Beggars in Spain - Nancy Krauss

[goodreads]

Title: Beggars in Spain
Author: Nancy Krauss
Genre: Sci-fi, short story (novella)
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 95
Date read: October, 2011

Leisha Camden was genetically modified at birth to require no sleep, and her normal twin Alice is the control. Problems and envy between the sisters mirror those in the larger world, as society struggles to adjust to a growing pool of people who not only have 30 percent more time to work and study than normal humans, but are also highly intelligent and in perfect health. The Sleepless gradually outgrow their welcome on Earth, and their children escape to an orbiting space station to set up their own society. But Leisha and a few others remain behind, preaching acceptance for all humans, Sleepless and Sleeper alike. With the conspiracy and revenge that unwinds, the world needs a little preaching on tolerance.

I didn't realize until after I had started reading it, that this was published first as a novella and later as a full-length novel. It was completely by accident that I'd gotten hold of the novella rather than the novel - might as well have been the other way around.

But now that I have read it, I'm glad I read the novella. It was a brilliant story - engaging and thought-provoking - but I don't think it would have worked nearly as well as a full-length novel. The pacing would have been off, it wouldn't have been as tight nor - I think - as poignant.

As it was, I couldn't get the story out of my head and found it extremely well written and provocative (in a good way). I'm sorry Alice and Leisha never became close, but was glad to see that the ending opened for the possibility of that in the future.