Another good story from Stufflebeam, a fifth story of hers in Interzone in recent years, making her a regular there I spose.
Here she provides a heart-warming tale of humanity, that doesn’t get anywhere near schmalzy or saccharine, as it would be easy to do in a story about a young woman struggling to cope with life whilst looking after her Down Syndrome brother, after their mother’s death (father left a long time ago).
The state fair offers a chance of a tiny bit of respite for her, although even that’s a task in itself. And when there’s an opportunity to explore some multiverse alternatives to her current life, and there’s also a beautiful young potential lover to follow, the young woman has, of course, choices to make.
More from this issue here.
