Wow I loved this story! Definitely my favorite so far. It struck me as odd that the old woman did not describe her experience in such a way that conveyed shock and disbelief to the reader. Either the aliens have been there for a really long time or the lady has been severely drugged and/or brainwashed. It's funny because it almost made me less shocked to find out that these invading aliens had impregnated the woman with minnow-like spawn.
It's interesting to note that this woman warmed up to Klimp, whether it was by her own choice or because she was drugged/brainwashed, with the expectation that he would be nothing like her ex-husband. He doesn't leave the toilet seat up and he squeezes the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube. The story also says that these Aliens only pair up with divorcees ....
So it seems like she is out to get revenge at the end of the book when she tells them to go live in the Love Canal. I like that the story is portraying a woman who, in the end, takes charge of a situation by seeking some sort of vengeance for the wrongdoing that she has experienced at the hands of a "man". (Not really a man persay, but man-like)
Overall I thought the story was great. I found it to be a relatively easy read in terms of deriving a point and making sense of the situation. I'd like to read more by Carol Emshwiller if the rest of her work is anything like this!
1 comment:
I really liked the story too. I really felt as though the woman would have clung to pretty much anything that came along (man or alien), as long as he payed her a little attention. The same thing happened to my grandmother after my grampie died - she bought a hideous little ferret, and clung to it like white-on-rice.
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