"Two Truths and a Lie" has some genuinely creepy bits that had my skin crawling - the whole setup of Uncle Bob's TV show that everyone seems to forget at times, the stories that possibly have a prophetic element, and the general atmosphere created by the show. But all that good creepy stuff is a bit buried under the other stuff, like cleaning out Denny's house and the chatter between Marco and Stella, and it made everything feel so dragged out. I felt like I couldn't get a grip on what the actual plot was, and by the time Stella sort of started getting answers at the production studio, the story was almost over and the strange ending felt very unsatisfying. ( )

That ŵas creepy. ( )

Huuuuu, I went in blindly, expecting fantasy or sf, but this was definitely more on the creepy horror side of things. Very well done, unsettling and weird, after a while I started questioning everything I read.
Mental note to self: Reading the Hugo packet is great BUT check genres before you dive in. This was not a suitable read so close before bedtime.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go think happy thoughts and do calming breathing exercises so I can sleep tonight. ( )

Two Truths and a Lie won both the Hugo and Nebula for best novelette and it was well-deserved. It reads like both something totally new but the well-contained atmosphere and tight-writing make every piece of it feel like it's part of a fable or fairy tale we all know. I found it haunting. ( )

Spring 2021 (April);

This story is delicious, creepy, and masterfully written. Pinkser hadn't really been on my radar before now, but she's there in a big way with blinding spotlights now, just from this piece. This story plays incredibly fast and loose with childhood creepy clowns, spotty amnesia, hoarding, and the slowly growing strain about whether someone who lies can utterly be reinventing the past, present, and future just based on what they say.

I honestly wish this was a whole book I could have gotten lost in, and plan to get into her other books & short stories soon. ( )