“The Girl in the Basement”
Apex Magazine, Vol 3, Issue 3
Ed. Jason B. Sizemore
August 1, 2009
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Reviews

“Child abuse. In a post-apocalyptic world, a girl is kept imprisoned in a basement room by parents who tell her she is allergic to sunlight. The parents prostitute her as a way of feeding themselves, while pretending their actions are all for her own good. While the cruelty in this one has a highly authentic touch, the SFnal element is minimal. It would be easy to imagine finding this story in the news reports today, minus the state of the world outside the basement.” — Lois Tilton, Internet Review of Science Fiction

“‘The Girl in the Basement’ by Matthew Kressel, a tale that amps up the creepiness..and poses more questions than answers as it tells a story of the kind of marks abuse leaves on a child’s soul. All together the September issue is stellar.” — Michele Lee, BookLove