Fic Rec: Make Whole What Has Been Smashed
Dec. 8th, 2013 08:25 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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221b_recsTitle: Make Whole What Has Been Smashed
Author: Charli J (gigantic)
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 12,500 words
Rating: T
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary:
"Don't look at me that way, John. Blank stares are already a dreadful reminder of how hopeless other people are," Sherlock said.
"Since most people aren't maintaining a home with Merlin living backwards, I think I'm doing alright at going with it so far," John said.
Reccer's comments: This is a magical realism story in which Sherlock has a divided relationship with time: his body and brain have aged forwards, but his consciousness, his mind, is moving backwards. He experiences life in reverse, and yet the physical process of memory-making has taken place in his brain and he can sometimes access those hidden memories, which he thinks of as his ‘hard drive.’
As you can see, the author does some complicated world-building which is all the more impressive because the narrative is entirely limited to Sherlock’s POV; we share his confusion, we experience his gradual learning and watch as – with John’s help – he develops into the brilliant detective and complex man we recognize.
The heart of the story lies in Sherlock and John’s conundrum: they are living in opposite directions, and the time will come when each of them will lose the other to youth in much the same way we might lose a loved one to old age. For each of them, there will come a day when the person they love no longer knows them or remembers the life they shared. They both know this with absolute clarity.
The remarkable thing about this story is that it confronts that hard situation without evasion and yet manages to be so life-affirming. It is a love story told largely through moments of hardship, and it is heart-breaking, but the Sherlock of this story is filled with a fascination for life, a love of learning, and above all a profound gratitude for John and the time they have together. They stay side by side through the rough and the smooth, and through Sherlock’s eyes we see the beauty even in endings. It is the epitome of bittersweet.
Author: Charli J (gigantic)
Pairing: Sherlock/John
Length: 12,500 words
Rating: T
Warnings: none
Verse: Sherlock BBC
Author's summary:
"Don't look at me that way, John. Blank stares are already a dreadful reminder of how hopeless other people are," Sherlock said.
"Since most people aren't maintaining a home with Merlin living backwards, I think I'm doing alright at going with it so far," John said.
Reccer's comments: This is a magical realism story in which Sherlock has a divided relationship with time: his body and brain have aged forwards, but his consciousness, his mind, is moving backwards. He experiences life in reverse, and yet the physical process of memory-making has taken place in his brain and he can sometimes access those hidden memories, which he thinks of as his ‘hard drive.’
As you can see, the author does some complicated world-building which is all the more impressive because the narrative is entirely limited to Sherlock’s POV; we share his confusion, we experience his gradual learning and watch as – with John’s help – he develops into the brilliant detective and complex man we recognize.
The heart of the story lies in Sherlock and John’s conundrum: they are living in opposite directions, and the time will come when each of them will lose the other to youth in much the same way we might lose a loved one to old age. For each of them, there will come a day when the person they love no longer knows them or remembers the life they shared. They both know this with absolute clarity.
The remarkable thing about this story is that it confronts that hard situation without evasion and yet manages to be so life-affirming. It is a love story told largely through moments of hardship, and it is heart-breaking, but the Sherlock of this story is filled with a fascination for life, a love of learning, and above all a profound gratitude for John and the time they have together. They stay side by side through the rough and the smooth, and through Sherlock’s eyes we see the beauty even in endings. It is the epitome of bittersweet.
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