“If” review

If by Jenny Patton is emotional, captivating, and thought-provoking. She explains the deathly implications of a simple medical mistake, which would transform her life for the worse, for many years to come. This short story is extremely good, with great writing, imagery, and story-telling, making it a must-read short story. The brief, yet complex story does a fantastic job at making one think of cause and effect. How one medical error, one vote, could change an entire person’s life, and make her completely miserable. The story is also very though-provoking, and has layers of complexity to it. While we know that it was ultimately the doctors who made the error of voting on the wrong treatment, which led to the death of a loved one, there is another entire aspect to the story. It is later revealed that the narrator’s mother was suicidal — and wanted to die. With this new layer of complexity added to the story, we get a deeper look into the narrator’s life, and how hard it was growing up with constant visits to therapists at only age 10, with lackluster parents who did not seem to provide enough for their kid. Overall, “If” is a great story with lots of varying complexities that make it a short story that is worth reading.