Pretty much every story in Rabbit Test and Other Stories punched me in the feels. In the first part of each story, I was getting the lay of the land, following the path so expertly laid out by Mills. I trusted this writer to lead me, as a reader. And by the end of each story, I was either in tears, or needed to “take a moment” to breathe.
Below are some of my highlights, but every story is magnificent.
Strange Waters is a gorgeous but harrowing story of a mother traveling through time to get back to her children. Equally heart-wrenching is Adriana in Pomegranate; the way Mills unveils the relationship between the main characters in this story is absolutely masterful.
I somehow missed the multi award-winning title story, Rabbit Test, when it was initially published in Uncanny magazine. As an avid reader of short stories, I’m not sure I can ever forgive myself for this. But it is a story regarding how abortion access has never been easy, and in certain parts of the US, may never be easy. In 2026, the last lines of the story still ring depressingly true:
”It is 2022 and it isn’t over.
It is 2022 and it is never over.”
A Shadow is a Memory of a Ghost (what a title!) tells the story of two sisters, one of which has inherited the family duty of “care of souls unwilling to cross over to the next side”. 10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days includes ten nightmare scenarios concerning an open hellgate off the coast of California, and the ways in which a couple cope. It contains my favorite description of an eldritch beast: “An elephant-sized spider with mouths for eyes…” Amazing.
When I finished reading Spindles, I literally yelled “STOP!” To an empty room. Eight-year-old Callisto, and her bear companion, Babo, try to navigate the world amidst an alien invasion. My heart could not take it.
Hopefully by now, you’re curious enough to pick up this collection. I cannot believe this is Mills’ debut collection; it is such an accomplished piece of work, and so full of heart.
California Reading 