(Ghost Story) A little boy mourning his mother is sure that he's hearing ghosts in the house. (12,191 words; Time: 40m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"The White Piano," by David Gerrold [bio] (edited by C.C. Finlay), appeared in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction issue 01-02|16, published on January 1, 2016 by Spilogale Inc.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The story is very well-written, and the account of the little boy's feelings rings true. The grandmother is a delightful character, and her sensitivity to the children's pain is touching.
Con: It's debatable whether this story is SFF at all. The grandmother's ghost story does not seem to have been meant to be taken seriously, and beyond that there are no real ghosts in the story.
The story is definitely a tear-jerker. The narrator loses his mother at the start and we learn at the end that he has lost his grandmother as well.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|16)
David Gerrold Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Con: It's debatable whether this story is SFF at all. The grandmother's ghost story does not seem to have been meant to be taken seriously, and beyond that there are no real ghosts in the story.
The story is definitely a tear-jerker. The narrator loses his mother at the start and we learn at the end that he has lost his grandmother as well.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01-02|16)
David Gerrold Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Very lovely. The story within a story within a story was well-done.
ReplyDeleteHelpful to have Spotify on hand for the musical number references. Otherwise it would be like, "yup a song, ok"
ReplyDeleteYoutube often works pretty well too.
Delete