Reviews

Blood in the Thread by Cheri Kamei

gabalodon's review

4.0

Really sad, beautiful story that reflects the original folktales themes about true love and sacrifice. I read two layers of the folktale in this short story: the more direct reading reflected in the text where the original tale (interspersed throughout the contemporary narrative) parallels the actress's abusive relationship with her costar (in which there is no actual love and what love is professed is disingenuous) and a more indirect reading in which the crane's sacrifice out of love for the sake of her husband's happiness is reflected in how the make-up artist gives of herself to the actress to allow the actress to achieve her goals and dreams, with all of the associated pain and loss and frustration. The underlying themes aren't quite to my taste (very sad and poisonous takes on love and dreams at the expense of the self, and some of the underlying implication seems to be that the abuse victim is opting for the situation for her own self-interest, which made me uncomfortable) and the ending seems open to interpretation, but the prose is gorgeous and incredible and tactile.

sevireads's review

4.0

"Did you stop to wonder how the crane came to the man’s doorstep in the first place?

Did he shoot her out of the sky himself?"

cynt's review

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.0

indiareadsalot's review

dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

sartreia's review

5.0

Link to story on Tor:

https://www.tor.com/2021/05/12/blood-in-the-thread-cheri-kamei/?utm_source=exacttarget&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_term=tordotcom-tordotcomnewsletter&utm_content=na-readblog-blogpost&utm_campaign=tordotcom&e=b662556f9c3170e5cad6d613cc2ececb16edb6f88f8d15d7d773f73464ca882b

cosmogyral's review

emotional sad

3.0

emmal_'s review

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

abception's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

hollymakesawish's review

5.0

I first heard the Crane Wife story on a Decemberists album ten years ago and I’m still haunted by the way violence and exploitation is so twisted up with love in that story. Cheri’s retelling is so beautiful, it’s still haunting but there’s real love here too between these two women, in spite of the violence of men. There’s hope.

anna_m_k's review

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

A quick short story that reimagines the original Japanese folktale in the Golden Age of Hollywood, Blood in the Thread is excellent. Told in the second person, it adds an intimacy that pulls at your heart.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse