I listened to the most recent edition of PodCastle (fantasy fiction podcast) while doing the dishes today.
This week's story was Honest Man (you can listen at that link) by Naomi Kritzer. I've heard it before, although I'm not sure where. Maybe I read it last year when it was published in Realms of Fantasy?
In any case, while listening to "Honest Man" I found yet more proof that I'm really going through this, and that I'm a person with emotions, just like everyone else.
Early in the story (it begins during WWII) the main character, Iris, wonders if she should mention her boyfriend who is serving in the infantry to the man chatting with her in a diner. Even without me thinking deeply about what I was listening to, tears sprang to my eyes as I forged a bond of empathy with that fictional character.
Peppered throughout the rest of the story are other mentions of Iris's boyfriend, later her husband. Their relationship isn't a central aspect to the story, but each time Ben and Iris's marriage to him came up, I felt a pang of reflection as I saw glimpses of my future. The fact that Iris is based on the author's own grandmother probably contributes to the empathy quotient.
Hopefully when my DH is off at war, though, I won't have to wait months between letters.
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