Saturday, March 5, 2016

Seven Cups of Coffee, by A.C. Wise

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(Time Travel) Narrator, in 1983, takes a job that involves going back to 1945 to do some dirty work, but she becomes infatuated with her target. (3,979 words; Time: 13m)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ Not Recommended
Recommended By: GDozois:4

"," by (edited by Neil Clarke), appeared in issue 114, published on .

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

Pro: The narrator really does come across as absolutely obsessed with her (ex-)lover.

Con: There's no resolution to the story, and it's full of loose ends. For example, what was Scarlet's purpose? Why doesn't she try to stop the narrator.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 114)

3 comments (may contain spoilers):

  1. The plight of the narrator who is rejected by her family and the lover who can't even accept herself is very moving. But giving much thought to Scarlett spoils it for me. She's like a devil out to torture lesbians. Neither the narrator or the other "cleaning woman" she meets can find happiness in a future where all orientations are embraced.

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  2. Something unusual about this story is that although it's written in 2016, the time-travellers go from 1983 back to 1945. Not sure what the point of that was though.

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  3. To show a prospective between now and the 40's? While I'm sure it's still not unheard of, the parents' reaction thankfully seems dated. The mother actually wonders why someone attractive enough to get a husband would resort to being with another woman. And the story predicts things will continue to progress in the next 20 years from now. Wished we'd learned something about the woman from the 60's situation.

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