I absolutely loved this book! Such an amazing story discussing the results of climate change. I cannot recommend this book enough.

This is a wild one. Equal parts terrifying, mystifying and heartwarming. A look into a terrifying future while putting a spotlight on today, as well as hopeful because people will always do what they must to survive and find happiness in it.
Full review on YouTube.

Tetley Abednego is a young girl stuck on a pile of garbage. The Earth has been flooded and the only things that remain are floating garbage islands. There are different parts of this island named after the type of stuff that is arranged on it.

The story is very strange but strangely wonderful. Tetley did something that angered everyone but she still has hope of a better life.

The world is very detailed and interesting.

I will read anything Catherynne M. Valente writes. I would also love to have a glimpse into her brain! This was such a bizarrely intriguing novella and I am glad I got to listen to the audiobook. Chills!

Part of this book is confusing as it was presented. There was Part One in which we are introduced to our main character, mostly as a child, and where she lives in Garbage Town. We find out about how there is a community of several area on this huge pile of trash that’s floating about a world of water. There is a teasing and lead up to what she, Tetley, does that makes her shunned and alone by everyone. Part Two now begins anew. It’s the same world but there’s retelling of what was just given before, but much more of the story as well.

I have since found out there is an older shorter story and a new novella combined here. The audiobook did not indicate this, and it should be announced so the reader/listener doesn’t have this confusion.

As far as the story, I enjoyed Part two more than the first, it seemed like all the swearing was toned down, or less of it anyway, and the story arc was more appealing. Overall, I felt there was so much here that was unbelievable, you really had to pretend this is plausible, which I generally don’t like in books. Yet despite all that I will say this story will stay with me for a while.

This novella was simply brilliant, and the audiobook was one of my favorites of 2021. I nominated it for both Hugo and Locus Awards. I really think it's one of the best things Valente has written and that's saying quite a lot. Featured on social media and also recommended The Future is Blue.

Really enjoyed this audiobook of The Past is Red by author Catherine M. Valente, narrated by Penelope Rawlins.

The narration was great, all the voices were separate and distinct. The narrator let us feel the emotions of the characters really well.

The story itself is so unique- it's a bit confusing at first, but soon you begin to realize what Tetley is saying and you will be drawn into this world.

I've only read one Valente book before (The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland...) and really liked it, so I was excited to read another book by her. I like her world building and creative prose. The world she builds is fantastic. Can't wait to read more.

This story presents the heaven and hell of a girl/woman's life in a much too believable world in our future. Brava Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley

Novellas are not my preferred format and I rarely seek them out on my own, but whenever I come across anything by Catherynne Valente, I feel it warrants a look. While her books are by no means always my cup of tea, at least I can be sure I’ll be getting something damned cool and original.

The Past is Red happens to match both those descriptions—and it worked very well for me. The story, which takes place in the future on an Earth flooded by climate change, opens on the life of a girl named Tetley. She and her twin brother, Maruchan, were born in Garbagetown, an island of refuse floating on the ocean. But even in this society made up of some of the world’s last survivors, there exists stratification. Parts of Garbagetown are named the leavings of humanity where they have more or less ended up, so Pill Hill is where all the pharmaceutical waste has collected, Electric City is full of old batteries, and so on and so forth.

Each section’s residents have their own unique customs, culture, and societal status. Against all odds, Tetley, who hails from Candlehole, meets a boy from Electric City named Goodnight Moon, forming a lifelong friendship despite their differences. However, all that comes to an end when a terrible truth is revealed to Tetley, and she takes it upon herself to literally blow it all up. For many years after that, she lives in isolation, ostracized by everyone including her own family. Still, she has never regretted her violent actions, believing Garbagetown to be a magical, wonderful place anyone would be lucky to call home. She can’t imagine why anyone would ever want to leave and sail into the great unknown just to chase an illusion, but she accepts her punishment and is prepared to live alone for the rest of the days…until a visitor shows up with a mysterious summons, bearing intriguing gifts.

Somewhere in my pile of books is a copy of The Future is Blue, an anthology containing the title story in which Tetley first appears. The Past is Red is an expansion of that novelette into a lengthier work giving us an update on the character, and I love that it offers a glimmer of hope in her otherwise dark and broken world. That said, this story is still pretty bleak. Tetley literally lives on a garbage heap, she doesn’t get much love at home, and she is harassed and bullied mercilessly whenever she’s out and about. When you’re living a life hers, there just doesn’t seem to be much to look forward to.

And yet, that isn’t going to stop this girl from dreaming, even if her dreams for the future are vastly different from everyone else’s. While the rest of the world is still chasing a fantasy, building grand plans to leave Garbagetown, or losing themselves in utopic visions that may never come to pass, Tetley has her feet planted firmly in the detritus-strewn streets asking questions like, “Well, just what is so wrong about what we have right in front of us?” Why bother seeking out a new land, after all, if we’re just going to fuck it all up again? Why not just stay and rebuild, and make something beautiful out of what we already have?

In fact, there is beauty in Garbagetown already—but only if you cared to look.  Tetley loves her world because she lives in the now, recognizing that many of the Earth’s problems were caused by the myopic views of the generations that came before hers, AKA the Fuckwits. But for all her hatred of the Fuckwits, Tetley also loves the things they left behind. All their creators are dead and gone now, and nothing can be done about that, just like there’s nothing they can do about the crap place the world has become. Nevertheless, while no one can ever accuse Tetley of being an idealist, she’s also not afraid to see the magic and wonder around her. There’s also wisdom in her practicality of accepting the situation, along with her preparedness to address things accordingly.

As you can probably tell, Tetley made this whole book for me. While she can be both rash and foolish at times, everything about her is also sincere. If I’m to be honest, like most novellas, the story felt too short, and nothing about the plot was particularly mind-blowing. World-building was also great, certainly above average when it comes to imagination, but again, not enough detail came through given the format’s restrictions. Tetley, though, was a shining beacon. Like I always say, a well-written character can change everything. The Past is Red could have easily become this bleak, preachy overblown piece with little substance, but instead it came across very charming and full of heart as it was told through Tetley’s narrative.

All in all, this was a wonderful listen.

There are three things you need to remember when approaching any Catherynne Valente book.

The first is that it can never be done lightly. She is not an easy author. Her most common literary mode is as a modern day teller of fables. Sometimes you will not get it. Sometimes you will not get her.

The second is that sometimes she makes a point with a scalpel, and sometimes she makes a point with a sledgehammer. In her hands, both are equally - often devastatingly - effective.

And the third is that, no matter how hard or arcane or obscure it may seem on the surface, it is always worth the effort in the end.

I listened to an audio galley of The Past is Red and it was absolutely brilliant. Penelope Rawlins KILLS it, and then brings it back to life and KILLS IT AGAIN, she's that good. They couldn't have found a better narrator if they'd looked for a hundred years.

All in all, highly recommended.

Tetley Abednego lives in Garbagetown, a "city" made of floating trash in postapocalyptic world turned entirely into ocean due to global warming. She is the most inexplicably cheerful and irrepresible protagonist I've ever encountered - which initially rubbed me the wrong way, but eventually her charm wore me down. I enjoyed learning about the amusing quirks and traditions of Garbagetown, even if the novel's pace was a bit slower than I would have preferred in places. There's a sweet romance and a surprising twist that made it all worthwhile.

Thank you to Catherynne M. Valente, Dreamscape Media, and Netgalley for this free arc for an honest review.

I will always jump at the chance to both arc-read and own everything that Valente puts out. This book was a little more out of my wheelhouse language-wise, but the whole point of this novel isn't in the swearing that gets used quite often, from historical names or things painted on doors, and I'd love to say upfront that it should be allowed to dissuade you from diving right in.

From the second the narration started, I was smiling at the accent and clip at which Penelope Rawlins (and likely Cat with her) chose to tell this story. It felt so personable, edgy, and intimately bare. The universe of this post is post-climate/apocalypse land, where people have swallowed up and ruined the planet, where only floating cities are left and people are eeking out what best they can of a life.

The thread running through this book forever is hope, and it is the strength of that hope, in the face of the worst abuse imaginable that we find our heroine, Tetley. She's locked into a present where anyone is allowed to do anything to her, just short of killing her, due to an incident in her childhood where she told a truth so large it echoed out into all of the people who were left. This wasn't my favorite Valente story, but I still found (and find) myself s fondly adopting the idea of this newest girl of hers left in my mind .

The narration was delightful. I never thought I'd take to what feels like a climate apocalypse fairy tale, but I did! I'm relatively new to Valente's work, having loved Space Opera when it came out, then going back and inhaling The Refrigerator Monologues in one sitting. The Past Is Red is a welcome addition.

The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente

I love Cat Valente's books - my daughter and I read all of the Fairyland books together and I ADORED Space Opera. So I was excited when Tor announced what I thought was a sequel to The Future Is Blue, my favorite story in Ms. Valente's short story collection of the same name. So I was initially confused and disappointed when I started listening to the audiobook eARC I got from NetGalley and it turns out that The Past is Red is an expansion, not a sequel. The story was enjoyable, but so incredibly grim that it really detracted from my enjoyment of the book - until the end, when a glimmer of hope sparkled, and I could climb out of the funk that the book had put me in. The narrator, while good at her job, had a very thick accent and I don’t personally think she was a good fit for the content. This wasn’t my favorite Valente, but even weak Valente is still pretty darn good.

In a post-climate apocalypse world, Tetley lives on Garbagetown, a floating mass of trash, where some of humanity continues to live in. Tetley somehow manages to hold onto a sunny disposition despite being hated by everyone in her town for one far-reaching action, in her mind saving everyone. As her meandering and content life, she discovers secrets of the world and cheekily contemplates the meaning of hope and contentment in the post-climate apocalyptic world.

What a funky novella! While this novella is very niche, I think it's amusing and clever and definitely kept my interest with the twists. I don't think it'll be for everyone and probably wouldn't have been for me if I wasn't in a goofy mood. But it's entertaining while making some very on the nose commentary about class and climate change and how all of us in the present are basically creating the world that creating is living in.

The narration by Penelope Rawlins was excellent and really brought the characters to life in a way that added to the story. Definitely recommend the audiobook. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the gifted audiobook!

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.


I really enjoyed this novella. It was a fascinating story with a realistic premise.

The Past is Red is a shocking portrayal of the future of the planet after humanity destroys Earth through climate change and excess consumption. In this story, the entire planet is under water with the exception of a floating patch of garbage called Garbage Town (based on the actual floating patch of plastics and other garbage floating around the Pacific Ocean). Tetley is our main character, who is essentially living in exile due to an incident when she was young. I don't believe they ever fully divulge what this incident was, but it was bad, as the law states that anyone can hurt, belittle and treat horribly and she is forced to accept it as punishment.

Tetley is content with her exiled existence until one day she is summoned to another part of Garbage Town where she befriends and "marries" the "king" of an area of the floating patch called Pill Ville. After meeting her new friend, they discover a device that allows them to communicate with others.

This is a heartwarming, dystopian coming of age story and I adored Tetley. The entire story culminates in a twist I didn't see coming, and this serves as a stark warning of what could happen if we don't change our ways.

This story has a TON of vulgarity in it. Humans prior to the destruction of the planet are referred to as "f*ck-wits" and the use of the word f*ck in all its glory are sprinkled throughout the book generously. If this kind of verbage bothers you, you may want to skip this book, but please, don't discredit the story, as the f-bombs really fit. This is a really great story.

Now for the audio, the narrator was good. I enjoyed her accent, which I couldn't quite place, (maybe Irish?). While she wasn't my favorite narrator ever, I will listen to her again, which is a good thing, because I own a few books she's narrated.

Overall, four stars!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was such a fantastic surprise of a story. The MC Tetley was by far my favorite. I will say, if curse words offend you, you'll want to pass. Otherwise, strap in for one hell of a ride.

My introduction to Catherynne Valente was interesting. A blue future. Water everywhere. The world was vividly described. A quick science fiction futuristic fantasy. Meeting Tetley was different. She knew much and nothing all at the same time.

Narrator Penelope Rawlins introduction to me was entertaining. Vivid voices.

The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente
Narrated by Penelope Rawlins
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Pub Date 17 Aug 2021 | Archive Date 18 Aug 2021
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Sci Fi & Fantasy

The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente is a follow on to the author's book The Future is Blue. I had not read the previous book. I'm not sure if reading the first book is required to enjoy this book, but maybe it would have helped.

So I didn't love this book, but I didn't hate it either. When I first started listening to the audiobook, I was grateful it was only 5 hours. By the time I reached the end, I didn't want it to end.

This book is really funny and has a lot of heart. I loved that it was set in a post-end of the world time and seeing the destruction that humanity caused.

The best part of this audiobook was the narration by Penelope Rawlins. She was amazing and truly brought this to life!

I'm so grateful to Catherynne M. Valente, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC audiobook in exchange for my honest review.