Each time I sit down to write about Temper by Nicky Drayden, I can’t find a place to start because all I can think about is how much I enjoyed this novel. Where to begin? The themes of balance? Artificial class division? Mythology? World-building? Intriguing characters? Temper hits its mark on every count.
TL;DR
Temper by Nicky Drayden hit all the high notes on story, world-building, character, and mythology to create a novel that sums to greater than its parts. Highly recommended.
From the Publisher
In a land similar to South Africa, twin brothers are beset by powerful forces beyond their understanding or control in this thrilling blend of science fiction, horror, magic, and dark humor—evocative of the works of Lauren Beukes, Ian McDonald, and Nnedi Okorafor—from the author of The Prey of Gods.
Two brothers.
Seven vices.
One demonic possession.
Can this relationship survive?Auben Mutze has more vices than he can deal with—six to be exact—each branded down his arm for all the world to see. They mark him as a lesser twin in society, as inferior, but there’s no way he’ll let that define him. Intelligent and outgoing, Auben’s spirited antics make him popular among the other students at his underprivileged high school. So what if he’s envious of his twin Kasim, whose single vice brand is a ticket to a better life, one that likely won’t involve Auben.
The twins’ strained relationship threatens to snap when Auben starts hearing voices that speak to his dangerous side—encouraging him to perform evil deeds that go beyond innocent mischief. Lechery, deceit, and vanity run rampant. And then there are the inexplicable blood cravings. . . .
On the southern tip of an African continent that could have been, demons get up to no good during the time of year when temperatures dip and temptations rise. Auben needs to rid himself of these maddening voices before they cause him to lose track of time. To lose his mind. And to lose his . . .
TEMPER
Story
Auben and Kasim are twins in a society where twin-births are the norm. As they age, the kids are given seven brands. The greater twin gets more virtues than vices, and the lesser gets more vices than virtues. Auben has six vices to his brother’s six virtues. As Auben starts to hear voices, distance grows between him and his twin Kasim. The twins, latchkey kids, cook up a scheme to exorcise the demon voices. As one would expect, this goes fine and is pulled off without a hitch. ::checks notes:: Whoops, that’s something else. No, as one would expect, this changes Auben and Kasim in unexpected ways that have lasting consequences for their world.
Auben and Kasim’s mother raised them secularly, and as they learn about Grace and Icy Blue – their society’s equivalent to God and the Devil – the story really takes off. The story comments on worship and the structure of a religious organization. Prior to their religious experience, they weren’t as easy to slip into the roles of good and evil. But religion furthers the divide between them. It’s another example of an artificial structure that separates people.
Temper features a creative story that starts off about kids at school. But it quickly took off into a weird story about balance. Balance between science and religion, vice and virtue. By the end, Temper reminded me a lot of Scott Hawkins’s The Library at Mount Char. Both defy genre conventions and kept me pondering them long after I finished. There’s depth to be explored, themes to be considered. Temper is a book that will benefit from a re-read.
Characters
Auben, the main point of view for the whole novel, is a trickster type character, but he’s not very good at it. He’s deep, caring, and empathic. He has six vices and one virtue: charity. But for me, his defining characteristic is his ability to love. Throughout the whole novel, his relationship with Kasim is a place of comfort and tension. It was lovely.
Kasim is a bit of an unknown throughout the novel. The ending makes him understandable in a believable way.
Their cousins, Chimwe and Chiso, start off as flat villians, who terrorize Auben and Kasim, but by the end of the novel, they had been developed into complex, sympathetic characters. Their arc was surprisingly heartfelt.
World-Building
Nicky Drayden has created an intriguing world built on interesting ideas. A lot of the themes of the book revolve around how twins exist in this world. For example, the twins share parts of themselves in the womb. This creates a need to be close to one another that they refer to as proximity, and loss of proximity causes physical distress. But twins aren’t restricted to m/m and f/f sexes. Non-binary twins exist in this world, though a certain amount of discrimination is still present.
In particular, I liked how Ms. Drayden used the ideas of greater and lesser twins to comment on social stratification. In the world of Temper, twins with more virtues than vices are considered better. They get the better jobs, the better lives. Economic status doesn’t matter either. Rich lesser twins have a head start on the poorer greaters, but still society views the greaters as better. It’s excellent social commentary with a lot of nuance.
The Ending
The ending of Temper moved me and expanded the rest of the story. The ending is so well crafted, and afterwards, I could see the clues laid out since the beginning. It was surprising yet inevitable, just the way a perfect ending should. I really want to talk about it more because it was so well done. But I won’t spoil it for anyone. However, I will be studying this ending to see exactly what about it struck me. How can I learn from it and replicate it? I liked the ending so much, it alone added an extra whole point to my rating.
Conclusion
Nicky Drayden’s Temper is a strange, creative novel that I can’t stop thinking about. Auben and Kasim work their way into your heart as they struggle with their literal and metaphorical demons. Highly recommended.