J.M. Frey's first novel, Triptych,
reminds me of the stories of Walter Tevis. Tevis, the author of The Man Who Fell to Earth and Mockingbird, did not write hard sci-fi, with
its intricate technology and scientific theories. He came from the school of
science fiction that examined the social sciences and societal and cultural
issues. Among those writers, he was a master in depicting human relationships,
personal drama, and loneliness and other emotions. Triptych reminds me of a Walter Tevis novel in style and theme. But
despite the similarities, J.M. Frey is not imitating Tevis. She has a distinct
style of her own.
In short, Triptych
is about Kalp, one of many aliens who have arrived on Earth after their home
planet has died. The government assigns several humans, including Gwen and
Basil, to assist the aliens to integrate into life on Earth. One thing leads to
another, and Kalp, Gwen, and Basil form a threesome where Kalp is husband to
both Gwen and Basil, Basil is husband to both Kalp and Gwen, and Gwen is wife
to both Kalp and Basil. You get the idea.
But not everyone is at peace with this type of future.
Someone goes back in time to kill young Gwen, and someone is out to get Kalp.
I enjoyed Triptych's development of the relationships.
Kalp, Gwen, and Basil are hardly the ideal lovers from a category romance, but
they're not the usual dysfunctional couple/threesome that many writers use when
they want to appear profound.
J.M. Frey divides the book into sections told from each of
the main character's viewpoints. The characters are all well-developed and have
distinct personalities and voices. Kalp's memories of his old world and its
destruction are especially haunting.
And kudos to J.M. Frey for not portraying the main
characters' enemies as easy straw dogs, for example, the Christians,
Republicans, white Alabamans, and other stock characters that usually exist
only in "fundamentalist" flavour in science fiction. It has become de rigeur in Canadian science fiction to
stereotype and demonize so-called fundies and conservatives, but Triptych doesn't follow the trend. Frey,
thankfully, wrote a novel about real people.