Growing up as a biracial and Queer person, Imbler, a science journalist, always felt like a fish out of water—so it’s exactly right that they turned to the sea to understand their own life. Writing with a sure instinct for metaphor, Imbler sees their search for warmth in a cold city reflected in the Yeti crabs that engage in the “radical act of choosing what nourishes” them by living on undersea vents, where life was thought to be impossible; explores hybridity via the butterfly fish, a creature studied for its “difference” not for its own sake, much as they are dogged by the question “what are you?” as if they're an object; and examines their mother’s eating disorders and self-sacrifice in the light of a brooding octopus that goes years without food for the sake of her offspring. Each essay is grounded in deep empathy and studded with memorable phrases and vivid descriptions; they’re also remarkable for their balance, telling us as much about whales, salps, and immortal jellyfish as about Imbler’s relationships to men and women, family, the wider community of Queers, and their own body.
