A more substantial story than others in the anthology so far, and the better for it. And it’s vintage Nancy Kress, with a very human/e story built on the technological development of using deep-brain stimulation with special algae to treat Fatal Familial Insomnia.
There’s a bit of info-dumping in the story, and the young girl undertaking the treatment gets a helpful information sheet, which is shared with the reader.
But that minor quibble aside, Kress does what she does best – creating some believable, flawed characters, and puts them in a believable, flawed setting (libertarian government and medical research funding), families, relatives, lack of knowledge, and lots more, as we follow a young woman from a small rural community having to make sense of a lot of things on her journey to deal with with her FFA. So, of the stories so far, this would be my first pick for a story to be in a Year’s Best.
More about ‘Twelve Tomorrows’ here.
yes super story of the dynamic of “human”, society and what I would call medical intervention. insightful from both the patient and the provider end on the dynamics. I say society too, because she touches on the institutional settings. Fun read for any, health or social care provider.