If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light

Starting a new book can always be daunting, but I have a special trepidation for short story collections. They can be vast, full of stories that are loosely linked. Trying to find themes and remember all the stories can feel impossible when considering a review. However, you sometimes get a more curated list of seven or so stories from the same author, that have some coherence to them. If We Cannot Go At the Speed of Light by Kim Choyeop, translated by Anton Hur, is one such collection.

The destination is not always the aim of a good story, and this is a major theme that Choyeop plays with in Speed of Light, be it dreaming of a world that only you believe exists or sleeping for hundreds of years in the hope of reaching your destination. These are complex stories, but with simple characters at the centre who love, and have their own hopes and dreams.

The standout story is the one the book is named for; Speed of Light is an enigmatic tale about an old lady who is seemingly squatting in an abandoned transport stop waiting for a shuttle to take her to a location that will never be visited again by humans. It is a two header between the older lady and a worker who wants to know her story but also wants her out. Like in all the stories there is a nice balance of science fiction and personal struggle. Choyeop is excellent at creating characters who have deep feelings and ponder what is around them. Similar themes are explored in My Space Hero.

What alien planets offer is also a theme, both Symbiosis Theory and Spectrum explore in detail what may be found on faraway worlds. One explores an artist who sees a planet in their mind, the other an astronaut who spends a decade lost in an alien civilisation. Both have a dream quality to them. They speak of hope, but also protection as our protagonists seem reluctant to reveal the secrets of alien cultures to humans.

Archival Loss is an interesting story, especially for a Librarian like myself. In the future, upon death you can download your mind into an archive, but in this instance a young woman’s dead mothers’ essence has gone missing. According to Choyeop, losing a book in a Library is hard, I can promise you that it is easier than you think! The story is not about just how archives work, but about loss, family and letting people go.

Speed of Light is an intelligent and emotional collection of stories written in a lyrical way. The translation by Anton Hur captures the style well, giving the essence of Choyeop and still allowing the stories to breath. They feel like they work together well, flowing into one another, with a style that matches and some of the same themes. A great collection of short stories that is easy to pick up and read.