How Far the Light Reaches is a unique book, part science and part memoir. The author uses sea creatures’ habits as metaphors for personal life experiences. I learned some interesting facts about sea creatures, such as goldfish’s growth potential and octopuses’ starvation when brooding. Also, there were many tidbits about regeneration, predator/prey relationships, and morphing. The real focus, however, was on this author’s ability to be true to self and explain complex feelings and iterations of growth by examining models in the sea. Imbler described sustained abuse at the hands of men by studying and comparing experiences with men to the habits of a predatory sand-striker worm, an ambush predator.
Another vivid comparison was the emotional morphing from family expectations to the life of a lesbian and member of a queer community. Imbler aligns life phases to that of a morphing cuttlefish. The cuttlefish has distinct disguises for different predators. The cuttlefish transformations are triggered by evolution, but the author could not wait for the evolving process to occur; it was essential to purposely morph, wear clothes that defied societal expectations, and convey personal messages about an invisible yet heartfelt internal evolution.
An easy-to-grasp description was that of a sturgeon starting its life in freshwater but mainly living in the sea. This was a great way to show a human metaphorically treading different waters during maturation. A quote from page 101 encapsulates one of the themes of Imbler’s book:
“As queer people, we get to choose our families. Vent bacteria, tube worms, and yeti crabs take it one step further. They choose what nourishes them. They turn away from the sun and toward something more elemental, the inner heat and chemistry of Earth.”
It was clear that the author found much satisfaction in studying instinct, life cycles, and stages of life. The statement that “metamorphosis in humans doesn’t have to be a full-body thing” sums up the human’s need to regrow in acceptance of self and others.
