Conjunctions: 74. The Monster Issue.
I can't stop thinking about "The Moon Fairy" in Conjunctions: 74, The Monster Issue.
"The Moon Fairy," by Sofia Samatar conflates oncoming madness with supernatural occurrences. After someone is "moonstruck," they report seeing strange beings.
In Sylvie's case, a "moon fairy" that looks remarkably like her consumes her life. The being is small and sits on her shoulder.
Sylvie stops thinking about college to give the Fairy her full attention. Though she devotes her life to it, the small fairy begins to betray her: "One day... the small Moon Fairy bit her finger."
Samatar wonderfully foreshadows what will happen to this girl and this family. Underneath the girl's bed is a discarded book by an expert on moonstruck cases.
The story perfectly captures how mental illness can transform the afflicted.
Samatar has also written a hybrid memoir, Monster Portraits, that explores Otherness using American, European, and Somali folklore.
Monster Portraits by Del Samatar and Sofia Samatar.
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