[On May 10, 2021 Strange Horizons officially expressed its political support for Palestinian solidarity. The views of Tangent Online reviewers are not necessarily those of Strange Horizons. Fiction critiqued at Tangent Online is, as much as is humanly possible, without prejudice and based solely on artistic merit.]

Strange Horizons, October 2, 2021

“Thread Count” by Cynthia Gómez

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

In conjunction with the magazine’s annual fundraising drive, this bonus issue provides an extra work of original fiction, in addition to its regular weekly offerings.

Written in the form of a nonfiction article, “Thread Count” by Cynthia Gómez involves the mysterious deaths of the people on a list of the world’s wealthiest individuals. Each death is associated with a strange odor, never the same twice. An interview with one of the gardeners of the first victim provides an analogy with the dark secret of the worker’s father.

The format of this piece provides a distancing effect, making it difficult for the reader to fully connect with it. The work only comes to life at the end, during the interview with the gardener. Although the rest of the story is well written, with a touch of wit and dark humor, how the reader responds to it is likely to depend on one’s opinions about the politics of capitalism.

Although clearly intended as a diatribe against corporate abuses and excessive wealth, the story’s theme is somewhat ambiguous. Whether the rich and powerful victims took advantage of their workers or genuinely cared for them makes no difference in their fate. Perhaps the point is that accumulation of large amounts of wealth is itself a form of injustice. The significance of the peculiar aromas accompanying the deaths is unclear.

Victoria Silverwolf has to work four extra days in the near future.