NOFS
This essay will discuss the book Natural Outlaws and Fractured Sovereignty (NOFS) by author S.M. Pearce and I'm going to be examining and exploring the idea of identity and the different ways that those things are represented throughout the story through different characters. I will also put a spoiler warning at the beginning as I will be discussing a development that occurs very late on in the story. As a concept, the story of NOFS is similar to that of the Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo, in that it involves a long-con heist of a precarious royal court. It also contains a queerplatonic relationship and found family elements and enemies to friends. Unlikely people in dangerous situations, where none of the choices are pleasant nor are they preferable but choices they have to make nonetheless.
J: Question for you. I know you aimed for representation in NOFS, personally, how well do you think you achieved that? And what forms does that representation take?
P: Interesting question. I like to think I’ve done well at representing a variety of people/experiences in NOFS, particularly queer experiences, but it’s also natural I’d want to believe the best in my own work. How well I’ve achieved it isn’t something I think I, or any writer, can necessarily claim about their own work. For me, I feel reassured by readers that it’s resonated with, and by the work I did with a sensitivity reader and an editor to help ensure diverse, organically-built representation to the best of our abilities.
Kalen is the character where the idea of accurate queer representation manifests primarily. It's never explicitly stated how he identifies, however throughout the book both he/him and they/them pronouns are used interchangeably for this character, which to me suggests that they could be non-binary, or potentially demiguy, though it isn’t confirmed at all. He also eventually talks to Blythe about their feelings and explains that he has feelings for her, and would like to be involved with her in some way. It is spoken about that “neither of them minded for Kalen to engage in some casual courting, or for her to explore with physical partners if she ever felt ready.” This implies that Kalen is potentially asexual and that Blythe might be somewhere on the asexual spectrum alongside being bisexual and aromantic too.
Something that is made quite plain very early on in the book is the fact that the relationship between Kalen and their father is tumultuous. Within minutes of meeting Blythe, they tell her “I have nothing. Nowhere to go. And nobody’s gonna fucking miss me, anyway.” Their strained relationship is further demonstrated by the fact that at one point during the past the following exchange happens: “You disgraced me!” Kalen’s father spat, grabbing him by the collar.” This also links to a scene that happens later on in the book, and the contrast that is created between his father telling Kalen that “I’ll never be fucking dead.”, and then Kalen finally felt like he’d killed him through a character known as Superior. He references the fact that until Superior was dead they’d never felt free from his father and the views he held. At one point Kalen comes to the realisation that water, and being around water are bearable, after spending weeks slowly conditioning themself to withstand the memories and pain that the water causes him. The text says “If they could do this - find pleasure in their father’s tools of childhood torture? Gods, maybe he was more than he always thought. Not just an incompetent coward. Not a failure of a man.” They think “And they weren’t failing to be a man, they were saying Fuck You to everything their father had tried to beat them into being.” Every instance mentioned here makes it evident just how volatile the relation between Kalen and their father is, and how disrespected and unloved Kalen is made to feel when they are around his father. This therefore makes sense as to why he immediately gets attached to Blythe, and later to Frida and Saidh too. They care about him, and they show him the love and familial care they deserve.
Identity when it comes to Blythe is an interesting one. Neither she nor her father have very much, not in terms of food, and not in terms of money. But what she does have in abundance is love and care for those around her. She is very selfless, and the only times you ever see her doing selfish acts is when she’s given no other choice. The first introduction we have to Blythe is on top of the roof with Kalen. She climbs up next to them and flat-out refuses to get down unless he’s with her. From there, when Kalen agrees to climb down, they go back to Blythe’s apartment which she shares with her father. Her father then gives up the only bed for Kalen to sleep in, which gives the audience an insight into where she gets her selfless personality. When Kalen asks her for a match she agrees without hesitation, despite it being the last match they own. It says “She would give them this match without thinking, stand on the edge of a roof with them in the wind.” Similarly, before this interaction, Blythe’s father offers Kalen a drink and apologises saying “I’m sorry there’s no lemon. Just herbs around here.” Kalen also thinks “What was someone like her doing helping them? By the gods, she could have sold their coat for enough to sell her pantry with much more than moldy cheese and bird berries.” From every interaction and every person she speaks to before she meets the Governor, it’s quite clear to see the kind of person she is depicted as. She is the most selfless, most caring and loving person, even to those people she’s only just met. Even when it comes to characters like the Viper, someone who initially isn’t pleasant to be around and doesn’t treat her well, she’s willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and look past those things to try and see the best in everyone.
The Viper is a complicated character as they go. To begin with, the group knows nothing about her. They aren’t told anything other than a name: ‘The Viper’, which turned out to not even be her name, just a threat. Throughout the novel, more is unveiled about The Viper’s life and her past. She is under the employ of the Governor after losing her parents and has been controlled her entire life, with no real attachments to anyone. It is commented “The Viper was too smart to get into debt with the Governor, and even if she had…” This leads Blythe to the conclusion that her parents must have indentured her to the Governor, and also learns that The Viper’s real name is Arabella. When Blythe questions her about why she doesn’t just kill the Governor, she says “People like you aren't used to paying what they owe. I go about the world honestly. And the Governor has fed me, clothed me, taught me, taken me under his wing when no others would blink at the orphan girl without a good trust.” This makes it quite clear her view of the world, and her trust in other people, as well as the fact that she quite evidently has difficulty making attachments to people. This, to me, links in with the theme of identity nicely, as the only identity Arabella has ever really had is as The Viper, and that’s the identity that gains her any respect, whether that is positive or negative in nature feels quite obvious, when her name is quite literally a poisonous snake that can and will kill when threatened.
Frida and Saidh are characters whom the audience doesn’t find out much information about initially in Natural Outlaws and Fractured Sovereignty. Frida works in a tavern and rents an apartment from the tavern’s owner, which she shares with Kalen. Later the reader learns of Frida’s younger sister Catalina, who she also saw as her own child. Catalina died on the ship before she got to Ostrait. Due to being unable to save her sister, she cares for Blythe the same way and worries for her in the same way she did about her younger sister. “Frida had worked on an Ashlan ship her entire life before Ostrait, working her way up from the lowest ranks. She spoke of the job, the water, with nothing but fondness.” As I mentioned above, Frida is somewhat of a mystery throughout the book, until Blythe gets sick and Frida stays by her bedside to care for her, which is when the reader finds out about Catalina, and some of her past before Blythe met her. The author also said that she wrote Frida as a lesbian character. This plays into the idea of the found family trope, and how queer stories often utilise it. This also links to the theme of identity that runs throughout NOFS.
Saidh is confirmed to be a transgender male and biromantic asexual. The idea of him being trans isn’t especially mentioned much within the text, however, I did find one mention where he said “Military didn’t accept bodies like mine.” This gives two insights into his life prior to piloting the ship that took the group to Fletch, firstly that he was “in the military back home for a while”, and secondly that he’s a transgender man, which the military didn’t take too kindly to. The reader also learns later on that he was a smuggler, through a conversation between Saidh and Kalen, where he says “And becoming a smuggling merchant in Ostrait was...a wise career choice?” Both being in the smuggling trade, especially when it’s people smuggling, as well as being transgender meant that Saidh stood out more than he might’ve wanted to. This lends an interesting perspective on identity and how the concept of identity can have an impact on a person.
In conclusion, the theme of identity can be observed in multiple different ways through the main characters of Natural Outlaws and Fractured Sovereignty. For many of them, identity can be taken in a very literal sense, for example, being a part of the queer spectrum of identities. But identity can also be taken in the sense of personal identity, which is seen very strongly through Blythe and her selfless nature. Similarly, the trope of found family and the prevalence of such a trope in queer fiction is very indicative of society as a whole, and how queer people often will flock to each other and find their own sense of family within the people they love and care about who aren’t necessarily related to them by blood ties. This can quite easily be seen in NOFS, at the end when they’re on their ship discussing prospects for their lives now, and names for their ship. They all seem happier together and don’t want to leave each other’s company now, even after everything they’ve learned about their companions over the course of the heist. Overall, Natural Outlaws and Fractured Sovereignty tells the story of an unlikely group of friends and their unwilling mission to pull off a daring heist, while simultaneously trying not to get found out, or killed for their efforts, by several sources. It also tells the story of a group of people who have no other choice but to trust each other in order to all make it out alive, by putting their lives in each other’s hands. I feel that it’s also important for me to mention the dedication of this book before I close out my essay. It says “This book is dedicated to anyone who's ever been made to feel like the world doesn't have space for them. We'll make space.” It really spoke to me because I've felt that way before. And in time I had a place where space was made for me to be myself and be loved for exactly who I am. Having books like this, where there are queer characters, who are just themselves and their queer identity is rarely mentioned is something that I feel that the world needs to see more of, and I also think that the world needs more queer characters in every possible setting, not just the conventional contemporary romance in modern day. And to any queer person who might be reading this and trying to figure out their place, you will find it in time. It may not feel like it now, but the world does need people like you in it, and there is a place and a space for you , and somewhere that you fit.