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Recoveries
Two women who have been friends since they were children—one a recovering alcoholic brought up by parents who believe they’re alien abductees, the other an orphan with an eating disorder—contend with secret that might doom their friendship.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 20, 2018
About the author
Susan Palwick
80 books72 followersSusan Palwick is an Associate Professor of English at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she teaches writing and literature.
Raised in northern New Jersey, Palwick attended Princeton University, where she studied fiction writing with novelist Stephen Koch, and she holds a doctoral degree from Yale. In the 1980s, she was an editor of The Little Magazine and then helped found The New York Review of Science Fiction, to which she contributed several reviews and essays.
Palwick's work has received multiple awards, including the Rhysling Award (in 1985) for her poem "The Neighbor's Wife." She won the Crawford Award for best first novel with Flying in Place in 1993, and The Alex Award in 2006 for her second novel, The Necessary Beggar. Her third novel, Shelter, was published by Tor in 2007. Another book, The Fate of Mice (a collection of short stories), has also been published by Tachyon Publications.
Susan Palwick is a practicing Episcopalian and lay hospital chaplain.
Raised in northern New Jersey, Palwick attended Princeton University, where she studied fiction writing with novelist Stephen Koch, and she holds a doctoral degree from Yale. In the 1980s, she was an editor of The Little Magazine and then helped found The New York Review of Science Fiction, to which she contributed several reviews and essays.
Palwick's work has received multiple awards, including the Rhysling Award (in 1985) for her poem "The Neighbor's Wife." She won the Crawford Award for best first novel with Flying in Place in 1993, and The Alex Award in 2006 for her second novel, The Necessary Beggar. Her third novel, Shelter, was published by Tor in 2007. Another book, The Fate of Mice (a collection of short stories), has also been published by Tachyon Publications.
Susan Palwick is a practicing Episcopalian and lay hospital chaplain.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
June 23, 2018
Just when I thought I knew where it was going... A solid short story, although a little long. Or maybe it was the dysfunction that made it seem long. It was worth the end. I'll note that I'm not sure second person was the right choice for this story--that could also be why it felt a little long. I hate being told what I'm thinking.
For my own self, I think Palwick is an author to watch out for.
https://www.tor.com/2018/06/20/recove...
For my own self, I think Palwick is an author to watch out for.
https://www.tor.com/2018/06/20/recove...
June 3, 2020
For all her rage and self-pity and endless self-sabotage, Vanessa has never complained about your own oddities: the green shakes and protein powders crowding the fridge and counters, the fad-diet books piled everywhere next to stacks of anthropology and folklore, the hours you spend puking in the bathroom.
You know Minta thinks you have an eating disorder. She has no idea.
oh, man - this was wonderful. a perfect little jewel of a story. i'm not gonna lie - if this was meant to be a "gasp, twist!," it's a failure, but i think you're supposed to know what's what from the get-go. from near the get-go. but the story itself - its build, its characters, its themes of abandonment and outsider-loneliness and chosen families and protective friendships, well gosh, it's just perfect. this is one of the best free tor shorts i've read in a while, and in my 2018-determination to not over-review short stories anymore, that's all i'm going to say, but YOU should read it and say as much or as little as you want to about it. hurrah for tor once more!
read it for yourself here:
https://www.tor.com/2018/06/20/recove...
August 1, 2018
A story about a pair of friends, addiction, and a secret between them. surprisingly heartwarming considering the content, and I adored our two leads. I almost wanted more out of the ending, but I think any short story can make you feel that way, and some of the messages of the final bit are really special. This will stay with me for a while.
You can read this for free here!
You can read this for free here!
October 18, 2018
This was an engaging short story about two friends battling separate addictions. Alcohol abuse for one and an eating disorder for the other. To spice things up the story had a fun sci-fi twist.
It sounds like it might be a bit dull and my initial gut instinct was that this was not going to be my sort of story but to Susan Palwick's credit I was soon sucked into the story and invested in the happenings. Even more impressive was that this was a good story in the 2nd person POV!
It was definitely not a light story given the topics dealt with but I felt like it never got too bleak and that the friendship between the two main characters was handled well. I was also a fan of the sci-fi twist.
Rating: 4 stars.
It sounds like it might be a bit dull and my initial gut instinct was that this was not going to be my sort of story but to Susan Palwick's credit I was soon sucked into the story and invested in the happenings. Even more impressive was that this was a good story in the 2nd person POV!
It was definitely not a light story given the topics dealt with but I felt like it never got too bleak and that the friendship between the two main characters was handled well. I was also a fan of the sci-fi twist.
Rating: 4 stars.
April 28, 2020
“you think you’ve got abandonment issues, vanessa? get in line.”
a short story that gave me the chills, and with a nice little twist to top it all off.
vanessa and kat, friends since their messy, unconventional childhoods, both exhibit wildly dysfunctional behaviors. vanessa easily goes for the bottle, stumbling through life in-between blackouts and dive bars; kat keeps to a strict diet of veggies and salads, and is liable to throw it all up.
we first meet them when they’re out celebrating vanessa’s various anniversaries: her birthday, the day when she’s been sober for one year, and the day that marks ten years since her parents disappeared. the present is interspersed with their past, showing you how they grew up together and somehow stuck together while both feeling like lonely outcasts.
i’m not gonna lie, it gets uncomfortably intimate. thanks to how it’s also written in second person POV (with the addressed ‘you’ being kat), you can really feel all the deeply troubling behaviors to your core. both women are dealing with disordered drinking and eating, and there’s a deeper secret below all that waiting to revealed.
for a short story, it certainly packs a punch. it covers a lot of ground re: found family and friendships, feeling like you don’t belong, and how to cope with who you are. it links that theme to common aspects of sci-fi and fantasy/folklore, too.
thanks to its subject matter, it was slightly depressing to read -- not a bad thing, per se, but it made the whole experience feel slower to me in general. which, admittedly, doesn’t occur too often with a short story.
read it here.
✎ 3.0 stars.
December 7, 2018
"She doesn't care. She just wants to feel the booze sliding down her throat. She's ruled by her craving. You know that feeling too."
Although the story started out very powerful, I really didn't enjoy the ending. I loved how the author combined the experiences of an alcoholic with those of a girl with an eating disorder, which although so very different, overlap in so many ways. I loved the intimacy of the story and the situations described and I'd love a longer story just like that.
Unfortunately the twist ending was one I was dreading and really didn't enjoy. I didn't like the way it reframed what came before it, and unfortunately wasn't a fan of the tonal change.
I'm sorry to say, but this was a disappointment to me.
June 15, 2019
I don't often see second-person stories work out well, but this slowly dripped in "your" character in an effective manner.
Echoes of Wintergirls and an alien abduction short story I can't put my finger on as well.
Echoes of Wintergirls and an alien abduction short story I can't put my finger on as well.
June 22, 2018
That was AMAZING! Short Tor freebie, highly recommended! 5 stars, all the way!
June 30, 2018
An intense story of friendship with a completely unexpected twist.
June 29, 2018
Okay, bei Tor.com hätte ich wissen sollen wohin das führen könnte, aber den Twist habe ich nicht erwartet. Asche auf mein Haupt.
December 21, 2024
A bit too long in the middle, but the ending was good and rather unexpected.
January 14, 2021
This is the second Susan Palwick story I’ve read, and she is quickly becoming a memorable author. Both stories I’ve read have been winners in my book. She definitely has a knack for characterization, and is a ninja when it comes to tone and atmosphere. And both stories I’ve read are very different animals. The first, a short story entitled Homecoming, has a historical and folklorian flair, while this one is a humanistic sci-fi tale.
First off, it is written in second person which can be clunky and awkward to read, but anything off-putting about it quickly faded as I delved deeper into the story. It is from the point of view of Kat, whose alcoholic best friend Vanessa is hours away from being released from probation, and Kat knows that with her release, Vanessa will flush her year of sobriety, and quite possibly, their friendship down the toilet. Kat has a secret that she has been keeping from Vanessa, whose parents left her at age 18 claiming to have been abducted by aliens. A secret that she has been keeping for as long as they have known each other. A secret that has the potential to not only change their relationship, but destroy it as well. But a secret that is necessary for both their futures as individuals and as friends.
It is a quiet story for the most part with forays into the pasts of both girls interspersed with the present conflict. The flip-flopping of timelines really works well here and is not the least bit distracting or confusing. It is a story with really good pacing and a lot of readability with a little bit of a “twist” at the end, although the not so subtle hints and clues dropped casually throughout make the big “reveal,” more of a justification of your own thoughts. I’m not entirely sure that the reveal is meant to be a surprise, but the ending does definitely add something to the story.
It is science fiction with more emphasis on friendship and living and camaraderie and humanness than it does on the science, which I definitely enjoy. The way the story pulls you in and makes you engaged is wonderful, and it is a story that has definitely stuck with me. It is a story about being who you are and searching for connections to the past and finding ways to fill the voids that life and loss create. I really loved both of these characters and found shades of gray in each one. I will definitely keep Susan Palwick on my radar. Highly recommended.
4.5 stars
Read it for FREE here:
https://www.tor.com/2018/06/20/recove...
Day twenty-six in my November challenge where I will try to read one science fiction or fantasy short story a day.
First off, it is written in second person which can be clunky and awkward to read, but anything off-putting about it quickly faded as I delved deeper into the story. It is from the point of view of Kat, whose alcoholic best friend Vanessa is hours away from being released from probation, and Kat knows that with her release, Vanessa will flush her year of sobriety, and quite possibly, their friendship down the toilet. Kat has a secret that she has been keeping from Vanessa, whose parents left her at age 18 claiming to have been abducted by aliens. A secret that she has been keeping for as long as they have known each other. A secret that has the potential to not only change their relationship, but destroy it as well. But a secret that is necessary for both their futures as individuals and as friends.
It is a quiet story for the most part with forays into the pasts of both girls interspersed with the present conflict. The flip-flopping of timelines really works well here and is not the least bit distracting or confusing. It is a story with really good pacing and a lot of readability with a little bit of a “twist” at the end, although the not so subtle hints and clues dropped casually throughout make the big “reveal,” more of a justification of your own thoughts. I’m not entirely sure that the reveal is meant to be a surprise, but the ending does definitely add something to the story.
It is science fiction with more emphasis on friendship and living and camaraderie and humanness than it does on the science, which I definitely enjoy. The way the story pulls you in and makes you engaged is wonderful, and it is a story that has definitely stuck with me. It is a story about being who you are and searching for connections to the past and finding ways to fill the voids that life and loss create. I really loved both of these characters and found shades of gray in each one. I will definitely keep Susan Palwick on my radar. Highly recommended.
4.5 stars
Read it for FREE here:
https://www.tor.com/2018/06/20/recove...
Day twenty-six in my November challenge where I will try to read one science fiction or fantasy short story a day.
October 20, 2020
This was really well written. I usually dont like 2nd person narrative but it worked really well for this story. I also enjoyed the twist, I did suspect something in those lines after Reading other Reviews about a twist. If i havent read about it I would have been more shocked.
Its a great short story about abandonment, lonelyness, being different and struggling with addictions.
Its a great short story about abandonment, lonelyness, being different and struggling with addictions.
May 20, 2021
[...] again. Alone.
What an interesting short story! The beginning, especially, trapped me in. It had such a familiar, ordinary tone that made the impact of the later revelation even harder. The last part threw me off a bit, maybe for all the dialogues, but still made a good ending. I really liked the concept and the second-person point of view really worked for me!
June 24, 2018
This is beautiful and heartwarming.
September 1, 2018
Okay, so I liked that until the very last bit. I wasn't expecting the turn it took, so...(not that the act of surprising me was the bad part; it was more the fact that the turn itself was really, really weird.)
In a way, I thought this perhaps glorified eating disorders, and that may be a misinterpretation, but just beware.
TW: alcoholism, eating disorders (specifically bulimia)
-Book Hugger
http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
In a way, I thought this perhaps glorified eating disorders, and that may be a misinterpretation, but just beware.
TW: alcoholism, eating disorders (specifically bulimia)
-Book Hugger
http://www.bookhuggerreviews.com
July 19, 2018
Fun, but it didn't rock my world. The friendship is portaryed in a realistic way in that it is often a matter of corcumstances rather than soulmates. Therefore, it was diffucult at times to understand why the narrator put up with her "friend", even after the reveal.
Read
June 15, 2020idek.
January 19, 2021
Que ideia simples e bem executada. Susan Palwick traz para nós uma narrativa sensível e interessante sobre duas amigas que lutam para manter sua amizade diante de um enorme segredo que está ao redor delas. O elemento de scifi presente na narrativa é sutil por demais e é usado mais como um meio para contar a história de Kat e Vanessa. A autora consegue entregar uma história que trata de temas como alcoolismo e abandono que impressiona pelo desenvolvimento de personagens. Ao final entendemos a quem pertence a verdadeira jornada nessa história.
Vanessa é uma garota com problemas de alcoolismo graves. Ela não fica satisfeita enquanto não bebe até cair. E frequentemente tem apagões. Isso acontece porque ela se sente abandonada pelos pais. Eles alegam terem sido abduzidos por alienígenas e por conta disso criaram um grupo de ajuda àqueles que tiveram a mesma experiência. Existe uma esperança de que os alienígenas retornem para buscá-los. Essa atenção aos encontros fez com que eles não se importassem mais com Vanessa. Ou seja, ela acaba buscando chamar a atenção. Já Kat é uma órfã que tem distúrbios alimentares. Ela acaba se associando a Vanessa por elementos em comum e desenvolvem uma forte amizade. Mas, Kat guarda um segredo que pode afetar sua amizade.
Aqui temos duas personagens com trajetórias narrativas diferentes. Palwick coloca o foco em Kat que nos conta sua história. Por ela ser mais centrada, sua narrativa é mais correta e tranquila de ser entendida (imagino como seria a mesma história contada pela Vanessa). A escrita é interessante e bem focada, trabalhando a relação entre as duas personagens. Isso é o que move a narrativa. Como elas se conheceram, como sua amizade se manteve ao longo do tempo e como ela poderia suportar uma mudança em sua própria essência. Palwick vai nos colocando isso em nossa cabeça, mas não conseguimos saber do que Kat tem tanto medo até a verdade aparecer. E é um belo de um plot twist. Só me incomodou na narrativa a página final que eu achei um pouco brusco e amargo. Entendi aonde a autora quis chegar, mas senti que faltou algo.
Trabalhar com os problemas advindos do alcoolismo foi de uma bela coragem da parte da autora. Vanessa é uma alcóolatra por escolha, de forma a chamar a atenção daqueles a quem ela sente falta. Esse é um problema vivido por vários adolescentes nos dias atuais. Tenho alunos que são alcóolatras por conta da ausência de um núcleo familiar mais unido. Podemos acompanhar como foi a primeira vez para ela e como o vício lentamente se desenvolveu em seu interior. A bebida fornece a ela o vazio e o esquecimento que ela tanto precisa. É uma maneira de fugir da realidade. Os problemas de saúde também nos são apresentados: o perigo dos apagões, a necessidade latente. Vanessa acaba também se envolvendo em relacionamentos complicados dos quais só se mantém por causa de seu vício. Essa fuga se repete em pares fáceis.
Por outro lado, Kat sempre foi órfã. Sabemos que seus pais a abandonaram e não disseram a ela quando voltariam. O relacionamento com Vanessa é o único laço que ela tem com o mundo. Não percebi na narrativa uma vontade de Kat de se envolver com qualquer outra pessoa. Pelo menos não aparece em nenhum momento. A única outra pessoa que aparece além dos pais de Vanessa, é Minta, a coordenadora do núcleo de alcoólatras anônimos do qual Vanessa participa. Mas, Kat não está conseguindo mais suportar a instabilidade de Vanessa. As preocupações constantes, os sumiços e a falta de suporte dos pais estão criando uma pessoa volátil do qual mesmo o jeito centrado de Kat não é mais capaz de impedir. Para piorar, existe um segredo que Kat esconde de sua amiga. Mas, diante desse cenário, ela sente que se abrir o jogo, pode deixar o estado emocional da amiga ainda pior. A narrativa se desenrola nessa necessidade de Kat tomar uma decisão.
Eu gostei do conto. Sinto que falta alguma coisa nele, mas não impede de ele ser divertido. Achei de uma incrível habilidade da autora usar o elemento scifi de forma bem sutil ao longo de toda a história.
Vanessa é uma garota com problemas de alcoolismo graves. Ela não fica satisfeita enquanto não bebe até cair. E frequentemente tem apagões. Isso acontece porque ela se sente abandonada pelos pais. Eles alegam terem sido abduzidos por alienígenas e por conta disso criaram um grupo de ajuda àqueles que tiveram a mesma experiência. Existe uma esperança de que os alienígenas retornem para buscá-los. Essa atenção aos encontros fez com que eles não se importassem mais com Vanessa. Ou seja, ela acaba buscando chamar a atenção. Já Kat é uma órfã que tem distúrbios alimentares. Ela acaba se associando a Vanessa por elementos em comum e desenvolvem uma forte amizade. Mas, Kat guarda um segredo que pode afetar sua amizade.
Aqui temos duas personagens com trajetórias narrativas diferentes. Palwick coloca o foco em Kat que nos conta sua história. Por ela ser mais centrada, sua narrativa é mais correta e tranquila de ser entendida (imagino como seria a mesma história contada pela Vanessa). A escrita é interessante e bem focada, trabalhando a relação entre as duas personagens. Isso é o que move a narrativa. Como elas se conheceram, como sua amizade se manteve ao longo do tempo e como ela poderia suportar uma mudança em sua própria essência. Palwick vai nos colocando isso em nossa cabeça, mas não conseguimos saber do que Kat tem tanto medo até a verdade aparecer. E é um belo de um plot twist. Só me incomodou na narrativa a página final que eu achei um pouco brusco e amargo. Entendi aonde a autora quis chegar, mas senti que faltou algo.
Trabalhar com os problemas advindos do alcoolismo foi de uma bela coragem da parte da autora. Vanessa é uma alcóolatra por escolha, de forma a chamar a atenção daqueles a quem ela sente falta. Esse é um problema vivido por vários adolescentes nos dias atuais. Tenho alunos que são alcóolatras por conta da ausência de um núcleo familiar mais unido. Podemos acompanhar como foi a primeira vez para ela e como o vício lentamente se desenvolveu em seu interior. A bebida fornece a ela o vazio e o esquecimento que ela tanto precisa. É uma maneira de fugir da realidade. Os problemas de saúde também nos são apresentados: o perigo dos apagões, a necessidade latente. Vanessa acaba também se envolvendo em relacionamentos complicados dos quais só se mantém por causa de seu vício. Essa fuga se repete em pares fáceis.
Por outro lado, Kat sempre foi órfã. Sabemos que seus pais a abandonaram e não disseram a ela quando voltariam. O relacionamento com Vanessa é o único laço que ela tem com o mundo. Não percebi na narrativa uma vontade de Kat de se envolver com qualquer outra pessoa. Pelo menos não aparece em nenhum momento. A única outra pessoa que aparece além dos pais de Vanessa, é Minta, a coordenadora do núcleo de alcoólatras anônimos do qual Vanessa participa. Mas, Kat não está conseguindo mais suportar a instabilidade de Vanessa. As preocupações constantes, os sumiços e a falta de suporte dos pais estão criando uma pessoa volátil do qual mesmo o jeito centrado de Kat não é mais capaz de impedir. Para piorar, existe um segredo que Kat esconde de sua amiga. Mas, diante desse cenário, ela sente que se abrir o jogo, pode deixar o estado emocional da amiga ainda pior. A narrativa se desenrola nessa necessidade de Kat tomar uma decisão.
Eu gostei do conto. Sinto que falta alguma coisa nele, mas não impede de ele ser divertido. Achei de uma incrível habilidade da autora usar o elemento scifi de forma bem sutil ao longo de toda a história.
July 8, 2019
Two women who have been friends since they were children—one a recovering alcoholic brought up by parents who believe they’re alien abductees, the other an orphan with an eating disorder—contend with a secret that might doom their friendship.
This story is told from the point of view of Kat, a shifter of some kind -- so far, her theory is veering towards alien -- who has been abandoned by her parents. She has been hiding who she is and her dark craving for human meat her whole life. Since she doesn't want to eat people, she is underfed and vomits everything she ingests, which consists only of salads.
She lives with her best friend Vanessa, who is an alcoholic, and whose parents believed in aliens. They never paid her any attention when she was growing up, and when she turned eighteen, they left.
So the story centers around Kat's inner dialogue and Vanessa's abandonment issues and sobriety struggles. As characters, neither of them appealed to me. I found Kat's thoughts and personality to be incredibly judgemental, while Vanessa came across as self-centered. They're both pretty terrible friends to each other, and their codependency doesn't help things. It's like they attached themselves to the only other person present in their lives and decided to stick with it, even though neither of them seems to consider the other in a positive light.
The writing was okay, but I think because I found the story to be so uninteresting, it became tiring to continue.
June 23, 2018
This is a unique story. I like how this brings up various issues (i.e. alcoholism, eating disorders, etc.) into a science-fantasy genre. It's also pretty realistic in its setting and modern-day placement, while inserting science-fantasy elements (i.e. one of the main characters is an alien/changeling, but has also been a foster kid; the other main character has parents who believe in alien abductions and is neglected by her parents, and she deals with alcoholism).
Also, I guess somewhat surprisingly, this was edited by Ellen Datlow, a famous editor who has compiled fairy-tale retellings and best horror short stories of the year. I think she's also written some of the best fantasy/horror works too. So I guess I'm somewhat shocked that she edited this, though I shouldn't be...?
I'm giving this one 3 stars. I think the second-person POV was well-done but I guess, in some ways, I was kinda expecting more but got less.
Also, I guess somewhat surprisingly, this was edited by Ellen Datlow, a famous editor who has compiled fairy-tale retellings and best horror short stories of the year. I think she's also written some of the best fantasy/horror works too. So I guess I'm somewhat shocked that she edited this, though I shouldn't be...?
I'm giving this one 3 stars. I think the second-person POV was well-done but I guess, in some ways, I was kinda expecting more but got less.
June 24, 2018
This one's a difficult one to read, what with the eating disorder of the second person narrator, plus the alcoholism of the best friend of that character. It follows a dual timeline, from high school to the present where both main characters are adults.
It's the anniversary of Vanessa's parents' disappearance. For all anyone knows, they were abducted by aliens as they always said they wanted to have happen. Vanessa is about to fall off the wagon again, and her best friend Kat needs to find some way of keeping her from falling.
Honestly, this is not a comfy read. I considered putting it down and leaving it there. However, if you can get through it, the end has a great pay off that I found was definitely worth the difficult content.
It's the anniversary of Vanessa's parents' disappearance. For all anyone knows, they were abducted by aliens as they always said they wanted to have happen. Vanessa is about to fall off the wagon again, and her best friend Kat needs to find some way of keeping her from falling.
Honestly, this is not a comfy read. I considered putting it down and leaving it there. However, if you can get through it, the end has a great pay off that I found was definitely worth the difficult content.
May 14, 2021
I read this short story on tor.com.
I had no idea what to expect but I ended up enjoying this quite a bit. Even though the story deals with abandonment, loneliness, eating disorders, and alcoholism, I never felt weighed down by the heavy topics. They are touched on and explored, but it didn't leave me feeling heavy at the end, which I appreciate.
The story is also told in second-person, which was an interesting change for me. Overall, I enjoyed this and found it quite easy to read.
I had no idea what to expect but I ended up enjoying this quite a bit. Even though the story deals with abandonment, loneliness, eating disorders, and alcoholism, I never felt weighed down by the heavy topics. They are touched on and explored, but it didn't leave me feeling heavy at the end, which I appreciate.
The story is also told in second-person, which was an interesting change for me. Overall, I enjoyed this and found it quite easy to read.
June 23, 2018
Ha! This was clever.
June 24, 2018
Cutie and heartwarming
July 26, 2018
Not my kind of story. Felt no connection to the characters; style is strange...
September 19, 2021
Blown away. Superb short story (I'm this close in sending it over the 7-star shelf) about two friends and the struggle of addiction. To what, you ask. Well. Read and find out.
September 3, 2018
Available to read on Tor.com
Started out as a mildly clichéd tale of two misfits, one a recovering alcoholic with absent parents, the other a serious loner who seems to have an eating disorder and grew up in foster care. The set-up ideas didn't bring anything new and weren't exploded emotionally by the author to any meaningful degree. Soon enough, the reader gets more information, enough to be intrigued by how everything adds up. There's a mention of aliens in the synopsis (the former characters parents believe they've had contact) and, Tor being a sci-if/fantasy site, I expected that to go somewhere, but I predicted it differently, and enjoyed it all the more for not fitting my own ideas. I enjoyed the peeling back, both in the present and in flashback layers, and I thought the ending, which wasn't what I'd come to expect, was quite well-created, and left me satisfied.
Started out as a mildly clichéd tale of two misfits, one a recovering alcoholic with absent parents, the other a serious loner who seems to have an eating disorder and grew up in foster care. The set-up ideas didn't bring anything new and weren't exploded emotionally by the author to any meaningful degree. Soon enough, the reader gets more information, enough to be intrigued by how everything adds up. There's a mention of aliens in the synopsis (the former characters parents believe they've had contact) and, Tor being a sci-if/fantasy site, I expected that to go somewhere, but I predicted it differently, and enjoyed it all the more for not fitting my own ideas. I enjoyed the peeling back, both in the present and in flashback layers, and I thought the ending, which wasn't what I'd come to expect, was quite well-created, and left me satisfied.
October 15, 2018
The Point of View is practically its own character here. That's a help, as the two main characters (and a 12-step group sponsor who also has a prominent place) are just a bit slight, and most of the major twisty interaction is halfway-telegraphed (unnecessarily, in my view). Interactions with parents, others on the periphery seem like an overlooked opportunity to apply substance. A child survivor of UFO-obsessed parents, and her friend who's struggling to keep together in spite of an overwhelming eating disorder, hash out their codependent pas de deux. Is it a psychological thriller with one or two unexpected developments? ...and with warmer and more relatable scenes than is typical for a novelette discussing alien-abduction cults? Both, and it was enjoyable--just different enough for my tastes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews