This was an interesting little story; I see now why the collection it’s part of is titled “conversation pieces.” I quite enjoyed the process of piecing together the setting; vaguely in the future, definitely post-United States, with just a touch of magic. It reminds me of a book I didn’t finish, actually – The Fever King had a similar “the USA collapsed, here’s what it is now” kind of vibe going on, although that one was a lot more fantasy-forward.
An interesting read; I’d say it’s worth checking out.1
- This is an Amazon affiliate link – if you buy it from here, I get a little bit of commission. It won’t hurt my feelings if you buy it elsewhere; honestly, I’d rather you check it out from your local library, or go to a local book store. I prefer Bookshop affiliate links to Amazon when possible, but in this case, the book wasn’t available there, so it’ll have to do. ↩