Women’s prize-winning author Naomi Alderman's latest work, 'The Strangers', is a hybrid of memoir and speculative fiction. The book delves into the experience of grief by introducing a new species of quasi-badgers, known as mimmoths, which are said to improve the quality of local soil.
The narrative, told by "the novelist Naomi Alderman" who is mourning her mother and failed pregnancies, explores various aspects of loss, including despair, disorientation, and regret. The mimmoths, described as flat-faced and long-nosed mammals, are largely inscrutable to humans and become subjects of both conspiracy theories and veneration.
Alderman's approach in 'The Strangers' is described as a high-risk manoeuvre that aims to give form to the ineffable aspects of grief. The book also touches upon political allegories, sketching out the current political and media environment.