[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, August 21, 2023

“Of Flesh, Of Bone” by Tania Chen

Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf

The main character in “Of Flesh, Of Bone” by Tania Chen is the grandson of Chinese immigrants. After his grandparents die and his mother leaves the family, he is haunted by the ghosts of ancestors.

The story can be read as an allegory for the experience of the descendants of immigrants caught between two cultures. The haunting can also be interpreted as a metaphor for the protagonist’s emotional suffering after the loss of grandparents and mother. More of a mood piece than a plot-driven work, this eerie tale is full of evocative language that creates the proper feeling in the reader, but is not always completely clear.

Victoria Silverwolf has been enjoying homemade vegan minestrone lately.