s not satisfying Dex either. So, what does a tea monk do when faced with a lackluster view of a completely fantastic life: they go into the wild. The wild has been protected for many years, a place humankind not only does not touch, but is not allowed to touch. Out there, Dex hopes to find their purpose, their satisfaction, their reason for living. Instead, they find a self-aware robot, and that’s when their journey really begins.

I cannot express enough how much I needed this book in my life. I needed it every day since March 2020. This story is so beautiful and so human. I felt both vulnerable and safe when reading it. I think the two things that really drove this story into my heart were the limited worldbuilding and the ordinary characters.

*cue record scratch*

Yes, you read that right. This story is possibly going to come in as my favorite of 2021 because it has less than average worldbuilding details and extremely ordinary characters. Let’s break it down:

This story is a novella. My copy of it caps out at 147 pages. It is no secret I love novellas (it’s in my bio). Normally, it is not the format that makes the story. A story is as long as it needs to be, whether that’s 300 words, 300 pages, or 3 whole books. However, I am choosing to believe that making A Psalm for the Wild-Built a novella was a conscious decision on Chambers’ part. My reason for this is because the novella is perfect for this story. We have just enough time to get introduced to the worldbuilding before we dive right into the point. The world of Panga is a really neat near-ish future alternate reality sci-fi. There are sentient robots living the transcendentalist dream in the wild, a polytheistic religious system that sets up Parent and Child Gods, and a traveling monk both brewing and spilling the tea is a legit career choice. The worldbuilding is developed in the background as we go about the day-to-day, and much of it is not explained or expanded upon. It’s relatable, it’s engaging, it’s very interesting. But the robots, the religion, the hope/solarpunk civilization are not the point. Chambers gives them all just enough attention to justify the characters and their actions and nothing more. Dex is a monk, so there’s religion, it’s polytheistic, here are the basic tenants, now let’s move on. There are robots in the woods, here’s how they got there, don’t worry about why, let’s move on. The greatest gift Chambers gives her readers is a strict set of limitations to create a very tight focus. It’s almost liberating not having to keep track of an entire world’s worth of information. I don’t have to worry about the rules of a complex magic system or the inner workings of a futuristic mode of transport. I’m allowed to just be in the story with Dex, unburdened by the unfamiliar so that I can focus on our characters and the point of the story, which is:

Existence is hard.

I love Dex. They are witty and intelligent, but also incredibly impulsive and silly. Most importantly, they are ordinary. Dex is not the Chosen One. Dex does not possess great and rare skills. They are not a cornerstone in their society or special in any way. Heck, I don’t even know what Dex looks like, there’s no physical description. That’s about as ordinary a character can get, but this is in fact what makes Dex the best possible character. Dex is familiar. They are struggling with their chosen profession, dissatisfaction with life, and their guilt for feeling dissatisfaction in the face of their privilege. Dex isn’t trying to save the world, affect great change, or grow into a better human being. They’re not even trying to save themself. Dex just wants to live and be happy, and who among us can’t relate to that? Dex is real. Dex is human, so human, I honestly felt this was a story about me, and Dex and I share very few things in common. I recently read in my Bible study notes that “human nature remains the same across the ages.” Science fiction often shows us people and places far removed from our own reality. Chambers shows us Dex and does so by holding up a mirror to her readers. Dex, in their ordinariness, in this awesome but limited world, shows us that there is beauty in the fear, in the doubt, in the questions, in the sadness, and especially in the simple.

I have very little to complain about with this book. Do I want more worldbuilding? Absolutely! Was the ending a bit anticlimactic? Yeah, a little part of me was expecting something more, but what I got fit with the story and the story’s purpose. By the time you reach the end, you should have adjusted your expectations. This story is not your traditional sci-fi, and it is not even the slice-of-life drama of Chambers’ other sci-fi stories. It is what it is, and if you accept that, then you will most definitely enjoy the read. I highly recommend everyone read A Psalm for the Wild-Built. We all definitely need Dex and their tea therapy sessions.

  • Title: A Psalm for the Wild-Built
  • Author: Becky Chambers
  • Publisher: Tordotcom
  • Year: 2021
  • Genre: Science Fiction (Hopepunk)
  • Age Range: Adult

Learn more about Becky Chambers HERE