Strange Horizons, February 17, 2020

“The Oldest Solution” by Priya Sridhar

Reviewed by Tara Grímravn

This week’s issue of Strange Horizons features a short story by Priya Sridhar titled “The Oldest Solution.” It follows the story of Nisha who’s visiting a new psychologist, Dr. Olk, over relationship issues she’s having with her girlfriend, Khala. Dr. Olk, himself possessed by an Old One, offers her several treatment options, from being possessed herself to talk therapy. Nisha must choose how she’s going to move forward into the future.

I wondered whether this was going to be a Lovecraftian piece after reading the term “Mother of Pus” in the third paragraph. As it turns out, it both is and is not. Nisha’s world is one where the Old Ones take care of humans (in their own way, of course). They still see humans as being insignificant and it doesn’t seem like possession is a terrible thing but the mindless, hungering, destructive cosmic monsters we all know aren’t a part of this world. That said, there is an attempt to establish a sense of the horrific, a feeling of dread, but it just doesn’t work. The narrative isn’t interesting enough nor is the premise explained well enough. Even in short stories, especially those of this nature, some amount of world-building is required and while Sridhar does give a description of the environment that establishes the Old Ones’ presence, how they came to be a part of everything isn’t remotely touched upon.

Unfortunately, using Lovecraftian elements as stage props to dress up what amounts to little more than a mundane medical conversation doesn’t make for interesting reading. Nisha doesn’t have a real breakthrough moment to make it interesting on a human level and Dr. Olk and the Old Ones aren’t remotely terrifying, which would have given it that horror vibe. Ultimately, this story is boring and uninteresting.