GaPJaxie Reviews: So Much for Strangers · 6:13pm Aug 17th, 2021
Let me get my criticisms of this story out of the way first: the plot doesn't make a ton of sense, there are several points where individual characters make strange/bad decisions to keep the story moving, and it hints at much but explains little. If you like tightly scripted, plot-driven stories in worlds that feel fully realized and coherent, this is not the fic for you.
That said, I adored this story and I'd like to talk about why.
So Much for Strangers is one of the most evocative stories I've read in a long time. Its visceral, striking scenes elegantly convey the intended themes of the story: the cycle of abuse, multi-generational trauma, societal change, and questions of guilt and responsibility. And if the world is never fully explained, then the reader is encouraged to remember that the world we live in generally offers few explanations, and we have to live in it anyway.
Kronr, the protagonist of the story, is a unicorn born with a third eye on her forehead and immense magical powers. Why does she have three eyes? Is her third eye the source of her great powers? Is it related to the two-headed cow whose blood anointed her mother's barn? These questions are never answered. But Kronr doesn't know the answer either, and she still has to live with being the three-eyed unicorn, with her own doubts, and with a family that never accepted her.
Many of the events of Kronor's life are shown through implication. When questions are raised as to the source of her trauma, the story shows us scenes not from her childhood, but from her mother's childhood, highlighting the abuse that will be passed down to the next generation, despite her mother's best intentions. And many of the scenes we see, from the present, Kronr's past, or the pasts of those who changed her life, are wonderfully atmospheric and understated:
“Let us out,” one cattle lowed. The rest took up the call. “Let us out.” “Let us out.” “Let us out.”
Chromatic Wind ignored them and raced to the back of the barn. The stink was monumental. A hundred sweltering bodies and mildew and hay and afterbirth.
A mass of cattle bodies crowded themselves into the corner of the last stall in the row. “Let us out,” they echoed in almost perfect unison. Chromatic Wind’s father had assured her there was nothing to be afraid of, that the many heads of cattle had one brain and spoke as a single unified organism, and it was completely normal. but that explanation failed to erase just how creepy it was to hear them all speak at once.
“Move,” Chromatic Wind commanded.
“Let us out,” they replied in chorus. “It’s so hot.”
“Move.”
“It’s so hot.”
A great read for any fan of good character work. This is the sort of story that makes me glad I follow Bandy.
Hm. Well, I'm not sure when of if I'll get to it -- I'm low on time in general, and from your description I'm not sure whether I'd find this story very interesting or very frustrating -- but I've put it on a list, at least.
Thank you for the review. :)
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🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
Thanks homie