Deal Me in Challenge: The Wife's Story by Ursula Le Guin

Card Drawn:

Mouth is alive with juices like wine and I'm hungry like the wolf!

Oddly enough, this is a very sad story yet probably one of the more enjoyable and cleverly written that I have encountered thus far with the Deal Me in Challenge. I totally fell for the ruse, exactly as the author intended. Well played, Ursula. Well played.

This is going to be a very short review because much of the story's power and emotional impact rests almost entirely on its meticulously crafted literary conceit. Thus, providing any plot details would ruin the fun. While some readers may find the story's artifice too gimmicky, Le Guin's specific use of language and the narrative voice is so skillfully written, playfully subverting the reader's expectations. As readers, we make certain assumptions and might not always pay attention to specific word association, which Le Guin methodically exploits to pull the rug from underneath the reader. The ending really sneaks up on you and forces the reader to re-evaluate everything leading up until that pivotal moment. I immediately had to read the story again to see how Le Guin successfully baited me into a sense of complacency. She really got me good.