However, when provoked, Iku-Turso possessed a fiery and frightening temper and would attack anybody in sight viciously by shooting arrows that caused disease.
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures
A queer, mixed race writer working in a largely white, male field, science and conservation journalist Sabrina Imbler has always been drawn to the mystery of life in the sea, and particularly to creatures living in hostile or remote environments. Each essay in their debut collection profiles one such creature: the mother octopus who starves herself while watching over her eggs, the Chinese sturgeon whose migration route has been decimated by pollution and dams, the bizarre Bobbitt worm (named after Lorena), and other uncanny creatures lurking in the deep ocean, far below where the light reaches. Imbler discovers that some of the most radical models of family, community, and care can be found in the sea, from gelatinous chains that are both individual organisms and colonies of clones to deep-sea crabs that have no need for the sun, nourished instead by the chemicals and heat throbbing from the core of the Earth. Exploring themes of adaptation, survival, sexuality, and care, and weaving the wonders of marine biology with stories of their own family, relationships, and coming of age, How Far the Light Reaches is a book that invites us to envision wilder, grander, and more abundant possibilities for the way we live.
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272 pages, Hardcover
First published December 6, 2022
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About the author
Sabrina Imbler
2 books 136 followers
Sabrina Imbler is a writer and science journalist living in Brooklyn. Their first chapbook, Dyke (geology) was published by Black Lawrence Press. They have received fellowships and scholarships from the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, Tin House, the Jack Jones Literary Arts Retreat, Millay Arts, and Paragraph NY, and their work has been supported by the Café Royal Cultural Foundation. Their essays and reporting have appeared in various publications, including the New York Times, the Atlantic, Catapult, and Sierra, among others.
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2,457 reviews 34.5k followers
Did you ever play a game where you picked three pieces of paper each with a word on them and you had to make a coherent sentence using all three? Because seems to be that game – and the words were ‘gay’, ‘sea-creatures’ and ‘Chinese’. It almost sounds like it was an exercise in a writing class.
The author writes a lot about her sexuality and mostly not in a very cheery way, interesting sea creatures and deep-sea vents (very interested in those and their fauna) and her Chinese mother and her background. None of it hangs together at all.
There was one stunning paragraph where the author knows she is being hypocritical, but is talking only of her own half-Chinese ethnicity and complaining of it.
I am complaining about the moment when the Asian woman’s parentage is explained by one white person to another – Chinese mom and Jewish dad – like a caption, a specimen ID.
“Why can’t she just exist without explanation?” I complain, and as I complain, I know that I am being a hypocrite; if her parentage wasn’t given, I would wonder what her mix was, if it was like mine.”
So having to have the Chinese defined is upsetting, why can’t she just exist? But the Jewish bit, well that’s ok. It’s the only mention of ‘Jewish’ in the book, so it’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t think there is anything wrong with defining the white partner as Jewish. Jews, in her head, don’t have the same right to ‘just exist’.
Actually that paragraph really struck a chord with me too. Why can’t I just exist? People who don’t know I’m Jewish which is almost everyone since I don’t look like Hitler’s or Chanel’s idea of Jewish – dark, big nose, big eyes, dark hair – I am a green-eyed redhead with a quite unremarkable nose and a fair complexion – don’t feel the need to define me. I’m just another . white, which is the standard in the US. On the island I live on, I will be described as white because Black is the standard.
Jew stuff When some people find out I am Jewish then they feel the need to tell other people when they introduce me, not often it is true, but when they do it fucking pisses me off. I don’t introduce them as ‘my friend Monique who is Catholic’ or Andrew, whose mother is Seventh Day Adventist. I would sound ridiculous if I did, but it’s ok to do it with Jews. And why? Because a lot of people think of Jews as Hitler did, as anti-Semites through the ages have, a race. So therefore they can be defined, because they aren’t really, not properly, not exactly 100% white. Or black. Or brown etc.
There are 143,000 Black Jews in the US, my son is going to Atlanta next week, so there will be 143,001! His complexion is white actually, but to Americans to whom any kind of black family, the one drop rule, means anyone who looks white but has that drop isn’t white, they are ‘passing’. He’s still the same person, no matter people’s need to define him.
The book was most interesting when it talked about the sea-creatures, and least interesting when it went on and on about her gay sex life. The Chinese bits were small but quite fascinating – a neighbour of her banker grandfather having (at least) six concubines. What year did they stop that in Shanghai and when did they stop referring to extra-marital girlfriends as ‘concubines’? Would Hefner have been so successful in his modernisation of (male) sexual attitudes if he had used the word ‘concubines’ instead of ‘girlfriends’? (Not really relevant since they were paid and therefore sex workers or whores as that was the word back then). Language and its changes can strongly influence mindset.
The saving grace of the book, was that the author knew her sea-creatures and writes well. Maybe she won’t play the three-word game next book and stick to one subject, my preference would be a science book, I think it might be very good. 3.5 stars rounded down, just nowhere close to 4.
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Reading notes This book is after a few chapters, so far successful, very strange mix of science, being young and gay and full of angst, and the story of her mother in China. It’s quite unclassifiable but interesting. There are quite mind-boggling sentences, “My grandmother grew up believing she was ugly because everyone told her so. A friend of her father’s, their wealthy neighbour’s sixth concubine always told my mother she was ugly, even for a five year old.”
Her father was a banker in the city and the neighbour had a wife and harem! That sounds like two different worlds, but was in Shanghai, a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city, a melting pot of Chinese and Western cultures in the 1930s! But not one with Western attitudes towards women.
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A beautiful lure that caught me; the lush colors of the cover, the temptation of sea creatures, explorations of identity. Overall, it was an interesting collection of pieces that interested and occasionally challenged me. I can be honest enough to say that Sy Montgomery and her attempts to do something similar drives me bonkers, perhaps because I’ve had my fill of straight, white, middle-class women. Intersectionality and grey areas are everything.
If You Flush a Goldfish: I had no idea how devastating goldfish were in the environment, which makes the fact that they are so common a little bit horrifying. I would have wanted to learn a little more about this. I understand that this is a childhood fascination, but given where the essay ended, with a story of mutually discovered transformation, I would have chosen a different water creature. Perhaps a coral, which utilize a variety of reproductive techniques and go through some cool physical transformations.
“We both had been expected to be daughters but turned out to be something else.“
My Mother and the Starving Octopus: Comparing their adolescence, their mother’s journey from Taiwan to Michigan, their mutual preoccupation with the size of their bodies, and the story of the purple octopus who nurtured her egg clutch for four and a half years. This one was heart-breaking.
“What I mean to say is: I wanted to know if she ever regretted it.“
My Grandmother and the Sturgeon: Weaving together the endangered Chinese sturgeon and its home in the Yangtze river, her grandmother and her family’s escape from the Japanese in Shanghai. This one was quite close to perfect, much like a double-strand DNA. Each story parallels the other.
How to Draw a Sperm Whale: I liked this one, although the formatting it vaguely like a report was a challenge. This one tries to parallel their college thesis on sperm whales, information on necropsies, and their first girlfriend, M. (they abbreviate it ‘M,’ which I found distracting, like we were reading an impression of a medical report, except medical reports would no longer use abbreviations). Given how much I abhor whaling, even the historical accounts of it, it was hard to warm to this section. However, I thought it awkwardly done and felt, well, like a college writing project.
“Conclusion: The proximate cause of death may be falling in love with the idea of a person, or the idea of a relationship.”
Pure Life: hydrothermal vents and the deep sea yeti crab, Kiwaidae, and Imbler’s time in Seattle, where they moved for an internship. They explore the parallels of space and movement between the crab and them; inhospitable space transformed by a monthly queer POC party, and dancing, the crab farming the bacteria attached to their bristles. “It is exactly suited to the life it leads.”
Beware the Sand Striker: a triggering piece on many levels. Sandstrikers are ambush predators. They note their first time giving a blow job to a man, segue into Lorena Bobbit’s story and then awkwardly segue into Imbler’s drinking blackouts. At no point do they mention alcohol abuse, except to say “I knew vaguely that this happened to me more frequently than the others, but I brushed this off as a quirk, something that made me fun.” There’s an interesting digression on predation in animal shows, and they segue into the woman who was assaulted by the Stanford swimmer. Tying these both together is an exploration of responsibility: “Almost every system we exist in is cruel, and it is our job to hold ourselves accountable to a moral center separate from the arbitrary ganglion of laws that, so often get things wrong.” Breams are a sort of fish that responds to the sand striker by jetting air around the hidden worm until its uncovered. Despite the somewhat awkward transitions and the frank ignorance that alcohol is a clear problem, it is still potent.
Hybrids: wow, they just tackle all the hard stuff. The Question so many people face, “‘What are you?’ is an act of taxonomy, even if the asker does not realize it.” The child of a Chinese mother and a white father, they have been asked this much of their lives. They become fascinated by hybrid butterflyfish. This is an essay that felt very much like my friends wrestling with such issue in college, way back in 1989, and I wonder how old Imbler is.
We Swarm: Riis Beach, New York: famous for queer culture, there was a time they were there during an inundation of blobby creatures, perhaps salps. Salps periodically swarm for food, unlike Pride in NYC, which is for a variety of reasons. This is a fun piece, a delightful break from the emotional challenge of ‘Striker,’ or the intellectual challenge of ‘Hybrid.’
Morphing Like a Cuttlefish: kingpin cuttlefish are accused of going in drag: males will adopt female patterns to get close to the female for mating. It’s a very personal piece that describes in pieces how their sexual evolution morphs.
Us Everlasting: immortal jellyfish actually revert to polyp stage (‘ontogeny reversal’). This piece attempts some more poetic license, using second person narrative at times, as well as talking about different lives. “Its immortality is active. It is constantly aging in both directions, always reinventing itself.”
The writing is lovely; the science is usually–but not always–cleverly integrated, the perspective interesting, though occasionally so very developmentally young. I’d love to read more about what Imbler does with their life in twenty years.
Many thanks for an advance copy from Netgalley and Little, Brown. Opinions are my own, as is the massive delay in reviewing.
History of Sea Monster Myths
The myths of sea monsters and animals that live deep beneath the water are nearly as ancient as time. Stories about these monsters were frequently inspired by encounters with unusual and strange real-life species, such as the enormous squid, whales, and seals, and optical illusions like inanimate floating objects.
Another inspiration for sea monster monsters is unexplainable ship damage. Remains of shipwrecks from hurricanes and other sea storms were inexplicable to humans. So there’s a possibility that the creatures were developed to explain the distortion of ships.
The proportions of these animals were often exaggerated since there is no reference point for size in the open sea. Nevertheless, it’s intriguing to note that these mythical sea creatures exist in many civilizations and have similar names and origins.
Kraken
The legendary Kraken is an iconic sea monster that was believed to be a menace to sailors on the Norwegian and Greenland coasts.
The name of this monster derives from Norwegian, which means “unhealthy or twisted beast.” It could be the colossal sea monster ever envisioned. According to some accounts, it was more than 2.5 km in circumference and had arms the size of ship masts.
It was thought that this mythical sea monster spewed a substance of its last meal into the sea when it needed to feed. The chum would then attract a shoal of fish into the area to dine on the bait. Once enough fish accumulated on the bait area, the Kraken would reach up and swallow all the fish before submerging back into deep waters to sleep and digest the food.
The hypothesis behind the existence of the Kraken myth is based on the sighting of a giant squid. This suggestion comes from the anatomy of the giant squid and its similar hunting methods. The mythical Kraken has been featured in various top-rated movies, tv shows, and films.
Cetus
Greek mythology is rich in gods and monsters, so it’s unsurprising there are some notable Greek mythical sea monsters.
Cetus is a common name for sea creatures in Greek mythology, making the word vague. But contextually, Cetus is the Greek version of the mythical Kraken. The Greeks often pictured Cetus as a hybrid beast. It had forefeet, enormous jaws, and a scaly body like a giant sea snake.
Cetus ravaged Aethiopia’s coast until the frantic leader, King Cepheus, sought advice from an oracle. This sea monster was Poseidon’s flunkey sent to eat Andromeda in retaliation for her mother’s bragging that Andromeda is the most beautiful of all other sea creatures.
Perseus came to the rescue of Andromeda at the last minute by holding Medusa’s head up, which turned Cetus into stone. The Cetus was put among the stars to symbolize Perseus’ valor and warn the Greek people against anger or envy.
Manta Rays
Manta rays are friendly and curious creatures that are often seen interacting with swimmers and divers. They have a symbiotic relationship with cleaner fish and are known for their graceful swimming style. Manta rays are also a popular attraction on diving tours and are loved by many for their friendly nature.
Sea Creatures and Human Interaction
Sea creatures have long been a subject of fascination for humans. Their unique features, behaviors, and habitats have captured the attention of scientists, researchers, and casual observers alike. Human interaction with sea creatures can take many forms, from simply observing them from a distance to actively interacting with them in their natural environment.
One reason humans are drawn to sea creatures is their friendly nature. Many sea creatures are naturally curious and social, making them more likely to approach humans and interact with them. Dolphins, for example, are well-known for their playful behavior and willingness to approach boats and swimmers. This friendly behavior has made them a popular attraction for tourists on dolphin cruises.
Humans also play a role in shaping the behavior of sea creatures. Through intentional breeding and training, humans have been able to create more friendly and docile versions of certain sea creatures. This has been particularly true for creatures like seals and sea lions, which are often trained to perform in shows and interact with tourists.
However, it is important to note that not all human interaction with sea creatures is positive. Tourists and divers who get too close to sea creatures can disrupt their natural behavior and cause them stress. In some cases, this can even lead to physical harm to the sea creature or the human.
Threats to Sea Creatures
Sea creatures face various threats to their survival, ranging from natural predators to human-induced disturbances. Some of the major threats to sea creatures are discussed below:
Predators
Sea creatures have natural predators that prey on them. For example, sharks are apex predators that hunt smaller fish and marine mammals. Sea turtles are preyed upon by various predators, including sharks, crocodiles, and birds. Orcas, also known as killer whales, are known to prey on marine mammals, including seals, sea lions, and whales.
Endangered Species
Many sea creatures are at risk of becoming endangered or extinct due to various reasons, including overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. For example, sea turtles are listed as endangered species due to habitat destruction, egg poaching, and accidental capture in fishing gear. Similarly, the vaquita, a type of porpoise, is critically endangered due to bycatch in fishing nets.
Marine Environment
The marine environment is constantly changing, and sea creatures must adapt to these changes to survive. However, human activities such as pollution, climate change, and ocean acidification are altering the marine environment at an unprecedented rate, making it difficult for sea creatures to adapt. For example, coral reefs, which provide shelter and food to many sea creatures, are dying due to pollution and warming oceans.
Habitat Destruction
Habitat destruction is a major threat to sea creatures, as it disrupts their natural habitat and food sources. For example, overfishing and bottom trawling destroy seafloor habitats, which are important breeding and feeding grounds for many species of fish. Coastal development and dredging also destroy important habitats such as mangroves and seagrass beds, which provide shelter and food to many marine species.
