Cadwell Turnbull: When Sci-Fi Is Steeped in History

(photo: Anju Manandhar)

The Lesson (Blackstone Publishing, June 18, 2019) is Cadwell Turnbull's science-fiction debut. It's set in the Virgin Islands and follows three families as they come to terms with a life-changing event: the arrival of an alien race called the Ynaa. Turnbull has written for Asimov's Science Fiction, Lightspeed and Nightmare, and he holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Linguistics from North Carolina State University. He lives in Somerville, Mass.

What inspired this novel?

It came out of a dream I had in my early 20s that involved an ancient alien civilization integrated into a human society. Like the Ynaa, the aliens in my dream reacted to threats with extreme violence. My dream also featured a female alien like Mera who was asking moral questions about herself and her people's relationship to humans. The dream stuck with me a long time. When I started my MFA I decided to use it as the basis for the book.

In the novel you draw comparisons between the alien visitation, or invasion, with actual, historical colonization. What do you hope readers take away from this?  

First-contact stories, especially ones written by marginalized people, tend to bring in colonialism as a critique. And I acknowledge that I am a part of that history. Once I decided to set the book in the Virgin Islands, it became apparent that powerful, hyper-strong aliens that are somewhat benevolent are a good parallel to the superpowers that colonized the Caribbean. America is, in a lot of ways, benevolent, but also callous in its treatment of its territories. I knew that was something I wanted to explore with the Ynaa, who, when not killing people, could be quite nice. The problem is that they do not acknowledge human beings as equals. That leads to several dangerous domino effects in the novel and, sadly, that's how colonialism operates in the real world as well.

There is this cloud of fear and resentment surrounding the Ynaa at all times, even when they're not engaged in violence.  

A lot of that comes from the fact that I set the novel in a relatively isolated community. On a day-to-day basis, people everywhere benefit from the advancements brought to Earth by the Ynaa. But they don't feel the strain of living with them in quite the same way my characters do. That's another parallel to our society: some communities are vulnerable to the strain of progress while other communities benefit from it.

There's a fascinating sub-theme to your novel that has to do with religion. Some of your characters lose their religion after the arrival of the Ynaa, while others find their spirituality strengthened. Where did this theme come from?

The Virgin Islands is a very conservative place, and very religious. It's predominately Christian, and I imagine that the experience of seeing aliens would have different effects on different people. On the one hand, the aliens would serve as a kind of proof that the universe is bigger than we think. But on the other hand, it might lead others to lean into their faith to get through such a shocking encounter. It was really important for me to be fair to different perspectives, because I'm from the Virgin Islands. I know people in my family who would feel connected to their religion in this situation and others that would completely abandon it. I think that both of those are legitimate responses and should be validated. Neither is more right than the other--everyone deals with trauma differently at any given time.  

Who are your influences?

Ursula K. Le Guin is the first person to come to mind. I don't think we necessarily share a style, but I'm definitely inspired by her empathy and at how she thinks about how people arrived in certain places and developed their cultures. When I'm writing a character, I like to think about how the conditions of a person's life affect their responses to incredible things like an alien invasion. That way of thinking comes from Le Guin. I'm also inspired by Octavia Butler, whose writing comes closer to mine. We write about similar themes. I also love the work of N.K. Jemisin.

What's next for you?

AMC optioned The Lesson for a television series, which is exciting. And Blackstone, my publisher, has also signed me to write two more books. The book I'm currently working on is set in the near future. Some of it is set in the Caribbean, and other parts are set in Boston. I'm interested in how each of those places will respond differently to major changes in society. --Amy Brady

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