All life produces waste. The act of living produces costs, hazards and disposal questions, and so the (Environment) Ministry has found itself in the center of all life, mitigating, guiding and policing the detritus of the average person along with investigating the infractions of the greedy and short-sighted, the ones who wish to make quick profits and trade on others' lives for it.
Paolo BacigalupiThe main reason I want someone to read a story of mine is so they can enjoy it and feel like they got something interesting out of it.
Paolo BacigalupiNo one else noticed, or cared. It was just something they did. Taking other peopleโs livestock. Other peopleโs lives. She watched the soldiers, hating them. They were different in so many ways, white and black, yellow and brown, skinny, short, tall, small, but they were all the same. Didnโt matter if they wore finger-bone necklaces, or baby teeth on bracelets, or tattoos on their chests to ward off bullets. In the end, they were all mangled with battle scars and their eyes were all dead.
Paolo BacigalupiBut then, that was the problem with pretty toy stitches. When real life got hold of them, they always tore out.
Paolo Bacigalupi