★★★☆☆ Average
(Uncanny Horror) A young teenager meets a man with a strange, old-fashioned camera that doesn’t seem to work—so why does the man insist it not be used on people? (2,444 words; Time: 08m)
"Obscura," by Yoon Ha Lee [bio] (edited by Jane Crowley and Kate Dollarhyde), appeared in Strange Horizons issue 01/29/18, published on January 29, 2018.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The writing is clean, and the setup is interesting.
Con: I’m really not sure what happened here. The narrator saw the image of his/her family which meant they’re going to split up, but surely that came as no surprise. And then the original owner just takes it back and disappears with an apology? It seems like it's all over just when it started to get interesting.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01/29/18)
Yoon Ha Lee Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
Con: I’m really not sure what happened here. The narrator saw the image of his/her family which meant they’re going to split up, but surely that came as no surprise. And then the original owner just takes it back and disappears with an apology? It seems like it's all over just when it started to get interesting.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 01/29/18)
Yoon Ha Lee Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.
I think the moment they take the "self-portrait" which shows their parents is when they realize that their "family" doesn't have to depend on the parent's marriage. They can choose another family.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't really understand the end or what the camera shows/does. Overall, the title seems to fit pretty well for me -- a bit too obscure. ;P