BEING ACE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF QUEER, TRANS, FEMME, AND DISABLED STORIES OF ASEXUAL LOVE AND CONNECTION edited by Madeline Dyer (BOOK REVIEW)
Synopsis: From a wheelchair user racing to save her kidnapped girlfriend and a little mermaid who loves her sisters more than suitors, to a slayer whose virgin blood keeps attracting monsters, the stories of this anthology are anything but conventional. Whether adventuring through space, outsmarting a vengeful water spirit, or surviving haunted cemeteries, no two aces are the same in these 14 unique works that highlight asexual romance, aromantic love, and identities across the asexual spectrum.
As partially noted by other reviewers upon the book’s release in 2023, Being Ace: An Anthology […] makes a key argument for many marginalized identities that aces have existed throughout history in every corner of the universe, an effect that is truly best accomplished through an anthology that can show more of those people and places than a single narrative. Ace rep in sci-fi-fantasy is thankfully moving out of robots and aliens intrinsically devoid of humanity, but as with much LGBTQIA+ rep, there is still a way to go. And Being Ace is the type of collection playing a crucial role in this movement, gathering a variety of sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary stories that muse on the truths of being ace. Cody Daigle-Orians ends his introduction by saying:
“These stories are paths we can walk together, toward a more complete picture of what it means to be asexual as well as what it means to be human.
That is transformative, powerful magic. It is our magic.
Let the conjuring begin.”
There are some standouts in this anthology, as well as a few motifs that tie everything together in surprising ways. Take for instance, the first story, Kat Yuen’s “How to Love a Sidewinder,” a tale hinting at feelings of betrayal, about a young aroace woman cursed by her so-called best friend who thought they were in love. The magic system isn’t exposited, and the story just sort of stews in the situation, leading up to Xiaoying coming out to her mother. Most are familiar with the subverted “true love’s kiss breaks the curse” trope by now from Maleficent and Once Upon a Time, shocking though it is that I haven’t seen it used too often in a-spec stories. It captures the exact sentiment that needs to be expressed here, of true love taking more than one form.
Family and friends are hugely important throughout in Being Ace, as well as the exploration of the unfathomable nature of love being inherently bigger that the labels people try to ascribe to it. One of my favourite quotes is from “Give Up the Ghost” by Linsey Miller, in which the narrator says:
“It was so dismissive, as if love was some step up from friendship and the steps vanished as soon as you surpassed them. Love wasn’t a ladder. It was an ocean of varying waves and currents […]”
Unlike some other selections from this book, this is a story completely devoid of any Little Mermaid aesthetics, but the ocean works as a broader metaphor. “Give Up the Ghost” follows Cassandra, an ace teen who never confessed her romantic feelings for her best friend, while he absolutely did love her in some way, underscoring the point that love is messy and not something out of a step-by-step manual. Meanwhile, “Sealights” by Emily Victoria is about Annelise trying to uphold her family’s legacy of collecting sea magic after her father’s death. This is a beautiful story about heritage, anger, peace, reconciling different ideas, and friendship. It is a lovely addition to the anthology because no character is explicitly labelled as ace; it’s just about two new friends tackling a critical problem, with an oceanic fantasy theme.
“Across the Stars” by Akemi Dawn Bowman is also about the protagonist grieving the death of their parent(s), which perfectly captures that monumental, “cosmic” feeling no one can really describe of falling in love from the perspective of an ace person, with sexual attraction playing no role in it. Space exploration and nautical aesthetics being motifs of this anthology is likely a coincidental byproduct of the stories that were selected (“Across the Stars” has its clear counterpart in RoAnna Sylver’s “The Third Star,” and “Sealights” the same with Moniza Hossain’s “The Mermaid’s Sister”). Yet such stories often laud venturing into the unknown, an important lesson in the various characters’ lives that is often not even about their asexuality.
I would be remiss not to mention “Nylon Bed Socks,” the freeform poetry story written by editor Madeline Dyer, from the perspective of an assault survivor hospitalized for an eating disorder. Her doctor believes asexuality is a symptom of her condition; she refers to herself by several names because she is unsure of her own identity but also to illustrate how she is all the pained young women in the world, hurt by purported body images and compulsory sexuality. Ultimately, she gets past the worst of it, really expresses her anger, and then heals with the help of her family and a fellow ace who tells her about health professionals who won’t think she is ill.
Both “Give Up the Ghost” and S. J. Taylor’s “The Witch of Festa Falls” lean into the trope of a supernaturally gifted character having made a Faustian bargain—in this case, two communities, one an 18th century Norwegian village and the other modern, suspect a resident of having traded sexual desire for alleged powers. Of course, once again, the implication is that having sexual desire makes life worth living, even in a world that polices women’s sexuality. Both stories emphasise Cassandra and Birga grieving and reaffirming their connections to loved ones while finding new purpose.
Being Ace gives something of a reason of why such a concept as the final frontier of vast space or seas works for a-spec stories, as acceptance of any kind of identity that the world criticizes can be a terrifying leap. However, “The Witch of Festa Falls” is the chosen final selection when it takes everything else this book imparts and uses it as a backdrop against Birga’s decision to stay in her small community, who all denounce her, and continue to protect them with what she knows, ending the cycle of hatred and revenge with love for the better of everyone, including herself.
If this book is anything, it is loving. Perhaps the cruellest assumption is that ace people are incapable of love. Not wanting sex does not equate to not loving someone romantically. Not feeling romantic love does not mean not feeling love. Through a range of stories and tangible experiences, despite (and elevated by) some otherworldly settings, Being Ace shows a-spec people who love and protect others and themselves.
Being Ace is due for release in the UK on 17th February, you can pre-order your copy HERE
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