January Fifteenth

by Rachel Swirsky

Overview

“One of the best speculative writers of the last decade.”—John Scalzi

A Philip K. Dick Award nominee!

January Fifteenth—the day all Americans receive their annual Universal Basic Income payment.

For Hannah, a middle-aged mother, today is the anniversary of the day she took her two children and fled her abusive ex-wife.

For Janelle, a young, broke journalist, today is another mind-numbing day interviewing passersby about the very policy she once opposed.

For Olivia, a wealthy college freshman, today is “Waste Day”, when rich kids across the country compete to see who can most obscenely squander the government’s money.

For Sarah, a pregnant teen, today is the day she’ll journey alongside her sister-wives to pick up the payment­­s that undergird their community—and perhaps embark on a new journey altogether.

In this near-future science fiction novella by Nebula Award-winning author Rachel Swirsky, the fifteenth of January is another day of the status quo, and another chance at making lasting change.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250198938
Publisher:	Tor Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/14/2022
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	519,636
File size:	947 KB

About the Author

Rachel Swirsky received an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers Workshop, and has been nominated for the Hugo, Locus and World Fantasy Awards, and twice won the Nebula Award. She recently moved to Portland, Oregon where she is currently in love with the rain (though aware she might not be later). Her books include Placed into Abyss (Mise en Abyse) and A Memory of Wind.
Rachel Swirsky lives in Portland, Oregon, where she roams happily under overcast skies with the hipsters. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop. Her fiction has appeared in venues including Tor.com, Asimov’s, and The Best American Non-Required Reading. Her fiction has been nominated for the Hugo Award, the World Fantasy Award, and the Locus Award, and twice won the Nebula Award. Her books include Placed into Abyss (Mise en Abyse) and A Memory of Wind.

Editorial Reviews

05/02/2022

Nebula Award winner Swirsky (Throughout the Drowsy Dark) half-steps out of her usual short story milieu with a thoughtful novel comprising four interwoven stories framed by the near-future implementation of Universal Basic Income, or UBI. Hannah, a single mom fleeing her abusive ex-wife; Janelle, a journalist raising her trans teenage sister; Olivia, a wealthy, drugged-out college kid; and Sarah, a pregnant teen trapped in a polygamous cult, all experience the annual payout day as a defining event, though “defining” does not in every case imply change. Hannah, for example, ends up very nearly where she began, albeit with greater clarity about her choices. Sarah travels the greatest distance both physically and mentally as she moves from inarticulate rage around the cult’s inequalities to the point of a life-changing decision. Swirsky loads up on hot-button issues, particularly in the case of the overburdened Janelle. While each of the other, impliedly white, women deals with a single situation that has some political valence but is experienced as personal, Janelle, who is Black, juggles multiple conflicts, all especially fraught. As an organizing principle, UBI works well, especially when Swirsky goes light on ideological explication and focuses on her characters responding to the changes it brings. Fans of plausible political speculative fiction should check this out. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Swirsky's slice-of-life UBI stories present just a few possible effects of this hotly debated topic. Without either political rhetoric or exhortation, these brief glimpses of other lives give readers the chance to see what might be in a world with a social safety net. Highly recommended for readers of political and social science-oriented SF.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“[A] thoughtful novel comprising four interwoven stories framed by the near-future implementation of Universal Basic Income. . . .Fans of plausible political speculative fiction should check this out.”—Publishers Weekly

“January Fifteenth possesses all the hallmarks of a Swirsky piece—attention to cadence, elevated prose—while offering a quick, accessible read.”—Locus

Praise for Rachel Swirsky

“I don’t think it’s any secret that I think she’s one of the best speculative fiction writers of the last decade.”— John Scalzi

“Rachel Swirsky is among the most talented science fiction/fantasy short story writers working today–one of the new generation that’s transforming the genre through a combination of inspiration, renovation, and fresh approaches.”—Jeff VanderMeer

“Rachel’s stories are super-smart and gorgeously written. It’s [a short blurb], but it has the virtue of being true.”—Ann Leckie

“Swirsky's crisp prose and insightful vision draw the reader in, and her work will amply reward both casual reading and close attention.”—Publisher's Weekly starred review on How the World Became Quiet

From the Publisher

★ 05/01/2022

This novella by Swirsky (known for Nebula- and Hugo-nominated speculative short fiction like A Memory of Wind) is set in a near-future United States where universal basic income (UBI) has become the law of the land. Swirsky chronicles the effects of UBI on the lives of four disparate women on the 10th anniversary of the policy's implementation. For Hannah, the extra money made it possible for her and her two children to leave her abusive ex-wife. Olivia, a self-indulgent college student, parties with her equally privileged friends on what they call "Waste Day" with the determination to waste the money as fast and frivolously as possible. Sarah, 15 and pregnant, is seemingly doomed to bring her own child into the same cult she was raised in, but takes the help that the social workers at the distribution center are determined to offer. And finally, Janelle, an activist who helped bring UBI into existence, interviews people for their opinions on the money that has made it possible for her to raise her younger sister on her own. VERDICT Swirsky's slice-of-life UBI stories, present just a few possible effects of this hotly debated topic. Without either political rhetoric or exhortation, these brief glimpses of other lives give readers the chance to see what might be in a world with a social safety net. Highly recommended for readers of political and social science-oriented SF.—Marlene Harris

Library Journal