Short Stories 366:70 — “And Then There Were (N-One),” by Sarah Pinsker

[image error]It’s obvious by now, I’m sure, that I’m a huge lover of “second-chance” or “path-not-taken” style stories, especially with a dash of the magic or psychic or other. When Jeffrey Ricker pointed me to “And Then There Were (N-One),” by Sarah Pinsker, he knew what he was doing, is all I’m saying. (You can read it at that link, by the way).

Okay, without spoilers: a version of Sarah Pinsker who is an insurance investigator is invited to SarahCon, because it turns out another version of her in another quantum reality has figured out how to pierce realities. SarahCon is exactly what it sounds like: a hotel full of alternate versions of Sarah, complete with panels with topics and discussion groups, all around the notion of divergence points, different life choices, and being surrounded by all sorts of people who are Sarah—but not.

We follow this Sarah as she decides to go, and then is confronted with something she never expected: one of the Sarahs is murdered. How do find a killer when all of the suspects are you, and you know you’re not a killer? What would it take to push you—a different you, of course—to that point? It all unfolds with a brilliant pacing and so many moments of surreal introspection. I also loved the range of details, bits and pieces of lives and turning points, and how it was all handled through this lens of one particular Sarah. Basically it was magic, and I loved it. Give it a read.