The novel features three narrative strands. The first in the internal chronology tells of Lore Van Oesterling, the scion of a rich and powerful family, being trained for a high-ranking position in its industry of genetically modified bacteria. Lore has to contend with her abusive family members at the same time.[1] In the second, Lore is kidnapped, and her family refuses to ransom her. After an escape attempt, she turns to making a living from sex shows and scamming the wealthy, in the company of a woman, Spanner, who gives her shelter.[1][2] In the final thread, Lore separates from Spanner and works in a sewage treatment plant, before eventually confronting her family.[1]
Reception
The novel was first published in 1995. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1997,[3] and the Lambda Literary Award in 1996.[4]Kirkus Reviews directed praise at Griffith's setting, writing that her "grim near-future" was convincing. Describing the book as an "explicitly lesbian drama", the review added that Griffith wrote with "skill and charm".[1]Publishers Weekly was critical of the switches between first- and third-person narratives, noting that it was "refreshing at first", but led to increasing confusion:[2] this criticism was echoed by Kirkus.[1]Publishers Weekly added that the viewpoint switches were Griffith's "only miss-step", and that the novel was "exceptionally well-written".[2]The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction wrote that the plot was "humane but at times contorted", and noted the depth in which Griffith explored her fictional near-future setting.[5]
Scholar Pia Møller described the book as both a thriller and a romance, and noted that this may have led to it receiving less attention from critics, particularly as Griffith may have "compromised character development for suspense".[6] Møller noted that the book's status as a lesbian romance, in particular, may have led to it being marginalised. She added that the story featured a "sophisticated depiction of environmental management", and praised Griffith for writing a book that made sociological themes accessible to a wide audience.[6]
References
^ abcde"Slow River". Kirkus Reviews. 1 August 1995. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
^ abMøller, P. (1 July 2002). "The Unsettled Undercurrents of Hedon Road Power, Knowledge, and Environmental Risk Management in Nicola Griffith's Slow River". Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment. 9 (2). Oxford University Press: 133–153. doi:10.1093/isle/9.2.133. ISSN1076-0962.
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