In an earlier blog post I mentioned that Carol Emshwiller won the Neubla for best short story. Though I haven't had the opportunity to read the story that got the prize, I just finished her two most recent tales.
"The Seducer" appears in the Oct/Nov issue of Asmiov's, and "Killers" is in the Oct/Nov F&SF. The two stories shared some striking similarities that may indicate something about Emshwiller's current trends as a writer.
1. First person, present tense.
2. Protagonist has had to care for elderly, ornery parents. At the start of the tale, the protagonist is freed from this obligation by their deaths.
3. A spectral sibling- important to the protagonist in early life, now missing.
4. Moving up the mountain- as tensions rise, the characters seek higher ground.
5. Celibate (or unemotionally unattached) protagonist is overwhelmed by love for specimen of the opposite sex who does not conform to protagonist's ideal of beauty.
6. Short noun titles implying active characters.
This was the very first story I've read out of my new Asimov's subscription. I was shocked when I got to the end and realized "The Seducer" isn't science fiction.
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