There Is Only Us (Volume 21)

by Zoe Ballering

The eight stories of speculative fiction in There Is Only Us explore themes of loneliness, connectedness, and selfhood. Each one is an act of intimacy—an altered world shown through the lens of a close relationship. Brothers, sisters, lovers, mothers, and daughters come together in myriad constellations, often so that one character can make a body-altering choice of extreme proportions. In a variety of forms—from a satirical retelling of Noah’s Ark to a sister drama revolving around naked mole rats— There Is Only Us presents a series of escalating scenarios, intimate and yet absurd, that ask, how much can you change and still be you? Ballering’s stories bring to speculative fiction a new lightness and absurdity and a commitment to contemporary experiences of loneliness, especially among loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, ecological loneliness (the sense that, by the end of our lives, the earth will be barren), and the unsolvable loneliness that so many experience despite carrying around a tiny device that claims it can connect them to any human anywhere on earth.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2022

About the author

Zoe Ballering’s short fiction has appeared in Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading, Hobart, and Craft, and her story “Double or Nothing” won the 2021 Rougarou Fabulist & Speculative Fiction Contest. Zoe’s debut collection of stories, There Is Only Us, was selected as the winner of the 2022 Katherine Anne Porter Prize in Short Fiction. In a review of There Is Only Us in the Washington Post, Daphne Kalotay writes, “These stories get to the heart of human existence.” Zoe lives in Portland, Oregon, where she works as an Assistant Dean of Admission Communications at Reed College. Learn more at https://www.zoeballering.com/.

Reviews

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the weirdest books I have ever read. I only gave it 2 stars because I finished it. Personally, the first four stories didn't make any sense to me. I only continued because I thought maybe the next 4 would ring a bell. Even if they were a little better, I don't know why I continued it as, honestly, I felt the whole experience was a waste of my time. It could be because I'm 85 but I've been a steady reader ever since I can remember and I don't think my brain has lost its touch yet.
It just didn't click with me. To each their own, I guess.

[Teagan Youmans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first heard of this book (specifically Here I Am) from my partner who read part of it to me before bed one night. I found it so moving and intriguing that I had to pick up the whole collection. Boy am I glad that I did :’)
Here I Am, &, and Ark were my favorites, and I think the common thread there is a theme of family and connectedness. It just made me reflect on my own connections, which tugged at the heartstrings.
What a powerful short story collection this was!!

[Erin Kanzig · Rating 5 out of 5]

These stories both brought tears to my eyes made me laugh out loud. Zoe Ballering's writing is threaded with humor, earnest and close to home while bringing in unexpected wonders, including humans-turned-molerats, familial love that transcends God's plans for the world, and the surprising turns loneliness can take us.

[Deniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ballering has such a fresh and creative voice! I laughed and cried and lost myself in her stories.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The genre of speculative fiction is new to me. If you can suspend reality, this book is a kick and highly entertaining.

[Lars Gingery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Portland's Zoe Ballering has crafted a group of speculative stories that entertain, puzzle and delight in the same way as early Vonnegut and Borges have done. Absolutely great read.

[Rose Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these short stories and the way the author skillfully blurs the lines around reality, often when I least expected it: a light bulb in a Bible story, the slow realization that sleep is not a given, the horror and curiosity behind something as unassuming as a pair of gloves.
Each story was very unique, my favorite type of bite-sized bedtime reading, but they were all filled with intense emotions, plus the wonderful weirdness that the cover promises!