Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson (reviewed by Mica Corson)
What is the job of the translator once technology advances? What circumstances eliminate the need for translations? These questions inspired TV comedy and science fiction writer, Eddie Robson, to write his third full-length novel, Drunk on All Your Strange New Words.
Robson was originally a television writer, and it shows in this novel. This unconventional, surprisingly lively exploration of a near-future culture is not bogged down with heavy prose or overly intricate concepts. The setup is focused, and the characters’ journeys move quickly, leaving the reader little time to overanalyze the writing choices. That isn’t to say Robson’s writing isn’t clever or well thought out. Robson enhances this literary piece with narrative principles more common in screenwriting, such as Chekhov’s Gun, a principle that asserts that every element highlighted in a story must be necessary. For example, if the writer takes the time to describe a gun hanging on the wall with expert detail, that same gun needs to go off before the end of the story. This minimalism is the hallmark of Robson’s style. Every element he incudes enhances the plot. His writing is streamlined, and his characterizations developed through action over anything else. Every action leads to a new plot point that propels the story without dallying in unnecessary tangents.
The brisk-paced story begins with Lydia, a woman in her early thirties who works as a translator for a diplomatic cultural attaché. An alien one. In this novel, reminiscent of classic science fiction, Earth has been approached by an alien species, the Logi, who are interested in sharing and understanding cultural knowledge. However, Lydia finds it difficult to translate for cultural attaché Fitzwilliam (or Fitz as Lydia takes to calling him), since he, like all Logi, can only speak telepathically. In translating this telepathic speech, human translators find themselves wobbly and disoriented, as translating the Logi’s language makes the human speaker essentially drunk: “As Lydia translates Fitz’s conversations with these people, the language takes its toll on her sobriety, and she feels increasingly loose-tongued.” (Robson, 14) The human body wasn’t meant to communicate this way, and the act of translation leaves the translator with altered faculties that often lead to embarrassing consequences for Lydia.
After some standard worldbuilding and character setup, the plot kicks in, blending science fiction with a murder mystery. Lydia is at a loss after a tragic event shakes her life and job. Her boss is dead, she’s the prime suspect, and she has no memory of their last moments together due to her massive hangover from working as a translator that very night. With the risk of an intergalactic incident, she has to hunt for answers, wading through the sea of digital information. In this near-future world, the digital sphere is an all-encompassing pool of flashy headlines, clickbait, fake news, and conspiracy theories. Her search is guided by the remnants of Fitz, whose voice resonates in her head. While Lydia fears that Fitz’s voice will drive her to the brink of insanity, she can’t help but hold on to the last echo of the mind she was closest with, “That’ll be a shame, when his voice has gone. Maybe after a while she’ll forget what it even sounded like. There are no recordings of it, after all.” (Robson, 60)
While initially inspired by questions of translators and language barriers, the novel focuses more extensively on the potential future role of social media, especially the rise of conspiracy theories, truth, and lies in media. A commentary on modern culture, Drunk on All Your Strange New Words is primarily a science fiction novel. As such, it establishes a culture and technology that is foreign to the reader. While the novel’s technology is based on more modern counterparts, Robson changes and adds enough details and functions that the novel’s beginning can be a bit jarring. However, with Robson’s consistency and underflowing humor, it is easy to adapt to the futuristic world he establishes. Since Lydia’s translation is based on telepathy, the novel focuses less on linguistics and language barriers and more on modern human culture. How would our culture represent itself, what parts are shared willingly, and what is omitted? “Because if you can control the stories a culture tells about itself, you can control who they are.” (Robson, 129)
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson is a science fiction adventure that melds genres and, like many classic works of science fiction, makes a clear commentary on modern cultural concerns. With a light tone, Robson’s wit and theatrical plot carry the novel’s themes of culture and digital conspiracy to a wild conclusion, leaving the audience with stimulating questions on the nature of truth in the digital age.
Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson, published in 2020 by Tom Doherty Associates.
Mica Corson is an avid reader and aspiring writer residing in the Pacific Northwest. She recently graduated from Central Washington University with a Professional and Creative Writing degree.