A review by catevari
Clarkesworld Magazine, Issue 119 by Kali Wallace, Tobias S. Buckell, Karla Schmidt, Neil Clarke, Emily Devenport, Lara Harmon, Madeline Ashby, Sean Bensinger, Ryan Row, Cat Rambo, Jason S. Ridler, Dale Bailey, Chris Urie

3.0

This is a weird (in a good way) and interesting story that sits in the crossroads of two important events in the protagonist's life: the death of her mother (and its aftermath) and the loss of communication with a mission to Mars where she both worked on the communication systems and her lover is aboard. It feels a bit like Shirley Jackson's Hill House in that there's a louring creepiness and sense of horror while it's simultaneously unclear whether anything is actually happening.

As with Hill House, I do wish there was more definition, but the story grabs on and doesn't let go until the very end.