The Necessary Beggar

I read this book in one long sitting, staying up most of the night to do so. The story, which is told without ostentation, grows in power as it progresses. It depicts struggles -- and answers to them -- in a realistic and unflinching way without ever giving way to bathos, and the end is both unexpected and yet necessary given what came before. When I finished the book I felt deeply satisfied. The novel resonated for me on many levels, and continues to do so months after I first read it.

At its heart, Susan Palwick's The Necessary Beggar, is a rather simple story of a family from a parallel world trying to make a go of things in our world. Palwick's exiles arrive in Reno, Nevada, through a shimmering blue portal. They are not adventurers or heretics or invaders, but a simple family exiled for a crime of passion committed by the son of the narrator. The family is a good one that adheres to the teachings of its culture. They live by beliefs (an odd mix of Western and Eastern philosophies) that many of us would find admirable, beliefs that are often incompatible with their environment. Palwick's book, though, succeeds on a number of levels, creating a rich tapestry of themes. It is a mystery story, a ghost story, an adventure story, a coming of age story, and a story of romance.

Susan Palwick's "A Necessary Beggar" is a work of extreme richness, both fascinating and moving. The highly believable and convincing parallel-dimensional culture she has created would float a whole series of novels if she were inclined to write them, and yet, in a sense it's merely the "back story". The main story, told with a huge emotional range from deliciously wry satire to heart-rending pathos is about humanity and inhumanity. We see from the outside and the inside what xenophobia, religious intolerance, and unfeeling, unimaginative bureaucracy mean in the immigrant experience, as well as how the good in people (of whatever ethnicity) can overcome this. By the end of the novel I was almost cheering with delight. And Mike, yes this could make a movie-of-the-week on the Lifetime channel, but so could "The Scarlet Letter"! Don't confuse openness to feeling with sentimental wallowing.

"The Necessary Beggar" is a breath of fresh air in the SF/Fantasy market place. Rather than having the stereotypical, and all too common these days, bombs, guns and aliens, Palwick weaves a story about the humanity in us all. Her story of the exiles from Lemabantunk is about redemption and understanding. I strongly disagree with Mike's review. Palwick's story is told with emotion, but it doesn't make it melodramatic. Her characters are trying to come to grips with a new language, and a new culture, and, heck, a new dimension. The struggle of the elders to change is crafted with believability, as shown in the grudging acceptance by Timbor, and with the slow-boiling hatred shown by Macsofo. Reminiscent of tales of multi-cultural families in the U.S. where children adapt to new culture much better, Zama is able to adopt the culture much easier, yet her willingness to embrace her family's cultural connection brings about the resolution in the novel. Palwick varies points of view in the chapters to show the struggles of Timbor's family in the literal "new" world, while a back story of Darroti and Gallicina provide a haunting mystery that is shocking to the reader in its unraveling. The treatment of the exiles and the social commentary provided by Palwick in the novel holds a mirror up to our current beliefs in America. This self-reflection offered can be uncomfortable when we see how our society treats other people who are considered outsiders or undesirables. But this mirror also shows that there are good people. Mike objects to Palwick's characterization of Jerry the jock. I say it is refreshing because she doesn't stereotype him into a typical jock. She makes him compassionate. This is a strength to the novel, not a weakness. In the dark post 9/11 world, if you're seeking to read a novel that reaffirms hope and humanity, I strongly recommend "The Necessary Beggar."

I was pleased and surprised with this story. However, I kept waiting for the aliens to be wowed by all the technology and stuff that they lacked in their world. What a great eye opener to what is important family and love.