Braided through the fascinating account...is Imbler’s own narrative ... Weaving in personal experiences with sexual encounters whose tenor has changed to something sinister over the years, Imbler questions the way the stories we tell and the stories we hear affect what we understand about predators and about ourselves as potential prey ... Beyond their metaphorical significance, though, it’s the actuality of the sea creatures that Imbler beautifully captures and renders meaningful ... There is grief in these essays as well, for the changes that humanity has wrought upon the deep ... I found both solace and hope in Imbler’s ability to portray a world so foreign it’s barely legible to humans, and to bring forth the myriad ways of being that we might draw on to imagine our way forward through the depths.
Imbler mixes careful fragments of biography with selected bits of marine science to produce a unique and powerful debut, an alluring series of metaphors to describe what it means to be young and trans ... Imbler does a good job of building both the crabs’ and the clubgoers’ stories with precise and patient detail, allowing the reader to notice parallels without having to learn some kind of lesson. The method is a high-wire act, with many opportunities to go wrong, but the result is a mixture of excellent science reportage and affecting memoir. In the process, the book punches holes in old tropes of wildlife documentaries ... Imbler’s posture throughout the book is watchful and quiet, intelligent, self-aware, sometimes victimized, sometimes passive-aggressive. The cuttlefish chapter is resonant but reveals a natural weakness in the science writing ... The best passages in How Far the Light Reaches paint in the lightless depths.
A writer with penchant for lyrical, almost poetic prose as well as a science journalist, Imbler’s hybrid approach of embedding science and reportage in personal narratives and queer storytelling gives them a singular, striking voice ... I was instantly hooked ... While the writing is confident and sharp, Imbler also doesn’t pretend to have all the answers to the questions they raise. These are always my favorite kinds of personal narrative; the kind that excavate the self but also leave room for the unknown ... This is indeed queer science, a playful challenging of what science writing can be. Sea creatures: They’re just like us. Let Imbler show you how.
It is refreshing to be invited into the crafting of a narrative, to see how one can build upon a literature while acknowledging the need to move past it ... Imbler writes against the 'cold, hard facts,' making science and documentation susceptible to the whims of revision and creating space for more imagination, more change, and more grace.
Imbler does an excellent job of making deep-sea creatures relevant in their memoir, a collection of ten essays connecting themes from their personal life to aspects of marine biology ... Some of Imbler’s essays suffer from thematic connections that lean toward the obvious, but this doesn’t detract from the honesty and intelligence displayed in the writing itself ... Overall, this collection is a thing of beauty, a welcome voice in a field dominated by white, male writers.
I was eager to get my own hands on Sabrina Imbler’s memoir...to see what all the excitement was about. I am here to vouch that all the fuss was totally justified ... How Far the Light Reaches...would be worth reading for their nature writing alone. But, as the subtitle suggests, this is also a memoir, although probably not like any other memoir you’ve encountered. Each elegantly crafted essay focuses on a single type of sea creature whose story is interwoven thematically with elements of Imbler’s own.
Luminous ... Imbler cannily observes the lives of sea creatures, drawing out lessons about resilience, survival and wildness and tying those insights to their own experiences as a biracial, queer writer ... How Far the Light Reaches meditates radiantly on the ragged ways we adapt to the world around us, probing the lives of marine animals for strategies for our own survival. Imbler’s first-rate science writing glistens with the same sheen as the best of Oliver Sacks’ essays.
Stunning and thoughtful ... Weaving together the oceanic and the human in thought-provoking reflections on queerness, race, family, love and identity along the way ... This balance of science and memoir blends seamlessly across each essay in Imbler's collection ... A poignant invitation into the depths of ocean life and a call to consider what nature can reveal about the human condition from a brilliant and poetic writer.
Captivating ... Imbler’s ability to balance illuminating science journalism with candid personal revelation is impressive, and the mesmerizing glints of lyricism are a treat. This intimate deep dive will leave readers eager to see where Imbler goes next.
In a book that is much more than an account of deep-sea creatures, journalist Imbler compellingly examines the parallels between the lives and priorities of people and aquatic animals. The author’s ability to locate connections across seemingly disparate topics...is both unique and engaging. Occasionally, Imbler’s juxtaposition of marine and human life feels forced, but the overall effect is heartening and encourages a reexamination of inherited ideas about family, community, and identity ... Elegant, thought-provoking comparisons between aspects of identity and the trials of deep-sea creatures.
