"She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted. As she stood over the god taped down to the kitchen table, Caroline knew this was the only way to win Hyeon’s attention.
“Watch me,” she said to Hyeon, who leaned against the counter on the opposite wall, her eyes glittering. “Don’t look away.”
All of Hyeon’s eyes blinked slowly, in a concentric pattern. How beautiful, thought Caroline. Hyeon was a god: sharp, lean, and bright with power, nothing like Caroline’s small god, whose restrained limbs trembled against the wooden tabletop. “You’ll regret doing this,” said Hyeon. Her voice was quiet, but it rang hard in Caroline’s ears. “The two of you are bonded.” - from "God Product" by Alyssa Wong
Not long ago I read and posted upon Alyssa Wong's beautifully wicked multi award winning work about the dangers of online dating, among other things, "Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" (you can read it on Wong's very well done website along with several of her other stories, including "God Product").
Today I want to journalize my reading of another of her stories, "God Product". As this marvelous very thought provoking story opens Caroline stands before a small new god, still encased in his pre- emergence wooden shell. It is Caroline's task to break the shell. Once she does this she and the god will be bonded. The problem is Caroline is already bonded to Hyeon, the female god who is walking her through the procedure. We never learn how gods are created, where we are, or the nature of the society in which Caroline resides. . For me these mysteries add more to the impact and fun of the story.
The close of the story is very exciting. I will leave it untold. I think this would make a very good story to stimulate class room discussion.
This story was first published on Tor.com, a leading SF/F webpage on March 18, 2017, in observation of International Women's Day.
I plan to read and post upon all of Wong's works as I return to the SF/F world.
Mel u
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