Description
Book SynopsisTransmission is a story about transformation and the development of self-love. After 20 years of traveling throughout the U.S., Millie Morrison returns to her hometown to make sense of the experiences and relationships that have shaped her life. In so doing, Millie explores where she came from, what moments linger despite the passage of time, and who she is and wants to be standing on the edge of 40 years old. Her journey thus becomes a consideration on how we incorporate what who we are with who others expect us to be.
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From “Transmission”“I guess you’re right, or I’m right, we’re right maybe. I guess I’m very emotional right now. I haven’t thought about Josie in years, I just haven’t, it was almost like I forgot her somehow. The song started playing, and I know you always said I had way too much of an emotional reaction to that song, but it started playing and I could see her. I don’t mean I was thinking about her, necessarily, it was different. I could see her, three years old in pig tails, seven years old dancing in the grass, twelve years old climbing the magnolia tree in front of her house that her mother was allergic to, fifteen years old showing me how to do my makeup that night before we all went out to the party out in the field on the edge of the park. I could see her like she was really there. I could hear her voice. I could feel her laugh. The tears just flooded me. There was no warning. She just came crashing back into my head like she’d always been there, maybe hiding somewhere waiting for the right moment.”Trade ReviewJ. E. Sumerau is one of my favorite authors and
Transmission does not disappoint. Once again, Sumerau leaves her unmistakable fingerprint on this beautiful story. Reading this sensitively and compassionately written novel, you will become swept up in Millie’s journey, which although unique, is also sure to resonate deeply with any reader. The ending is inspiring and pure perfection. Highly recommend." —Patricia Leavy, author of
Celestial Bodies: The Tess Lee and Jack Miller Novels"J. E. Sumerau’s latest novel,
Transmission, offers a can’t-miss kaleidoscope of beautiful, raw, and exploratory reflections narrated by Millie Morrison, a protagonist making sense of how her past intersects with her present. Just as captivating as the story are Sumerau’s characters, a diverse group of queer and poly individuals. Written in a stream of consciousness, Sumerau’s work invites not only Millie to contemplate and process past loves, trauma, and relationships as she carves out her future in the next phase of her life; this format invites the reader to do the same, to sit with our difficulties and nostalgia alike, and to determine what’s holding
us back from carving out our life’s path.
Transmission’s authenticity asks us, through Millie, to not only reflect on how we can improve our relationships with others, but perhaps most importantly, our relationship with ourselves. We root for Millie to achieve catharsis through the novel’s myriad transmission of narratives—from her childhood to adulthood. And on a personal level, perhaps we can do the same for ourselves, too.
Transmission is a perfect fit for personal reading, as well as those in sociology and gender & sexuality studies." —Shalen Lowell, author of
Gender Optics.
