Michele Tracy Berger

This is so different than anything else I've seen and it was so refreshing. This takes place in the late 90's, and a new hair straightener on the market is the vector of a deadly virus that takes over its hosts and forces them to develop strange behavior. (Note: Ignore the biological inaccuracy of this. The virus isn't the important bit anyway.) This story is told through alternating POVs of five infected women, internal memos from one of the scientists who helped develop the product, and news reports. It's absolutely fantastic.

There's a lot of subtext here that isn't completely spelled out, around black hair and the drive to conform to (white) beauty standards, around race and expectations, and corporate malfeasance toward women of color.

It's really good, incredibly compelling, and I loved the slow build of watching all the pieces come together. The ending is a bit ambiguously open-ended so I'm hopeful that there may be more in the future: either another story, or having this expanded into a full-length novel. Even if it doesn't happen, this story is chilling in and of itself and well worth the read.… (more)