Phalaina

Book:  Phalaina by Alice Brie're-Haquet, translated from the original French by Emma Ramadan

December 12, 2023

Set in London, 1881.

There's something a little eerie about Manon – she's not like the other girls at the orphanage. Maybe it's her red eyes. Maybe it's her silence. Maybe it's the series of violent deaths that seem to follow her.

What we do know: someone is hot on her tail. And there's a lot of money at stake in finding out where exactly she comes from – and what exactly she is.

Concurrent to Manon's story are letters to Charles Darwin from Professor Humphrey, a scientist who has recently died under mysterious circumstances. Is it true that natural selection left humans at the top of the pyramid of life after all? Or in the process of evolution, was there something elemental that humans lost, something that connected us to the rest of life on earth? Who and what else is out there?

In order to stay alive, Manon must untangle the mystery of her origins, and perhaps the origins of humanity as well.

From the moment I started reading this tale, I was captivated by this little girl with the red eyes who never says a word.  While being pursued by some evil, she is portrayed apart, unafraid, calm.  She does not seem to be affected by fear, a very human emotion.  In fact, what does it mean to be human?  In this story, the selfishness and short-sightedness of being human is brought to the fore.  

In reading, I am contemplating so many sadnesses perpetrated by our human culture:  Our selfish refusal to take care of the planet that sustains us, our desire for prominence and knowledge at the price of all else, the lack of empathy we have for our fellow lives on this earth.

However, the potential for human goodness is never lost, as characters are written in this fable with traits of kindness, love, and even pursuit of the greater good. 

Until the end, this account does not give up its secrets: Who is the hero?  Who is the villain?  It is a mystery that I was intrigued to solve and was surprised sometimes! I adored the representation of sentient animals with feelings and words.  (In my imagination I have always seen animals as having a way of “talking”.) 

The letters that punctuate the story throughout this book, addressed to Charles Darwin of all people!, give insightful comments on the big issues that plague humanity…

“What if the progress we are so proud of is proof of our failure?”

“Thus the civilized man, against all logic, gorged himself on the cadavers of beings that he had raised, sometimes loved.”

“The race for profit has rendered us insane, and today each person feels entitled to trample his neighbor in order to gain a few extra (dollars).”

As well as giving us glimpses into a fantastical alternate world of human development:

“…they deem agriculture against nature:  Domesticating the earth is about domination, and their society has no tolerance for that.”

“These people possess the miraculous gift of living in harmony with their surroundings. They can communicate with the entire living world and count on their support, if needed.”

Can you reconcile science and conscience?

You will not regret reading this fairytale and considering what kind of human you want to be!  Another delightful journey is had in the pages of Phalania.