A Sorrow Named Joy

Read this one as a finalist in SFINCS, however I already owned the kindle version! Read it in a single sitting while having some trouble focusing, so this was a real good one.

While this one was rather short, I was surprised how long into the story it felt when it finally took a turn into the sci-fi direction. Beforehand I wasn’t sure if the story was just going to remain about a dysfunctional relationship or not. While it still is, the twist definitely elevated it to another level for me.

Joy lives her life anticipating her husbands every desire. And it comes naturally. Breakfast and coffee, quiet mornings, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, and gardening. All for the man she loved. But there’s something big that Joy doesn’t know.

As the story unfolds, Joy looks to capture a new sense of self. What makes her happy? How does she create that sense of self? And do the things that always made her feel whole actually do anything for her now? The author writes in such a way that every reader will be faced with asking themselves the same questions that Joy is faced with. And what makes any of us happy?

Now, I’ve said it before, and I’ll most definitely say it again, Sarah Chorn is the Queen of writing emotion. Every word she creates, every sentence, character, scene, is absolutely crushing. Not just beautiful prose, but truly deep and thoughtful writing.