Review: Chopped and Screwed
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 06 27, 2013
I so infrequently give poor reviews and I want to make it clear that my problem with this story is not the telling, but the plot. Bennett's piece is a fictional philosophical treatise on life, pain, meaning, and death. Dealing with themes of self-mutilation, suicide, nihilism, existentialism, family, and the existence of God, "Slice" is a work that wants to make the reader think. The problem then, is that the narration of this tale is so self-indulgent, so overly sentimental that it is difficult to feel any real sympathy for the character. The speaker, his family, and his experiences are underdeveloped throughout. In a story like this one, the plot is developed because the narrative arc is one where much of the conflict is internal with external consequences. As a result, I found myself unimpressed by the story. Bennett is a talented writer, but this story needed more conflict and development.