Propagation

Abstract

Where do we place the desire to use our grief as a souvenir of what we’ve lost? Propagation envisions a world that turns this kind of grief into an asset by processing it into a source of literal power. In this alternate world, human bodies produce a grief-triggered hormone – memorin – that can power their electrical grids. When a person misses someone deeply, their memorin levels skyrocket. Authorities then extract the hormone and funnel it into their cities’ electrical systems. A groundbreaking series of experiments identifies an even more potent source of memorin: the grief people feel toward their childhood selves. Through the narrative of a woman giving birth to her younger self, this novel explores the intricate redundancies of the grief we feel about our childhoods. How can we let go of the past in a way that honors it while providing an honest kind of closure?