I thought this story was beautifully sad and quite heartbreaking. The way it was told in second person made it more personable and relatable. It reminded me of the way Story of Your Life was told. I liked that the story wasn't built on sibling rivalry or jealousy, but a deeper resentment on the brother's part about the nature of his sister's being and the harm she caused to their mother, whom he quite evidently loved tremendously. Ultimately, I think he was wrong to let resentment and anger to drive him to leave his family, and we can see that he eventually regrets his decision as well from his underlying unhappiness evident in his messages. I am glad, though, that even though his father is dead and his mother will also have died long before he decides to return, when he does return, his sister will still be there to welcome him.
I think it's rather sad how easily families portrayed in many works of science fiction can be torn apart simply due to the vastness of the accessible universe, and how far out one can travel to distance oneself from one's family.
All in all, I think this was one of my favorite stories in this anthology. It was simple and beautiful and rather melancholy.
I also liked the fact that the "sibling rivalry" was due more to the trauma and injury of his sister's birth on their mother, than on mere jealousy. In addition, the fact that it was narrated by their mother, who both understands her children and mourns their relationship, makes it more poignant.
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