Review of Jennifer Popa, “Make an X, Then Another,” Flash Fiction Online 110 (November 2022): 16-18 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.
It’s always a bit curious coming across a non-speculative story in Flash Fiction Online, because I’m never sure which rule to follow, namely, the rule that we review spec fic here, or the rule that we review every single story in an issue here; I’ve opted to follow the latter rule here. What I love about spec flash fic is the craft of fitting in an entire world into a single story; literary fic doesn’t need to build a world before a story can be told, it can simply rely on the reader’s knowledge of their own world. Because of this, Popa’s story felt as if it were much longer than it actually was — you can just tell a lot more story when it’s not speculative. As a result, even though this was one of the shorter pieces in the issue, it was still a satisfying, if non-speculative, read.
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