Okay, so I read this story and I'm not going to rate it because this one is going to be very subjective. If I were to rate it from a purely analyticalOkay, so I read this story and I'm not going to rate it because this one is going to be very subjective. If I were to rate it from a purely analytical perspective, I'd have to hover in the 4-5 star range. It was short, but the length worked well with the timeline, the characters were consistent, plot was tight, no serious execution flaws beyond maybe a little technical niggle here or there (certainly nothing to pull me out of the story, though).
Because the story is short, and told from a few different POV (all first-person lens), the characters reach the level of friendly acquaintance with the reader-- you know them about as well as you might know a close co-worker. Except, of course, for Blake, and here is where things can go south from subjectivity. Readers who rate based on how they feel about the characters will likely give it closer to one or two stars.
Blake is what it says on the tin. He's selfish, and it almost left me wondering if it was because of his own insecurities/fear after (view spoiler)[he lost a testicle to cancer (hide spoiler)]. But this was something I didn't need to know as a reader. I didn't like Blake, I didn't feel comfortable with where the story went, and that is the sign of a great piece of writing. Not every character should be knowable/likable. Not every ending should be a HEA or something that wraps itself up in a way that makes the reader feel a sense of satisfaction. Smacking the reader upside the head is effective writing, and Mr. McCormack absolutely accomplishes it. If he'd gone any further in building up the other characters and really letting the reader get to know them beyond this stretch of time, I feel it would have been too much. This piece is simple, dark, and almost comically clever.
As a side note: (view spoiler)[There is sex, but I didn't find it sexy. It was used in a way that represented all of the emotional damage and flaws of these characters. It was emotionless and (often literally) raw, and it worked well in context, but this is neither a "one-handed read" nor a romance. (hide spoiler)]...more
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