"You Will Never Be Forgotten" by Mary South (2021)

 

A collection of sci-fi-peppered short stories about the bond between two persons joined by their shared context [a caregiver and a patient/ an interviewer and an interviewee/ a mother and a daughter/ etc] and 

the effects of this relationship on both of them. The focus of these stories revolves around themes of grief and coping, individualism, disappointment, motherhood, and love.

There's a pronounced structure to South's style where she dunks the reader right into the world of the story before she slowly and methodically unveils the mystery. This unique approach 'contrigued' me; it sort of confused me as well as intrigued me. 

One of the issues I've had was the diction used. I thought it was a bit... ornate –not purple– just a bit stylistic. 

Mary South is a truly capable writer. She's got the diction, the style, the imagination, the guts to experiment. Yet, something is missing. This book felt unreachable. I couldn't relate to the characters or the stories on a deeper level. It wasn't a matter of soullessness. The stories have a heart, but the beating is so low, it's barely perceptible. What led me to this feeling was the gamble of the skeleton of the story. The structure and mood of the stories promised shock, plot twists, something, anything, but all I got were flat denouements leading the characters into realization-recognition-acknowledgment-acceptance of their situations. I'm not saying this is bad. Realism is necessary when talking about human relationships, but promising something and not keeping it. That is bad. It's like watching a movie trailer and getting hyped over the action scenes, but when the movie comes out, it turns out we were tricked by false advertising.

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My impressions of each one of the stories:

Keith Prime: (2.5)

In a world in the future where human bodies are harvested from donors of benighted clones called Keiths, a nurse gets attached to a particular Keith with a mole. 

Nothing fancy happens here. The light humor is sweet.

The Age of Love: (3.5)

A male nurse works at a home to care for convalescents when his coworker tells him about the sex calls the old people make.

It's got the whole package of a good story. It's funny and dirty and warm and sad.

Frequently Asked Questions About Craniotomy: (1.5)

A pamphlet, a brochure, an interview (?) of FAQ about brain surgery subjectively answered by a surgeon dealing with grief and disappointment.

Darkly humorous. Painfully sad. Infinitely boring.

Architecture For Monsters: (1)

A former master's degree student's article about a leading female figure in the field of architecture who used to be his teacher.

The prose was so purple, it bullied my intellect.

The Promised Hostel: (2)

A bunch of backpackers breastfeed from a woman called Madeline. 

This is weird and perverse!

You Will Never Be Forgotten: (3.5)

A female content moderator develops an obsession with her rapist who works for a prestigious seed fund in Silicon Valley.

Humorous. Satirical. Realistic. So Black Mirror. So Murakamian. Loved it!

Camp Jabberwocky For Recovering Internet Trolls: (2.5)

A rehab camp for online trollers where one of the teens decides to run away and his friends go into a wild goose chase trying to find him.

Light-hearted. Funny. Insightful. 

To Save The Universe, We Also Must Save Our Selves: (1.5)

Fans are obsessed with a show called Starship Uprising and its leading actress.

Didn't click.

Realtor to the Damned: (1)

A realtor selling houses of the elderly inventing stories for self amusement.

A story about grief. 

Not Setsuko: (4)

A couple loses their daughter and decides to make a clone out of her, but the reconstruction of the daughter's memories has produced a different copy.

My best! The composition is perfection. The main theme echoes throughout the story. And the ending was exactly what I needed.

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Summary:

The stories are a hit-or-miss due to their structure and the presentation of the climax. Some will resonate with readers. Most will not. If you decide to read the book, go for Not Sesuko/ You Will Never Be Missed.

CW: animal abuse/ child abuse/ incest/ graphic content and language