White Fuzz

For White Fuzz, we return to 8th Block for part 2. While the first was a collection of short stories, this one is a novella. I thoroughly enjoy William Pauley III's style and subversive humor but the plot and subject matter just wasn't for me.

Went with the audio by Connor Brannigan and its very well done.

This is a very bizarre story. Franklin received a set of random texts from a neighbor he doesn’t know. He’s lonely, so he accepts her offer to come over and hang out. Regardless of the red flags, in which there are numerous, he finds himself staying. She contradicts herself, claiming he’s wrong even when it was a comment she made only moments before—clearly gaslighting him. She seems to mistake him for someone else, and over time it only gets worse. After ignoring a text to take her medicine, Franklin invites Lynda over in hopes of shaking her out of it in a new setting.

Unfortunately, things only get worse. The night is fueled by arguments, misunderstands, the need for reassurance, sexual endeavors, and even self harm. I do feel like bits of his loneliness and his ability to brush things off resonated with me as at least ‘possible,’ even though I would have gotten the hell out of there wayyyy earlier. I do feel like Lynda’s assaults were not that deftly handled though, as some of her triggers seemed to be the opposite of expectations.

Regardless, the ending is even more out of left field than the entire story, and the insanity is catching.