The Lover

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Grandmother was dead, and now Judith could open a book until its spine cracked, sitting with ferocious delight in the warmth of the hut for a little while.

“Oh, no, those books are not for you,” the man said, straightening up. “Here is a proper book of fairy tales for young ladies, with the moral of the fable explained on the last page of each story.” “Why can’t I have the other books?” “They’re bawdy little volumes for men.”