Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Breaking Water, by Indrapramit Das

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(Zombie) In modern India, Krishna encounters (and ignores) a dead woman's body by the river just before the dead start to walk. He feels guilty and determines to do something about it. (8,504 words; Time: 28m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
Recommended By: GDozois:4 RHorton:4

"," by (edited by Liz Gorinsky), published on by .

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: It's hilarious. The priest wanting Krishna to take the dead woman as his wife just long enough to get her burned. The paanwallah thinks Krishna is looking for a wife in the wrong place. (And boy is he right.) Even the dreaded zombie bite turn out to be cured with antibiotics. It's a zombie apocalypse Indian style, and it's great fun.

Con: The story is complete (Krishna starts by promising to take her as a "wife" so she can be burned, and eventually he does just that) but it's awfully thin. Neither he nor anyone else in the story makes much of a difference in the midst of this crisis. The narrator's speculations on death and the afterlife feel unnaturally added on.

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1 comment (may contain spoilers):

  1. I'm just not a zombie fan. Even though this was a different take, it did nothing to change my mind.

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