Overall nice queer family-building story but poor sci-fi / social critique

I like the story overall and some of the sci-fi ideas within this story.

One of my biggest critiques is that the sci-fi elements are taken/ very evidently inspired by existing sci-fi, futurism and social justice concepts in an unoriginal way.

Frankly, I thought the authors attempts at being socially critical were oblivious or lazy. I could discern the author’s attempts at progressiveness beyond showcasing a white lesbian experience, like awkwardly identifying POC characters and alluding to white fragility without actually getting into and unpacking it within the context of the protagonist and story world. It’s disappointing as themes as judicial injustice, prison, law-enforcement, state d’actionner violence, bureaucratic / state oppression, surveillance, criminalization and more that are prevelant in the story are all topics intrinsically linked to racism yet this is invsibilized in the story. The author primarily centres whiteness and even the characters who are POC seem more like props for the white protagonist’s storyline than they do their own individual persons; they do not get any opportunity to engage in non-white ways of being nor differential experiences of being a shadester due to preexisting racial inequities I cannot imagine wouldn’t exist in such a world as the author built. Authors’ co-opting of POC experiences of oppression and discrimination through scifi/ fantasy devices is as common as it is cliche and this book is no exception. It doesn’t need to be trauma porn to be respectful and representative of POC realities.
Even through a social wealth class lens this book drops the ball - how does money never come up in the book or as a point of strife for the protagonist given the circumstances ?

What I liked a lot was the centering of queerness and non-nuclear family building - this was the most enjoyable part of the book and important as queer stories are under siege and misinformation and dehumanizations tactics prevail across media and politics. I appreciated the centring pleasure while balancing it with sufficient main protagonist character building.

I am a queer femme assumed mixed race person so I felt conflicted sharing my critique because I do not want to take away from the greatness of this story - I am grateful for this story while also being very critical of it. I look forward to seeing this author grow in future literary works.

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