Selkie Stories Are for Losers

“Selkie Stories are for Losers” by Sofia Samatar is a Hugo nominated short story that takes on a different perspective of the author’s love for selkie stories. Selkie stories are unlike usual fairy tales that often result in a happy ending. Samatar enjoyed how selkie stories do not abide by this expectation of many stories and in fact, do the opposite by resulting in tragedy. However, as the main character points out, if your life is going to be a fairy tale, you don't want it to be this kind. The story takes place in Madison, Wisconsin which by no coincidence at all is where Samatar is from. Her story takes approaches the ideas of abandonment and loss, while incorporating aspects of love and anger. Her appreciation for these stories, if one was to ask the main character, makes Samatar a loser. Samatar is proud of the work she did with this story.[1] Unlike most of her other works, this piece was the first of three works that use present tense and sections of text in blocks opposed to continuous writing[1]. Reviewers praised the piece’s “unpretentious, fearless, nothing-to-prove writing style” and use of magical realism, which leaves ambiguous whether this story is the narrator’s exact experience or a coping mechanism for events in her life, and forces the reader to think about what is really happening in the story and what the narrator is making up.[2]

Synopsis

Selkie Stories are for Losers is a fantasy, Sci-Fi story that has many different types of interpretations. The story follows a young teenage girl who has suffered much pain from her mother's abandonment; her mother being a selkie. The unnamed narrator discusses her hope of moving out to Colorado with her love interest Mona and starting anew. Throughout the piece, the narrator slowly exposes how much her mother's abandonment had affected her development as a person. Coincidentally, the narrator actually is a lot more like her mother than she realizes. The story's use of a contemporary setting mixed with fantasy ideology has made the audience question whether the characters are actually selkies or if it is just one large metaphor [2] This story in particular is much different than most stories involving these mythical creatures. Normally, the narrative is based on the struggles that the selkies face when they are deprived of their skin, however this one is slightly different in that it depicts the family life after the selkie abandoned them. This includes the thoughts, emotional scars, and broken family that is left behind because of the selkie. This aspect is never most definitely never reflected and this story is able to give the audience and interesting take on a classic mythical creature [3]

Characters

The main character is also the narrator in Selkie Stories are for Losers. She is an average teenage girl who has faced heavy loss in her life. The abandonment by her mother has caused her to develop trust and emotional problems in her everyday relationships. It seems, to the audience, that she is indifferent towards her father, and she has irrational fears about her love interest Mona. The narrator’s dream is to move out to Colorado with Mona and live together there, but she fears Mona will leave her. Lost in Colorado, the narrator would not know how to live on her own. She seems extremely dependent on others but perhaps this is due to her age? Some reviews have viewed the narrator as an annoying and whiny teenager who smokes weed, has irrational fears, and wants nothing to do with college; This all being told through the use of a Selkie metaphor [4] Meanwhile, others view the teen as a broken soul, who is trying to pull the pieces of her life back together.[5]

Selkie

Selkie is an Orkadian word for seal. The main idea behind selkie’s is that they are seals that are able to peel off their skin and become humans. Sofia uses selkie's in a very interesting way in her short story. She uses selkies to convey a message that many important people in our lives tend to leave to find their true selves. For those around them that’s really hard to fully accept at first, but as they grow up and as life goes on, they begin to accept that change.[6]

Reviews/Receptions

Reviews of “Selkie Stories are for Losers” have the common theme that this story is not what it seems at first.[7][8] Critics say the story contains a melodic flow, however when one focuses on this, they miss out on the important details or meanings that are not explicitly stated.[9][10] What isn’t mentioned in the story is what makes up the most important parts.[7][8][9] “Selkie Stories are for Losers” is different than most Selkie stories because it’s written in the point of view of the child affected by the abandonment of a Selkie parent. Most stories are written in the point of view of the Selkie or the Selkie captor and do not give an inside look on what the child goes through when she is abandoned.[9][10]

Awards

“Selkie Stories are for Losers” was a finalists for the following awards:

Samatar’s story also won the following awards:

References

  1. ↑ Samatar, Sofia. "Selkie Stories." : Search Results for Selkie+stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
  2. ↑ "Selkie Stories Are for Losers." Brewing Tea Books. N.p., 15 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
  3. ↑ "Lady Business." Ladybusiness. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
  4. ↑ "Review: 2014 Hugo Nominees for Best Short Story." Inverarity Is Not a Scottish Village. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
  5. ↑ "Selkie Stories Are for Losers by Sofia Samatar." Susan Hated Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
  6. ↑ Towrie, Sigurd. "Orkneyjar - The Selkie Folk of Orkney Folklore." Orkneyjar - The Selkie Folk of Orkney Folklore. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
  7. 1 2 Grilo, Ana. "Of Selkies and Memory: Reading Short Stories for the Hugo Awards | Kirkus Reviews." Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Sofia Samatar - Selkie Stories Are for Losers." Sofia Samatar - Selkie Stories Are for Losers. Thierstein, 22 July 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Lay, Anaea. "CC: Selkie Stories Are for Losers." Anaea Lay. N.p., 15 May 2015. Web. 13 Feb. 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Selkie Stories Are for Losers by Sofia Samatar." Susan Hated Literature. Susan Hated Literature, 27 June 2014. Web. 13 Feb. 2016.
  11. ↑ "2014 Hugo Awards." The Hugo Awards. Deb Geisler, Kate Kligman, Craig Miller, Cheryl Morgan, Mark Olson, Kevin Standlee, and Rene Walling., 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
  12. ↑ "2013 Nebula Awards Winners Announced - SFWA." SFWA. N.p., 17 May 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2016
  13. ↑ "2014 World Fantasy Award and Life Achievement Winners." World Fantasy Awards Home Page. Sharon Sbarsky, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
  14. ↑ Scott, Donna. "BSFA Awards: The Shortlist." BSFA. N.p., 29 Jan. 2014. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
  15. ↑ Samatar, Sofia. "Stories." Sofia Samatar. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
  16. ↑ Samatar, Sofia. "Sofia News." Sofia News. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
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