Stories! Family relationships and magical public transit

[sonia]

After We Kill Our Father and Before We Reach the Mainland by Max Franciscovich, via sophia_sol, who gave it a great rec

➤ that's a very evocative short story title right there and it's like. yeah. that's what the story is about!

➤ a fantasy story about three teens who have escaped their powerful and abusive father figure, who are a team in escaping, who might not always like each other but who are bound together in inextricable ways

➤ the entire story takes place in a boat as they make their way away from the island, hoping to find the mainland, but it never feels static, it's always pushing you onward, as you get more hints of the backstory, of what exactly all the context is for the murder and the escape

➤ it's so good!!!

➤ also. it's told in plural first person? which is so cool. The three teens are the "we" and "us" of the narrative voice. it's so well done! I love when stories play with pov.

➤ also. trans characters!

➤ 5k words

I liked the way the writing gradually revealed the characters and the story, and that these three abused teens were still relating with care, and that the story mentions and acknowledges trauma without being traumatic to read.

Transits of Other Lands by Marissa Lingen, mrissa, who introduced it by saying

I wrote this story because writing "I MISS THE MONTREAL METRO" a hundred times during lockdown seemed like a less interesting way to express this. But also: I still do miss the Montreal Metro, gosh I miss the Montreal Metro, and also I miss the T-Bana and the T and BART. Other people's public transit is a magical thing.

In this story, literally so.

I liked the whimsy and the celebration of public transit while containing delightful snippets of story. It reminded me of Ursula K. Le Guin's "Changing Planes."

When We Disappear by Emily Yu. I love the illustration, even if it doesn't match the image in my head. Another story about family relating in difficult circumstances, beautifully told. I wanted a different ending, though.