REVIEW: “Textures” by Lisa Fox

Review of Lisa Fox, “Textures,” Flash Fiction Online 143 (August 2025): 7-10 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

This is a story of love, and weddings, and memories. It’s sweet and short and sad, and full of beautiful metaphors such as “If love had a texture, it would be satin” (p. 7).

But — Annie, the main character, says of this metaphor,

In thirty-five years of working with brides, I knew which marriages would last by the way they responded to my metaphor (p. 7).

I wonder what she would think of my reaction, which is that satin wrinkles easily and the wrinkles are almost impossible to iron out!

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REVIEW: “Kolumbo 1619: Choose Your Own Adventure” by KÁNYIN Olorunnisola

Review of KÁNYIN Olorunnisola, “Kolumbo 1619: Choose Your Own Adventure,” khōréō 4, no. 4 (2025) — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Racism, police brutality, murder.

This is a “choose your own adventure” through systematic racism in early 20th C America, over and over and over again. It’s the sort of story that never in a million years could I have ever written, because it is so far removed from my own (privileged!) experiences: I can only ever hope to get a glimpse of understanding of these experiences by reading about them. It’s a tough read, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to do so.

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REVIEW: “The Tangle” by Rae Mariz

Review of Rae Mariz, “The Tangle,” khōréō 4, no. 4 (2025) — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Animal harm, references to genocide.

As a reader from the tail end of the blip generation, you’re accustomed to your stories having a very particular shape. A recognizable structure. This narrative is likely to be new terrain.

This quote completely encapsulates the thoughts I’d been having very shortly before this quote — that the story itself was a tangle, structured in an unfamiliar, and hence confusing, way. This quote helped reassure me that persevering would be worth it. I think by the end I’d mostly sorted out the tangle. Was it worth it? I’m not sure. Parts of it were too didactic (and too rhetorical) for my taste. But I suspect this is a story I’ll continue to think about.

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REVIEW: “The Secret” by Fumio Takano, trans. by Sharni Wilson

Review of Fumio Takano, Sharni Wilson (trans.), “The Secret,” khōréō 4, no. 4 (2025) — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Roughly a hundred years into the future, the division between the haves and the have-nots has become even further entrenched; this story is the story of two “have-nots” on opposite sides of a century who have each ended up making a living for themselves in an unexpected way. What connects them is the Mistress, who holds an unexpected secret.

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REVIEW: “The Trauma Tourist” by Christos Callow Jr.

Review of Christos Callow Jr., “The Trauma Tourist,” khōréō 4, no. 4 (2025) — Read online. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Suicide, torture simulation, cultural appropriation.

The capitalist idea of turning trauma into a source of income isn’t one that feels very far-fetched at all, though I confess to wondering a bit about the psyche of the people who would actively choose to consume such a product. But that’s precisely why it makes such a great idea for a story!

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REVIEW: “The Harrowing of Hell (Third Circle, Sausage Counter, Contracts Office)” by S.L. Harris

Review of S.L. Harris, “The Harrowing of Hell (Third Circle, Sausage Counter, Contracts Office),” Flash Fiction Online 142 (July 2025): 27-30 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Anyone who has their own story about “terrible summer employment,” this story is for you! Even if you don’t have such a story, read this one anyway, you’ll get some laughs out of it, and we can all use those.

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REVIEW: “My Flesh, My Beating Heart, A Willing Meal That Refuses to Remember the Dangers of Being Eaten” by Deanna J. Valdez

Review of Deanna J. Valdez, “My Flesh, My Beating Heart, A Willing Meal That Refuses to Remember the Dangers of Being Eaten,” Flash Fiction Online 142 (July 2025): 23-26 — Purchase here. Reviewed by Sara L. Uckelman.

Content note: Violence against women.

I’ve read a lot of stories that take the “monster on my back” metaphor literally — some of them are enormously effective and I love how they can be so straightforward without being trite. Unfortunately, this one isn’t quite one of them.

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