The major themes of this story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie are aging, parent-child relationships, class, sexuality, jealousy and betrayal. A young Nigerian man is reminded of a time when, thanks to a shared interest in martial arts, he had bonded with one of his family’s houseboys (Raphael). Despite their differences in age and social class, the two spent hours practicing moves and mock fighting whenever his parents were away. For the boy, the relationship changes when Raphael contracts Apollo (conjunctivitis) and is confined to his room. Later, jealousy leads to betrayal with dire consequences for poor Raphael’s future. More…
The Rememberer
In this story from Aimee Bender, a man who is so sad about the world that he laments thinking about it has a wish come true. For no apparent reason he begins to experience reverse evolution, shedding millions of years a day. He regresses into an ape, then a sea turtle, and finally a small salamander, which his lover frees into the ocean. All she has left is her memories of him, which she clings to because if he’s not here, it’s her job to remember. Themes include overthinking and emotional detachment, love and caregiving, loss and remembrance. More…
Amnesty
In this story by Octavia Butler, Earth’s economy collapses following the arrival of an advanced alien race that settles in the world’s deserts. A reluctant co-existence develops when it becomes clear that the aliens cannot be destroyed. The protagonist, kidnapped by the aliens at age eleven and subjected to cruel experiments, is now an Interpreter for one of their “communities”. Her current mission: to “calm” and prepare six recruits for well-paid positions translating for other communities. Although they need the job, the applicants are full of anger and hostility towards the aliens. Themes: fear, ignorance, social experimentation, torture, hatred, détente. More…
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
This story, considered by Arthur Conan Doyle to be his best Sherlock Holmes mystery, features one of his most creative (and unlikeliest) murder plots. Thirty-year-old Helen, Holmes’s client, is a victim of Victorian attitudes towards women. Fearing for their future, her dead mother had decided that she and twin sister Julia would not receive their inheritances until they married. Their violent stepfather, who manages the money, will become destitute should either of them wed. After announcing her engagement, Julia dies under mysterious circumstances. Helen fears that she will be next. Themes: decay, isolation, fear, murder, class, greed, hasty judgement, justice. More…
All the King’s Horses
The major theme of this Cold War allegory from Kurt Vonnegut is the human cost involved in resolving armed conflicts. The focus of the story is the moral dilemma faced by those in ultimate command… the need to put personal feelings aside and make strategic decisions that are likely to result in collateral losses. The story also reflects the dynamics of power in war: how the ordinary soldier, general population, and even vassal powers such as Pi Ying’s rebels, are mere pawns in a “game” beyond their control. Other themes: cruelty, dehumanization, sacrifice, manipulation. More…