Review: Interesting Short Story...Maybe a Little Confusing
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2012
In the midst of the world crumbling around her on the eve of the world's end, a woman named Esther reflects on her life and her desperation to keep the life she's worked so hard to create. Obsessed with how she looks, Esther stares into a mirror, noticing her growing imperfections as the man she loves Jacob tries to convince her to accept her fate. Outside, fires rage, and Esther and Jacob wait for the mysterious Rider to make his appearance. But Esther is enraged at the Rider and his insistence on tearing away all that she holds dear.MUSIC BOX is a short story by Estevan Vega. I discovered Estevan while listening to a podcast by LifeIsStory.com, and his writing sounded interesting. MUSIC BOX is a high-stakes tale about the choices we make and how things could be different. The story's descriptions put me right into the story, and you can feel the angst that Esther feels about losing everything she believes is important. Though it's a short story, there's a certain level of suspense as you wonder where this story is going and where it will end up in the end.While the story is interesting, it's a bit confusing. In the end, I wasn't sure what kind of characters I had just read about and what exactly happened, though I had my ideas. The story is creepy, which I can appreciate because it keeps the story intense and interesting. It seems like the story is meant to end with a certain sense of hope and redemption, but it was lost in the midst of the haziness of the story's ending.I liked the story as far as Vega's ability to create an emotionally-stirring narrative with complex characters and strong descriptions that pull you into the scene. For that reason, I'll continue checking out Vega's other stories.I received this short story for free for review from the author