Zombie vigilante and a commentary on capitalism : And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed (Review)

A/N: This review contains spoilers for And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed. This is your spoiler warning.

Imagine a world where all the rivers are polluted, governments are run by capitalist monarchs and cities destroyed by poverty. While it does sound like the near future from all the news we’ve been reading, this is the premise of Premee Mohamed’s Nebula award winning novella- And What Can We Offer You Tonight. 

Set in a dystopian world where body modifications are normal and being rich is a free ticket to the ‘all-you-can-beat’ buffet, this novella references our present in the most unsettling ways. It follows the story of Jewel, a courtesan from the luxurious House of Bicchieri. Her life is thrown off its calm (exploitative) track when a fellow courtesan and friend- Winfield is murdered by a client. While the murder of a courtesan is commonplace in Jewel’s world (and ours), it’s quite a shock when the murdered lady pops out of her coffin in the middle of the church funeral and decides to walk out, seemingly unscathed. 

While the masters of the House of Bicchieri wouldn’t care less about a dead (murdered) courtesan they decided to concern themselves about the undead one when she goes around meting out justice for abusive clients and decides to avenge her death by killing the rich man who murdered her. Jewel and Nero get involved in zombie Winfield’s journey against their wills despite disliking the clients themselves. Jewel is one of the oldest/ most experienced courtesans in the House and while she feels righteous anger against the masters who exploit her body and the clients who pay to keep the business running, she doesn’t feel the need to enact revenge when the consequences would lead to her being jobless and homeless. Despite being unhappy, she’s used to the luxury of the House and does not want to be turned out of the gates and into the crumbling poverty that the outside world is. 

Climate change due to pollution, capitalism and human exploitation are heavy themes that the author discusses throughout. Specifically calling attention to the entrapment of the exploited courtesans due to the false sense of security their jobs provide despite the abuse they’re inflicted with. The corrupt government and its indifference to the general population unless they have money is a bitter reminder of our current world. The idea of a zombie vigilante wreaking havoc for the sole purpose of revenge is the part I enjoyed the most, I wish that had been the main focus of the story.

I acknowledge that sometimes certain plots or writing styles just don’t work out for me because my preferences do not align with the author’s and this was one such instance. I found the writing style to be uninteresting and inaccessible. There’s some weird grammar and running descriptive sentences that just threw me off. I didn’t find the plot or the characters to be as engaging as I’d like. Considering this novella won the Nebula award, please take my personal opinions with a grain of salt. Sometimes I am the outlier who doesn’t like a popular book so don’t let it deter you from trying this out for yourself!

If you’re someone intrigued by speculative fiction and want a simple, light read to start with- And What Can We Offer You Tonight is a great first step. Its focus on society and its breakdown over science/ technological aspects of the world makes it an easier prose to dip your toes into if you’re not quite sure about the genre as a whole.

A/N: Do I understand why this book won an award? Not really. But my three brain cells rarely vibe with speculative/ science fiction unless some fantasy is involved in it. Hence, as the saying goes- I’m the problem, it’s me.

Thank you for reading the second installment in my ‘Nebula Novella’ series where I read and review novellas which have won the Nebula Award in the past few years. I’m so excited about my next read, hopefully it’s as amazing as it has been hyped up to be.

To read the previous installment, here’s my take on Even Though I Knew The End by C.L.Polk.