Review: Lost in Manhattan
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 20, 2013
This is a short story (approx a 45min read) about a woman who is in a hotel and contemplating her life... and is what "The Adjustment Bureau" should have been.As Emily reflects on the events of her life, she looks at the things have destroyed her confidence and infected her with a "leprosy of doubt" (BTW: an excellent phrase that I shall use in future).This tale is not an action piece, but more of a character study. That said, there is great pace as the major events are covered and how they affect her; from the apathy of her father, the bully at school, and the death of her mother.And then there is the ending! I won't say what the twist is, but I had to go back and re-read it... and yes all the clues are there. This story asks a really interesting question:"What if the demons - that we all suffer from time-to-time - aren't just in our head? What if they are external to us, but we don't recognise them?"The themes are really good; I loved the way the main character - Emily - considers her life in metaphors of the sea whilst she is looking at water in the bath. And the secondary themes of predating birds work well too.This is a great story in the Lovecraft tradition, and the sense of creeping madness is beautiful to the point of painful - it describes really well how no-one wakes up one day feeling like this, but comes to this point slowly over many years, and for many reasons.Like I said, the ending really creeped me out, and for a moment I considered how well I know those closest to me.  I highly recommend this ebook!