Strange Horizons, October 9, 2017

Wednesday, 11 October 2017 1:34 pmOctober 11, 2017 Victoria Silverwolf

Note: This post was imported from an old content-management system, so please excuse any inconsistencies in formatting.

Strange Horizons, October 9, 2017

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

The narrator of “Airswimming” by Aisha Phoenix is a young woman whose grandfather was murdered. She attends a retreat for those who have lost someone to homicide. The bereaved learn to levitate. The narrator and another woman are unable to acquire this skill. They share their backgrounds and learn why they are different from the other survivors. This story is an example of magic realism, with a single fantastic element, which is used as a metaphor for the grieving process. It is well-written, if a bit too long for a simple theme.

Victoria Silverwolf can’t levitate.