Transcendence

Transcendence by Shay Savage
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a surprise.

Here's a riveting story told from the perspective of a prehistoric caveman named Ehd who has no capacity for language. He's actually missing a part of his brain that connects objects with words and sounds (the author explains this in a prologue). But, he happens on a 20th century girl who has inadvertently dropped through time. She's scared to death, for obvious reasons - and he's, well, a caveman. He's lost his tribe and is starving, barely surviving. He's finally caught something to eat, realises he's forgotten his spear, goes back to get it, and there's a girl screaming for help in a pit he's dug. And it's no girl like he's ever seen before.

The beauty of this story is that Ehd is telling it. Because he has no capacity for language, he doesn't get it when the girl starts talking. To him, she's just babbling nonsense sounds. In fact, there are times when he stops and just puts his hand over her mouth because she's giving him a headache. And of course this translates as very funny because, well, he's acting like a typical . . . caveman. Because he is one. Literally.

Ehd also has some pretty basic ideas about what life is about. Again, he's a caveman. For him, things really don't go much beyond eating, sleeping and reproducing. But here's the thing: things really do go beyond that. Just because Ehd doesn't have language doesn't mean he isn't capable of communicating and feeling. The story grows into a study of the beautiful relationship between these two people that develops over time. It's a romance, certainly. But it is infinitely more than that - it's the story of two people who come to love and understand each other without any capability to do it in a traditional way.

I read this in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. It has stayed with me and I've already re-read parts of it - especially the epilogue - a couple of times. It's sci-fi, it's historical (sort of), it's a romance, it's fantasy. There's even a marginal element of magical realism involved. Mostly, it's fabulous. It's a beautiful, new take on NA/Adult romance. Read it and get to know Ehd. He will surprise you.



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