Exhalation

The stories in Exhalation veer on the longer side, including two novellas. This can largely be attributed to many of the stories featuring other stories within them and having multiple points of view. Structuring the stories this way allows for more exploration on the same theme, as different characters can offer varying opinions and learn different lessons.

Despite their length, Chiang also uses these structural choices to build a steady pace in the stories. Multiple stories and points of view allow for more cutting and scene breaks, giving scenes dramatic finishes and building tension for the reader.

Additionally, the author uses the first-person perspective in six of the nine stories. Often, these first-person narratives also employ a formal conceit. The story might be a warning, a journal, an article, etc. The characters can therefore address the reader directly and personally, allowing them to describe more complex science fiction concepts in an intimate way.

The title story compares the duration of the universe to a breath being exhaled. The reader is asked, what will you do with the time you have during that long exhalation? Through the rest of the stories, we see encouragement to appreciate life and live with kindness and love. All the characters are aware of their mortality and that life is short. With what time they have, they seek redemption, forgiveness, and understanding. The very word “exhalation” suggests finitude and release, prevalent elements in all the stories.

Museums play important roles in “Dacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny” and “Omphalos.” In “Dacey’s Patent Automatic Nanny,” the form of the story is a catalog for a museum exhibition. The story owes its structure to museums. In “Omphalos,” Dorothea visits a museum and admires the effect it has on other visitors. In both stories, the narrator perceives the museums as positive places, spaces of inquiry and discovery. Exhalation as a collection that takes place in past, present, and future, might be considered a “museum” of stories: the reader examines the stories and thus learns more about the time in question.