Review: Girl Oil by Grace P. Fong

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Review of Girl Oil by Grace P. Fong (5004 words)
Reactor Mag (previously Tor.com), Feb 2022, Read Online

One of those rare, haunting SFF stories that are able to meld fantasy and societal commentary. And to do so with such tenderness is rarer still.

There’s a magic potion and mild body horror (trigger warning?), but the core of the story is self-identity, and the many facets that make it. If you change one aspect, some other aspects are likely change too. Like the protagonist, who started losing weight, but also started to lose her ability to swim in the sea. Made all the more meaningful by the fact that within the embrace of the sea was where she felt most comfortable just being herself.

A lot of thought and poignancy in this story. A must read.

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