A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is diving into a cool lake on a hot day. A change of perspective: fresh, sating. We pick off where we left off at the end of A Monk and Robot: Dex & Mosscap journeying back into civilization, out of the Antlers and the Wilds. Now it’s Dex’s turn to guide and Mosscap’s turn to learn. They get to ask the robot’s question to all of humanity: What do humans need?
It makes one wonder, what do I need? Do you answer in the immediate sense (like a bike fixed or a roof patched?)? Or do you answer in a more psychological sense (I need Sam, my loved ones, a purpose)? How many people really know what they need? All of my basic needs are met, so what else do I want or need? God I wish I knew.
Chambers has a way of weaving in these questions and philosophy with a beautiful story. It’s not overly flowery or poetic: she writes in a straight-forward, approachable way. Dex talks in a way that feels natural and life-like. Nothing is too preachy, but the world she describes is utopian. Everyone demonstrates values that resonate with my deepest desires. This is a world I would want to bring children into. One steeped in love, equity, community, cooperation, balance, nature, and care.
“I’ve never noticed it before,” they said, and this bothered them. They’d grown up around there. They’d ridden this road dozens of times. The pattern of the trees was spectacularly obvious, now that they were observing it, but it had always been the backdrop to Dex. The wallpaper. They’d never been looking for it. Now they couldn’t see anything else.
This book is life affirming - it reminds me to notice the small things around me. To look at all of the lovely parts of nature I take for granted every day. The purple ice plants blooming by the water. The dried leaves that accumulate in the corners of buildings. The olive trees that grow between our apartment buildings. The square patch of sunlight that comes through a window.
“But that’s the point of a shrine, or an idol, or a festival. The gods don’t care.Those things remind us to stop getting lost in everyday bullshit. We have to take a sec to tap into the bigger picture. That’s easier said than done for a lot of folks - you’ll see.”
I love the pantheon that Chambers created - the god of small comforts, Allale speaks to my heart. Every day I try to be more grateful, to notice all the wonder around me, provide love and appreciation for my partner. It is helpful to see physical reminders - a gratitude journal, stalks of fresh flowers, a postcard, a note on the fridge.* A Prayer for the Crown-Shy* reminds me of the type of person I want to be, the world I want to live in.
The A Monk and Robot books being a duology (duet!?!?) is perfect: each story mirrors the other. Mosscap & Dex both get to lead. They both go on journeys, to discover something new.& they both decide to continue their journey of discovery & not knowing. I felt seen by Dex not knowing what his passion is, with tea service. I feel like I don’t have any passions recently. It’s hard to find anything that I enjoy doing, I’m mostly just stressed from work. What do I actually like doing? Art, crochet, coffee. I don’t feel the urge to do them. I barely feel the urge to kayak anymore. All I want to do is read and sleep and rest.
