[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, September 21, 2022

“Mother Hunger” by Mary Maxfield

Reviewed by Michelle Ristuccia

“Mother Hunger” by Mary Maxfield grips readers with a fierce start and delivers with a solid ending. However, the narrative could use more genre-specific details to ground the reader and to help with the suspension of disbelief. While I don’t expect every potential reader-question to be answered, at no point should I feel like the story simply replaces the word “daughter” with the word “mother.” Although we never do learn the how or why of the process, we do get engaging descriptions of “mother,” descriptions that resonate with the very real challenges of caring for a sick or special needs family member, or an infant. Overall, a solid story with clear themes of scarcity and familial struggle. Where other writers may have been tempted to over-politicize the scarcity aspects, here it simply is, and thus it adds to the horrific, too-close-to-home feel of the piece. This story deserves its content warnings.