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The Service
Yes, it’s certainly a sad story. But at the same time… somehow life-affirming. At least, that’s the feeling it left me with.
Viacheslav Sannikov
God and Politics on EEb
Great humorous sci-fi in the spirit of Stanisław Lem’s "The Star Diaries"
Viacheslav Sannikov
The Service
This feels strongest when Bob’s attention stays fixed on the people he has left behind. His understanding of Ruby’s grief, Tara’s quiet fear, and Laney’s determinedly generous version of him gives the service a believable emotional texture: each person remembers a different Bob, and Laney’s decision to omit the ways he hurt or embarrassed her is especially telling. Joan’s brief “Thanks, Bob” and Sam’s inability to say more also feel observed rather than staged. The supernatural viewpoint mostly works because its limits are clearly established—Bob can see and hear but no longer smell or feel—but I did find myself uncertain about the physical perspective near the end. After the lid is lowered, he can still see the pond and stained-glass-filtered light, which reads more like a poetic image than something connected to the viewpoint established earlier. That ambiguity may be intentional, but it briefly pulled me out of the farewell. The final call to Ruby is effective precisely because it is so small and helpless: his strongest wish is not for heaven or remembrance, but for one more expression of love that no one can hear.
Eleanor Hart