Work Reviewed: Imbler, Sabrina. How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures.* Little, Brown and Company, 2022.
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Introduction
Science journalist Sabrina Imbler looks to the lives of a diverse range of deep sea creatures to contextualize their life. From the common goldfish to the terrifying Bobbitt worm, these organisms provide ample opportunity to reflect on themes of loss, change, and identity.
Five Key Themes
Identity and Self-Expression
As a queer, mixed-race author, Imbler has a unique perspective on the ten organisms How Far the Light Reaches explores. Cuttlefish, which occupy the last sea-creature-focused chapter, seem especially relevant. This being is capable of shape-shifting and changing color to adapt. And when not escaping predators, the cuttlefish can express all manner of emotions using these capabilities. Similarly, the author recalls scrutinizing their appearance, and trying different styles to feel beautiful or fit in. A change in appearance marks their first experiences with dating women. Then, another change when the author dates someone in business school. The author reflects, “Each time I try to write this piece I feel differently about my body, my gender, myself…but if I don’t write it now, how will I trace my own evolution?” (Imbler 216).
Belonging and Community
The chapter “We Swarm” focuses on a creature this reader had never heard of”: the salp. The author and friends stumble into a colony of these small jelly-like beings at the beach one day, and they delight in floating amongst the teardrop-like creatures. The work combines this story with reflections on community gatherings such as the Pride parade and beach days at Riis. They describes the history of this locale as a “gay haven” of the 30s and 40s (Imbler 186), a place where people could safely find community. For the author, these moments are more than the sum of their parts, and the experience of floating together with the salps is a transcendent one.
Loss and Grief
One of the most fascinating chapters for this reader was “How to Draw a Sperm Whale.” The success of this section hinges on the distinction between the words “autopsy,” and “necropsy.” The first applies to examinations of human bodies. The second “was invented to distinguish between the act of examining dead humans from that of examining dead animals” (Imbler 70). As Imbler points out, the word “auto-psy” at its root still involves a “self.” “Necro-,” though, only references death.
Keeping this in mind, Imbler interjects stories of a painting class focused on museum whale specimens with descriptions of breakups. They label each one “Necropsy Report.” This choice must hold significance to us as readers given the emphasis on the word’s dehumanizing effect. The author affects an objective dissection of relationships here, attempting to find a “cause of death.” Also effective is the description of the fragmented pieces of whale specimens that were the focus of their painting class. Each object is so removed from its context, and sometimes so transformed (think scrimshaw) as to be unrecognizable as a previously living thing.
Change and Resilience
One standout in this area is the Chinese Sturgeon, which the author juxtaposes against their family history. Though dams now threaten their path, these fish travel about 1900 miles every year to breed. The challenges the species face function as a metaphor for the struggles of the author’s family during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. It is a powerful reflection on the threat of climate change and human injustice to life on Earth. Especially poignant is the author’s reflection that the path of their grandmother’s escape would now be just as unrecognizable to her as the former migration routes of the sturgeon. This sense of sadness increases with the news that the grandmother’s memory is beginning to deteriorate. Yet the author finds peace at the aquarium, looking at the American relatives of the Chinese sturgeon and reflecting, “I feel very close to and very far away from home,” (Imbler 63).
Intersectionality and Cooperation
Overall, the themes and stories of this work bring home that point that we are all connected, human and non-human. And that the challenges we face do not exist in isolation. Stories of immigration give additional context to those of species who are losing their habitats to climate change and industrialization. Sea creatures’ attempts to escape predators, reproduce, and adapt to change echo the challenges the author and their family have faced for generations. Check out How Far the Light Reaches for a nuanced reflection about life on our planet.
This review of How Far the Light Reaches is part of the June 2024 Pride Month Trio. Follow me on Patreon for access to discussion and study materials for a new trio of selections each month, including access to all previous materials. Or, sign up for emails to get the latest content.
