CW: suicide ideation and depression

I’m someone who tries to avoid books which feature suicidal thoughts but I didn’t know this story had similar themes. While it makes some good points about - how compassionate people are the first ones who feel burnout and scared of contemplating self harm despite being depressed, because they don’t want to hurt others with their decisions - I can’t say this was enjoyable. The writing also felt very disjointed and confusing at times. ( )

Isn’t it a little like cartography? Meeting lovely people, mapping them, racing to find their hurts before they can find yours—getting use from them, squeezing them dry, and then striking first, unilaterally and with awful effect, because the alternative is waiting for them to do the same to you. These are the rules, you didn’t make them, they’re not your fault. So you might as well play to win.

Is there a balance a person can ever find wherein life can be lived unselfishly? Is love ever unselfish? What about death?

In less skillful hands, this would have been very maudlin, or very ugly. But it isn't in less skillful hands. These voices ring true. These conversations are conversations I feel I've had. With just a touch of the fantastic as it comes to a close. Those last lines pack a nice punch. I loved this.

The author has also written [b:The Traitor Baru Cormorant|23444482|The Traitor Baru Cormorant|Seth Dickinson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1422463936s/23444482.jpg|43007917], which I think I should bump up my list quite a bit, based on this little story.

Available free from Tor.com: http://www.tor.com/2015/09/16/please-undo-this-hurt-seth-dickinson/

And I can't help it; covers from Tor for these shorts are always amazing, but this one just knocked me over. Cover enlargement:
( )

An enigmatic, good story. Nicely doesn't resolve whether the phone number even works, or whether it's just wishful thinking on the part of the narrator. ( )

Since 'The Traitor Baru Cormorant' was one of my absolute favorite books of the year, I'm not at all surprised that this short story was also excellent. As someone who despises 'It's a Wonderful Life,' I liked it even more.

Through an interaction between two friends, Dickinson explores the irony that life is harder for those who make life more bearable. It's also those who are more compassionate who are more likely to have compunctions about hurting those around them by contemplating suicide. But what if you could simply make it so that you'd never been born and none of the pain had every happened?

Would you, or anyone you know, take that option? Might it be a better choice?

(Although I very much appreciated the story, it didn't speak to me as directly as I suspect it might to others. Probably because I'm just not that nice.) ( )

Read on December 22, 2015

This is an absolute heart-breaker of a short story. I just wanted to give Dominga and Nico a hug, but also wanted to tell them "I UNDERSTAND."

And this:

He makes an excited gesture, pointing to an idea. But his eyes are still fixed on the mirror surface of the table, and when he sees himself his jaw works. “What if his angel said, Oh, you’ve done more harm than good; but we all do, that’s life, those are the rules, there’s just more hurt to go around. Why couldn’t he, I forget his name, it doesn’t matter, why couldn’t he say, well, just redact me. Remove the fact of my birth. I’m a good guy, I don’t want to do anyone any harm, so I’m going to opt out. Do you think that’s possible? Not a suicide, that’s selfish, it hurts people. But a really selfless way out?”

Just to be erased. I've felt that.

The end (as is common with short stories) is a cliffhanger and the reader is left wondering does the number work? Is there a way out that doesn't hurt anyone? Very interesting idea and a beautifully sad story.

Read the story here: http://www.tor.com/2015/09/16/please-undo-this-hurt-seth-dickinson/ ( )