The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole: 08/17/18

The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole by Michelle Cuevas is a historical fiction that goes on a science fiction tangent that becomes a philosophical exploration of time and the human condition. Put more another way, through there is no travel in the traditional sense, it qualifies as an American road narrative, on the fantasy end of the spectrum.

Stella Rodriguez wants to get the sound of her dead father's voice added to the golden record that will be sent out with Voyager. When she is turned away from NASA she is followed home by a small, shy, and hungry black hole. This set up is actually very familiar (though the details different) to Thrice Upon a Time by James P. Hogan (1980).

The second third of the book is about Stella trying to take care of the black hole and dealing with her grief. She sees the black hole as a means to an end — a way of ridding the world of the things that upset her. But taking out one of something, takes out all those instances. A thing ceases to be and soon the consequences of her actions go beyond what she can control (as does the black hole).

The solution to the problem is to face the problem head on. It means facing painful memories and recreating the world as it should be from the pain that has been ignored. Summed up: "This sentence is really a map which is really a memory which is really a wish to go home." (p. 146)

In terms of the American road narrative spectrum, I'm placing at #FFCC66 (orphan, uhoria, off road) but it begins at #CC6633 (siblings home blue highway). It progresses through (in the second third) #FF6666 (orphan home off road) as Stella looses control over her grief and the black hole, and ends up feeding her brother to the black hole. She is only successful in undoing what she has done because she has lost everything, thus invoking orphan magic.

Five stars

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