Short Story Rec: "Mariel" by ruth_sims

[erastes]

Argh.

I rarely read short stories on line - don't know why. Possibly because of the horrors I used to find at Literotica and other sites of that ilk, or perhaps the memories of badfic in Potter fandom, but I've just been to read Mariel by ruth_sims over on Blithe Quarterly and was completely blown away.

Go and read it, you won't be dissapointed - it's touching, scary, visceral, sad, hopeful and although there's no sexual activity, somehow manages to be so very sensual in the latter parts that I was visibly moved by the tenderness of two people passing like ships in the night the way they do.  It's also a piece of history I knew nothing about, so I learned something too.

Wonderful. *sigh*

Comments

[tharain.livejournal.com]

I don't know why they hate us so.

I remember when Arenas committed suicide.

=-(

[erastes.livejournal.com]

I feel terrible that I didn't know about it, it seems wonderful that there was this "Dunkirk" moment in your history - and then inconceivable that there's still murders and persecutions...

*shakes head sadly*

[tharain.livejournal.com]

The flotilla of "undesireables" was pretty much national news over here, and Arenas's suicide was a blip on the radar (but sub-culture news). I wasn't totally tuned in for the first, but recall it.

Lots of stuff like that. I was too young to register the Stonewalll Riots, being only about ten at the time, but I do remember the San Francisco Gay Mens Chorus national tour in around 1980, which caused buckets of outrage and press, and, of course, the heinous Anita Bryant, founding mother of the WE MUST PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES FROM TEH GAY! Bitch. Much history. Much. It's interesting to read our history; Gay New York 1880 to 1940 was a revelation. Who knew? And so much, so very much, has been buried or straight-washed (as opposed to whitewashed). I love listening to older men talk about those times; I had a wonderful opportunity to listen to three seventy somethings reminiscing this summer. Fabulous stories.

it seems wonderful that there was this "Dunkirk" moment in your history

My history singular/individual or my history as part of a group? Not Cuban heritage here; I grew up in a frighteningly stereotypical American Family, very 1950's television type, so normal that it was abnormal, a fact I didn't grasp until I was in my thirties.

As far as still being murders and persectutions? Hell yes. I'm reminded of a line from Practical Magic (the book, not the movie): "Honey, sometimes people just hate."

It's part of us, I guess, as a species.

[lyras.livejournal.com]

I liked that - thank you.

I can also recommend the film of Before Night Falls, although I've not read the book.