While there is a clear moral to the story in the book’s final chapter, Zhang writes deftly to keep any of her characters from being clear cut. The messiness in turn reveals truth: that when the chips are down, human instinct and that of crabs in a bucket are largely the same.
Tag Archives: Fiction
Wishes get Colonized and Corporatized in Shubeik Lubeik
The repercussions from wishes are negligible for the haves and devastating for the have-nots. Following the rules is detrimental for some, and far outside the sphere of concern for others. As with many things designed to “make life better”—technology, say, or medicine—the artificial scaffolding around wishes exacerbate, rather than reduce, inequality in the society they occupy.
‘Cassandra’ a Journey in Time Travel and Self Acceptance
Cassandra’s is captivating story about the benefits and costs of being able to do-over the rougher parts of your day, and about accepting yourself for yourself, no matter who you happen to be.
‘Fire’ a Rich Historical Tragedy with a Glimmer of Hope
The four point-of-view characters do all give us a different view of the disaster. It’s a testament to Beanland’s writing and research that the characters all feel so human, and the world around them so real.
‘Brotherless Night’ a Powerful Story of Violence and Heartbreak
Whether or not the violence was productive, the main character shows, far too many people were hurt to make it right. When two, or more, sides are fighting, it’s the people in the middle who are most affected.
‘Fox Wife’ A Magical Tale of Revenge (Really)
As the various plotlines come together, the story does verge on zany, but successfully toes the line. And for a story that started with death and revenge, I was happy to allow Choo some coincidences (or, perhaps, twists of fate) to lead the characters to an improbably happy ending.
‘Fifty Beasts’ a Strange and Magical Collection of Shorts
Though many of the stories verge on the dark or twisty side of things, there really is a strong sense of playfulness throughout. It’s like watching shadow children frolic, or sprites dance, things that are having fun but can also devour you whole.
‘Beautiful’ Unflinchingly Humanizes the Invisible Cost of Modern Life
It’s one thing to understand that the status quo demands a human cost in some far-off corner of some anonymous country. It’s another to put faces and stories to that cost, and to see how steep that cost really is, and how our culture is complicit to it.
‘North Woods’ A Puzzlebox of a Story
Even in its more intricate and obtuse moments, North Woods quickly links itself back to its original purpose: to tell the story of one fictional geographic location through the ages.
‘Panda Killer’ a Story of New Starts and Hard Truths
The story is plenty heavy but never unbearable. And there are moments of levity, and of hope, and joy, for both Jane and Phúc, even as their circumstances make life a little darker for them than for others.
Ring Reads 