I'm Not Sam
Life is good for Patrick and his wife of eight years, Sam, until the night when Patrick finds Sam naked and trembling in the corner. He addresses her by name and she screams out, “I’m not Sam!” Who she is, she claims, is Lily, and, judging by her behavior, she’s about five years old. A trip to the hospital confirms there is nothing physically awry—so who the hell is Lily? This is a novella-length work, but the authors wring out more than enough awkwardness, as Patrick watches his sexy and confident wife pouting for candy, picking her nose in public, and having trouble wiping up after bathroom visits. It’s painfully clear early on how the plot is gathering steam: Patrick’s increasingly unbearable urge to make love to his wife, just like normal, even though now that might make him something of a pedophile. You’d expect nothing less from the provocateurs behind The Woman (2012), whom you can almost hear giggling in the background at the reader’s discomfort. An epilogue provides some concrete answers—and delivers a well-needed climactic kick. --Daniel Kraus