I received this book from Playwrights Canada Press in exchange for an honest review.
Caroline is the daughter of The Prophet and excited for her Divine Birthday, when the Angels will come and impregnate her. She knows her boyfriend Ian will make a great father; he’s promised her he read all the materials and is fully ready to commit to her. But they need some new recruits, like Ian’s ex Wasp and their girlfriend Janey, Caroline’s best friend. But Janey and Wasp have no interest in the church and are proud of their identities, even if their town has banned birth control, Janey’s last-ditch effort at transitioning. Janey and Wasp need to get out, and hopefully find a way out for Caroline’s closeted sister Rachel, but the church has ways of finding them.
I’ve said it once before and I’ll say it again, (and probably keep saying it) TRANS HORROR HITS DIFFERENT! This was such an amazing play, though I will say the summary isn’t completely accurate about what actually happens in the play. I’m curious if it’s because Wasp is going to be produced as a longer audiodrama (I’M SO PUMPED) and maybe this summary follows more closely to that, but it’s still a wonderful play. Collett does a great job of building the unease of the plays setting while also adding some great humour where needed to break the tension. I loved Wasp, I loved Janey, and more than anything I wanted them to succeed and live the happy lives they deserved to live! My surprise favourite was Rachel, who isn’t as present as some of the other characters but is just so memorable as herself! Each character has such a unique voice and presence, while not always agreeing with them you can clearly understand why they came to certain decisions that they did based on the environment they live in.
Collett also does an amazing job discussing bodily autonomy, the dangers of religious authority, and an overall love of trans people. In their Author’s Note, they expand on this point and explains the importance of this play being performed by and for trans people and I think they do a wonderful job showing that care and call for trans creatives.
I’m so excited to listen to this as an audio drama and can’t wait to read more of Collett’s work. They’re a playwright you don’t want to miss!
Publication: April 4 2023
Publisher: Playwrights Canada Press
Pages: 96 pages (Paperback)
Source: Playwrights Canada Press (Thank you!)
Genre: Fiction, Surreal, LGTBQ+, Horror
My Rating: ⛤⛤⛤⛤
Summary:
It’s Wasp’s destiny to be impregnated by a swarm of hornets called the Angels on their twenty-first birthday, but they aren’t going down without a fight. Their plan? A bottle of Coke, an abandoned church, and (regrettably) their ex-boyfriend Isaac.
Across town the twin daughters of a prominent cult leader are also approaching their twenty-first birthdays. True-believer Caroline is excited for her fate, but Rachel isn’t so sure. When Rachel runs into Isaac, he offers Wasp’s help, a caustic solution that seems too good to be true. Meanwhile Janey, Caroline’s trans best friend, secretly pines for Wasp, and grapples with her illegal transition. When the Angels take Rachel but don’t come for Caroline, the group have a lot of quick decisions to make that will either save them or lead them to a violent end. They’ll need to unite if they want to survive as the clock ticks down to Wasp’s birthday and the Angels’ inevitable arrival.
Sarah O'Connor 