The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull defied my expectations from its "aliens arrive on the Virgin Islands" premise, offering a tangled web of human characters and a dive into the islands' history. The narrative sputtered at times for me in pacing and incorporation of some of my less favorite plot elements (namely romance) but the ideas explored are brilliant. The development of the Ynaa and the "lesson" they live by was well done, and though I wanted more there, I respect that what Turnbull was doing with this novel was a little different. Some of my favorite bits were the development of the Ynaa history and how it was juxtaposed with the history of the islands, the little linguistic touches from the Ynaa language, and the full varied storylines given to queer characters. All in all I can't wait for the next book he writes! ⁣