Staff Pick: A Psalm for the Wild-Built

When I’m having a rough day, my instinct is to turn to quiet, cozy media that can help me reset. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (and its sequel, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy) is a book I’ve come back to time and time again for just that purpose. It’s a short, 147-page sci-fi novella, making it an easy read at the end of a long day.

The book follows a wandering tea monk named Dex, whose work involves serving tea to people and providing them well-needed space to rest and confide their concerns. However, Dex struggles to find satisfaction in their work. Furthermore, they’re distracted by the thought of hearing cricket-song; a near impossible wish, as crickets are all but extinct on the continent. Dex’s desire to hear crickets leads them out into the unsettled wilderness, where they meet Mosscap: the first robot that humans have seen in centuries, when robots first gained self-awareness and vanished into the wilds. The two become unlikely travel companions, and on their journey, they discuss topics as menial as cooking and as significant as figuring out your purpose in life.

As you might glean from the description, the novella is less focused on an overarching plot and more on the characters’ everyday experiences. As you read, you feel like you’re on the road with Dex and Mosscap, sharing in their quiet conversations and learning about their differences and similarities. Chambers is adept at writing about alien cultures and species, and it comes across in her depiction of robots, who she depicts as avid students of nature as they try to figure out their place in the world.

However, the reason why I return to A Psalm for the Wild-Built ­—and cozy fiction in general—is that it is a genre built on kindness. These stories are about people being kind to others, to the world, and to themselves. And in these trying times, I think there is great value in seeking out spaces where kindness is placed first and foremost.