[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, June 10, 2024

“The crack, or one past two” by Danilo Heitor

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

The narrator of “The crack, or one past two” by Danilo Heitor arrives at an anarchist commune and becomes involved with a pair of lovers. One feels free to take other lovers, which her partner silently resents. The narrator becomes the lover of the latter.

The heart of the story, I believe, is a gesture made by one lover to another involving a cracked window. This quiet, gentle love story is little more than an anecdote, but a pleasant one.

The speculative content is limited to the existence of the commune (similar to that found in Ursula K. LeGuin’s novel The Dispossessed) and mention of a building material made from plants. The former relates to the theme of possessiveness in love, but the latter has no real relevance.

Victoria Silverwolf greatly enjoyed The Dispossessed.