Saying Goodbye to Yang

“Saying Goodbye to Yang” is a family drama about the loss of a child’s caretaker, but its themes are heightened by two key factors—genre and point of view. Through protagonist Jim’s first-person narration, the reader views Yang’s demise, his family’s reactions to the crisis, and his own inner turmoil as he comes to grips with what Yang means to him, as well as his limited comprehension of the world around him. His emotional journey exemplifies Weinstein’s oeuvre, which is primarily concerned with exposing and interrogating humanity and human behavior through our relationship with technology. The genre provides a distance through which the reader can examine and unpack contemporary issues, as the extreme choices Weinstein’s characters must make are simply amplified versions of the challenges endemic to the human condition. “Saying Goodbye to Yang” may take place in a world in which raising clones of yourself is de rigueur, but the emotions it centers are universal and timeless. The juxtaposition of the fantastical elements of the story and the broader morals that connect with the reader’s world is a staple of science fiction and speculative fiction.