Selkie Stories Are for Losers

"Selkie Stories Are for Losers" is a 2013 fantasy/magic realism short story by American writer Sofia Samatar, exploring the myth of the selkie from the perspective of those left behind. It was first published in Strange Horizons.

Synopsis

A young woman works in a restaurant, and reflects on her mother's disappearance, on how that disappearance bears an uncomfortable resemblance to the legend of the selkie, and on what this may mean for her budding romance with a coworker.

Reception

"Selkie Stories Are for Losers" was nominated for the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Short Story,[1] the 2014 Nebula Award for Best Short Story,[2] the 2014 World Fantasy Award—Short Fiction,[3] and the 2014 BSFA Award for Short Fiction.[4]

At Kirkus Reviews, Ana Grilo described the story as "subtle (...) with minimalistic worldbuilding" and "an almost poetic cadence", emphasizing the degree to which the story is about consent.[5]

References
  1. the 2014 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved February 26, 2017
  2. Congratulations to the 2013 Nebula Award Winners, at Tor.com; published May 17, 2014; retrieved February 26, 2017
  3. Nominees, at the World Fantasy Convention; retrieved February 26, 2017
  4. BSFA Awards: the Shortlist (2014), by Donna Scott, at the British Science Fiction Association; published January 29, 2014; retrieved February 26, 2017
  5. Of Selkies and Memory: Reading Short Stories for the Hugo Awards, by Ana Grilo, at Kirkus Reviews; published February 21, 2014; retrieved February 26, 2017
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