Acceptance

Abstract

Acceptance is the final instalment in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy. The novel revolves around several characters who are intimately tied to Area X and the twelfth expedition. Saul, the Lighthouse Keeper, lives in the lighthouse itself before the place is transformed into Area X. He comes in contact with a flower that causes biological changes in him. Later, he becomes the Crawler that dwells in the tower the biologist explored in Annihilation. Gloria, a former friend of Saul’s, becomes the director of the Southern Reach agency. Regarding this character, the novel focuses on the process that will lead her to head the twelfth expedition in the role of the psychologist. Finally, Acceptance also follows Control and Ghost Bird inside Area X, where they discover that the time flow is differently from outside the region. The pair also uncover the fate of the real biologist, who was transformed into a completely inhuman creature, a possible result of her close contact with the strange fauna and flora of this territory. Acceptance delves deeper into the ecosystem and biodiversity of Area X, a continuously expanding organism with mysterious origin and effects, and reflects on the potential lasting effects of its growth.