Strange.

Weird. Really weird.
I have to write 12 more words but it really doesn’t require anything other than ‘weird’.

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I'm Not Sure About This One

I don't often DNF a Short stroy a third of the way in, but I was not feeling like I was in good hands on this one.

Look, the author has won awards, clearly has a nice prose, interesting ideas, and the narration does a good job of making it seem like a radio documentary or This American Life or whatever, but this story gave me the creeps and I'm not just talking about the bizarre and somewhat graphic sex scene that came out of nowhere (no kink shaming here).

I don't know very much about this author, but there is a real heteronormative white dude vibe going on here that made me extremely uncomfortable. From the descriptions of the the eponymous 'Little People', physically and socially as a homogeneous, 'exotic', and 'model minority' group, and the way size is with this seemingly conflated with ideas about 'race' and people with restricted growth or short stature who already face stereotypes and fetishisation. The unneeded and dissonant inclusion of the descriptions of sex only heighten everything previously mentioned and really did feel specifically a kink thing -- which is fine, folx can write kink fiction all they want for themselves and their audience, but the inclusion here seems very odd and kinda yikes in context.

I'm happy to chalk this down as a 'just not for me', and I do think there is some at least questionable stuff going on here (though I don't think it is necessarily purposeful or with malice), but I think the concept itself, while not particularly original, has potential to tell an interesting tale. I think it just needed to be handled in a more aware tone and sensibility.

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interesting but why all the sex?

the concept is fascinating, but I really didn't need 2 very descriptive explanations on how regular height people and people 6" tall have sex with eachother.

otherwise interesting

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Weird and Intriguing

An anthropological narrative about a coexisting society of ‘Little People’ and ‘Normal People’, but not in the style of ‘The Borrowers’ but a mixture between those little people and the little people found in ‘Land of the Giants’ (you have to be of a certain generation to be able to relate to the comparison). Suffice to say, this is written as if this society truly exists.

It’s actually quite fascinating in a weird way, but also quite intriguing and may leave you feeling quite chilled by it all, if you further think of how vulnerable The Little People really are!

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