An Unkindness of Ghosts

“That was the nature of a ship divided by metal, language and armed guards. Even in decks as linked as the Tarlands, information had a way of staying put.”

Unlike her bunkmates, Aster has the great privilege of being able to travel between decks using the medical pass granted to her by Theo Smith. This privilege has even granted her a little privacy and contemplation in the form of her botanarium. She uses this privilege to be an informational hub for her people, healing them and acting as a source of news.

“You’re a smart one. You know as good as me and as good as Flick that there is no Promised Land. Matilda’s an orphan, a daughter of dead gods. But the Ancestors is real and their spirits are at work.”

These words are spoken by Flick’s great-meema. As we later learn, the Matilda is on no course set by its founders. A complete rerouting of her course 25 years ago has gone unnoticed by those in power, who are interested only in the nihilistic perpetuation of their own power for power’s sake.

“You’re one of those who has to tune the world out and focus on one thing at a time. We have a word for that down here, for women like you. Insiwa. Inside one. It means you live inside your head and to step out of it hurts like a caning.”

The issue of neurotype identity is an important one in Solomon’s novel. The word “autistic” has a fraught legal history, with advocates today torn between “curing” the condition and normalizing it as a part of a spectrum of behaviors. Here, Flick’s caretaker poeticizes the condition in a single word, erring on the side of normalization.