Beyond the El by John Chu

Beyond the El by John Chu
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (26 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Connor is a food crafter just getting back into the business after his mother’s death. To cope with his grief, Connor spends day after day recreating her potstickers, but they are never quite what he remembers. To move on with his life, he will have to confront his past.

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Food can be such a powerful stimulant for dredging up old memories. The references to food were what first attracted me to this tale, and the descriptions of it were one of biggest reasons why I kept reading. The main character was someone who had spent much of his life thinking about what to eat next. More than anything, he wanted to taste his deceased mother’s famous dumplings again, and it was that desire that propelled him forward when everything else in his life seemed to be grinding to a standstill.

I would have liked to see more time spent explaining Connor’s powers. His ability to transform one ingredient into another was incredible. He did it so effortlessly that I couldn’t help but to want to know where that power came from and how he learned to use it so effectively. The fact that so many people around him seemed to take his ability for granted only made me more curious. It would have been really helpful to have this portion of the plot fleshed out more so that some of the decisions he made later on in the storyline would be easier to understand.

One of the most interesting things about Connor was how much of a survivor he was. He had been the victim of an abusive relationship, and the negative effects of that experience still clung to every decision he made. I had so much empathy for him. More than anything, I wanted him to finally find the peace he craved so that he could move on from all of the pain that relationship had caused for him.

I’d especially recommend Beyond the El to anyone who has ever had to deal with a toxic relationship in their life.