Mysterion, September 2022

“The Practical Ending” by Alex Sobel

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

The narrator of “The Practical Ending” by Alex Sobel is the child of divorced parents, currently in the custody of the father. When the father finds out the mother is pregnant by her new boyfriend, he exacts an immature and trivial form of revenge. The narrator is torn between the two parents.

I have not mentioned the speculative content of this story, which takes place in a world of superpowered heroes and villains, because it is not directly relevant to the plot. Nor have I discussed the religious content of the narrative, which involves the father recruiting men to his own private sect, who aid him in his petty vengeance. These aspects of the work add interest, but in essence this is well-written mainstream fiction about three emotional people struggling with the aftermath of divorce.

Victoria Silverwolf tasted some spruce-flavored cider today. It was quite good.