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The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere
In the near future water falls from the sky whenever someone lies (either a mist or a torrential flood depending on the intensity of the lie). This makes life difficult for Matt as he maneuvers the marriage question with his lover and how best to "come out" to his traditional Chinese parents.
This story is also included in Some of the Best From Tor.com, 2013 Edition: A Tor.Com Original
This story is also included in Some of the Best From Tor.com, 2013 Edition: A Tor.Com Original
22 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 20, 2013
20 people are currently reading
1655 people want to read
About the author
John Chu
71 books129 followersJohn Chu is a microprocessor architect by day, a writer by night. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming at Boston Review, Bloody Fabulous, Asimov's Science Fiction, Apex Magazine and Tor.com. His story "The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere" won the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 333 reviews
September 22, 2017
This story raised some controversy when it won the 2014 Hugo Awards as apparently some readers thought it's not science fiction. Before I address this, let me just say the story is absolutely lovely.
Some time in the near future, water starts falling on people whenever they tell a lie. It can be just a bit of water, or a downpour, or a simple humidifying of the air, depending on the intensity of the lie. And all this weaves into the story of Matt, a Chinese-American man, struggling to come out to his traditional family.
The water element is handled brilliantly. It sounds simple enough – water falls down on you when you lie, just like Pinocchio’s nose grows. But it's not simple at all, and the author delves into all the complexities. What happens when you tell a paradox? Something you believe is true, but isn't? Something you think you mean, but don't? Sarcasm? And what can we do to predict the water's reaction and trick it? All possibilities are explored to create a complete, realistic picture, and this is one thing that changes the story from magic realism to scifi.
The characters are wonderful, and it's easy to understand their motivations and root for them. I even had some sympathy for Matt's sister – although I'd never support her horrible treatment of Matt, I could see where she was coming from.
I believe anyone who claims the story is not scifi has a very limited notion of what is and isn't scifi. How does society change when we introduce something new? What are the forces governing fantastical elements? All of these fall under the Science Fiction umbrella. But, fine, let's say it isn't scifi. Still, I don't think anyone could claim it's not speculative fiction, and the Hugos allow speculative fiction of any kind, so I really don't see what the problem is.
Some reviews claim the water element has no relevance to the plot, and I strongly disagree with that. It serves as a catalyst, to give Matt the courage and resolve to come out, and it serves as an additional layer to his interactions with his sister, when he tries to predict how the water is going to react to certain claims and how to maneuver around it.
The thing that bothered me was seeing multiple reviews saying, "it's well written, but it's not scifi." Hm. The rating is to show how good the story is, not what genre it is. If you think it's not eligible for a given award, I understand mentioning that in the review, but letting this influence your star rating? Seems a bit unfair, no?
Some time in the near future, water starts falling on people whenever they tell a lie. It can be just a bit of water, or a downpour, or a simple humidifying of the air, depending on the intensity of the lie. And all this weaves into the story of Matt, a Chinese-American man, struggling to come out to his traditional family.
The water element is handled brilliantly. It sounds simple enough – water falls down on you when you lie, just like Pinocchio’s nose grows. But it's not simple at all, and the author delves into all the complexities. What happens when you tell a paradox? Something you believe is true, but isn't? Something you think you mean, but don't? Sarcasm? And what can we do to predict the water's reaction and trick it? All possibilities are explored to create a complete, realistic picture, and this is one thing that changes the story from magic realism to scifi.
The characters are wonderful, and it's easy to understand their motivations and root for them. I even had some sympathy for Matt's sister – although I'd never support her horrible treatment of Matt, I could see where she was coming from.
I believe anyone who claims the story is not scifi has a very limited notion of what is and isn't scifi. How does society change when we introduce something new? What are the forces governing fantastical elements? All of these fall under the Science Fiction umbrella. But, fine, let's say it isn't scifi. Still, I don't think anyone could claim it's not speculative fiction, and the Hugos allow speculative fiction of any kind, so I really don't see what the problem is.
Some reviews claim the water element has no relevance to the plot, and I strongly disagree with that. It serves as a catalyst, to give Matt the courage and resolve to come out, and it serves as an additional layer to his interactions with his sister, when he tries to predict how the water is going to react to certain claims and how to maneuver around it.
The thing that bothered me was seeing multiple reviews saying, "it's well written, but it's not scifi." Hm. The rating is to show how good the story is, not what genre it is. If you think it's not eligible for a given award, I understand mentioning that in the review, but letting this influence your star rating? Seems a bit unfair, no?
April 7, 2019
“I love you, Matt” doesn’t count as a powerful statement that holds true for all time and space. Except when Gus says it, apparently.
this tor shorty is getting a lot of reactionary frowns and cranky reviews because it won a hugo award for best short story back in 2014 and it's not really sci-fi.
which is a perfectly legitimate complaint, but one that didn't stop me from loving it because i didn't even know about the "scandal" before i read it, and because i actually prefer things that are more genre-blendy than textbook genre. you wanna throw time travel into my detective story? sure, go ahead. you wanna ride a unicorn into my grit lit? yes, please. (no, really - yes, please. can someone get daniel woodrell on the phone about this?)
i choose my tor shorts pretty blindly - usually by picture or author, and i rarely read the synopsis before i dive in. free books = zero buyer's remorse, and there are plenty of tor shorts i've read a couple of paragraphs of before abandoning because i realized they were tied to a series i hadn't read, or they were too too boring or - yeah, they were too sci-fi.
step off, brad - i know what you're gonna say and i'm not having it right now!
so, no - i expect there were probably stories more representative of the sci-fi genre that "should" have won the award that year and it's possible that because the litworld is so concerned about inclusion these days, there were some diversity itches needing to be scratched that pushed this one in over some with more sci in their fi.
but me, i loved it.
i loved the concept - that one day and for no discernible reason at all, speaking a lie aloud causes water to fall down on the individual. water falling from nooooooowhere.
like this:
or the related, and much more fun
i loved that the amount of water and its duration was contingent upon the kind of lie told, and the way that speech could be manipulated to avoid a technical lie while still being evasive.
and i love how this situation complicates a man's coming out to his very traditional chinese parents despite his being in a committed relationship with an excellent man who is everything a parent could want their child's future spouse to be. apart from the genitals, i guess.
it's a wonderful story and i loved it and it is absolutely not science fiction. it's just … lovely.
i think this would be a really great concept to expand into a full-length novel or even better - a short story collection, which could explore different applications of the idea - in advertising, in courtroom situations, in job interviews or first dates. there's so much potential for humor, even though this particular story was more on the romantic and touching side of things, although it is pretty funny in parts:
When I was eight, she convinced me that she was psychic, then foretold exactly how horrible my life would be if I didn’t do exactly as she said. It’s embarrassing how many years she got away with it. If the water had been falling back then, she’d have flooded the house.
so, more of this idea, please! i need to know more about all the loopholes and the gradations of lie vs. paradox v. evasion vs. intentional absurdity. what would happen to actors? or undercover detectives? or santa claus??
this idea makes my head spin in the best possible way!
Uttering “this sentence is false” or some other paradox leaves you with such a sense of angst, so filled with the sense of an impending doom, that most people don’t last five seconds before blurting something unequivocal. So, of course, holding out for as long as possible has become the latest craze among drunk frat boys and hard men who insist on root canals without an anesthetic. Psychologists are finding the longer you wait, the more unequivocal you need to be to ever find solace.
but even if i never read more about the spiderwebbing journey this concept could travel, this story was enough to satisfy me for what it was, which is just a love story, but it's a love story that's sweet without being cloying, with a couple you wanna befriend and have over for dinner, and some of the themes are thoughtful and relatable even for straight folk.
but no laser guns.
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/2013/02/20/the-wat...
come to my blog!
this tor shorty is getting a lot of reactionary frowns and cranky reviews because it won a hugo award for best short story back in 2014 and it's not really sci-fi.
which is a perfectly legitimate complaint, but one that didn't stop me from loving it because i didn't even know about the "scandal" before i read it, and because i actually prefer things that are more genre-blendy than textbook genre. you wanna throw time travel into my detective story? sure, go ahead. you wanna ride a unicorn into my grit lit? yes, please. (no, really - yes, please. can someone get daniel woodrell on the phone about this?)
i choose my tor shorts pretty blindly - usually by picture or author, and i rarely read the synopsis before i dive in. free books = zero buyer's remorse, and there are plenty of tor shorts i've read a couple of paragraphs of before abandoning because i realized they were tied to a series i hadn't read, or they were too too boring or - yeah, they were too sci-fi.
step off, brad - i know what you're gonna say and i'm not having it right now!
so, no - i expect there were probably stories more representative of the sci-fi genre that "should" have won the award that year and it's possible that because the litworld is so concerned about inclusion these days, there were some diversity itches needing to be scratched that pushed this one in over some with more sci in their fi.
but me, i loved it.
i loved the concept - that one day and for no discernible reason at all, speaking a lie aloud causes water to fall down on the individual. water falling from nooooooowhere.
like this:
or the related, and much more fun
i loved that the amount of water and its duration was contingent upon the kind of lie told, and the way that speech could be manipulated to avoid a technical lie while still being evasive.
and i love how this situation complicates a man's coming out to his very traditional chinese parents despite his being in a committed relationship with an excellent man who is everything a parent could want their child's future spouse to be. apart from the genitals, i guess.
it's a wonderful story and i loved it and it is absolutely not science fiction. it's just … lovely.
i think this would be a really great concept to expand into a full-length novel or even better - a short story collection, which could explore different applications of the idea - in advertising, in courtroom situations, in job interviews or first dates. there's so much potential for humor, even though this particular story was more on the romantic and touching side of things, although it is pretty funny in parts:
When I was eight, she convinced me that she was psychic, then foretold exactly how horrible my life would be if I didn’t do exactly as she said. It’s embarrassing how many years she got away with it. If the water had been falling back then, she’d have flooded the house.
so, more of this idea, please! i need to know more about all the loopholes and the gradations of lie vs. paradox v. evasion vs. intentional absurdity. what would happen to actors? or undercover detectives? or santa claus??
this idea makes my head spin in the best possible way!
Uttering “this sentence is false” or some other paradox leaves you with such a sense of angst, so filled with the sense of an impending doom, that most people don’t last five seconds before blurting something unequivocal. So, of course, holding out for as long as possible has become the latest craze among drunk frat boys and hard men who insist on root canals without an anesthetic. Psychologists are finding the longer you wait, the more unequivocal you need to be to ever find solace.
but even if i never read more about the spiderwebbing journey this concept could travel, this story was enough to satisfy me for what it was, which is just a love story, but it's a love story that's sweet without being cloying, with a couple you wanna befriend and have over for dinner, and some of the themes are thoughtful and relatable even for straight folk.
but no laser guns.
read it for yourself here:
http://www.tor.com/2013/02/20/the-wat...
come to my blog!
December 24, 2017
"The Water falls from the sky if you lie"............... is a creative means to tell your parents (or not) if you are gay. If you lie --water falls from the sky! --
Love is love is love! To hide it is a lie --don't ya think?
Family complexity -relationships tender! .......and love between Matt and Gus is pure as water!
The cover and title caught my attention! It can be read online --for free.
Every Sunday morning I need to sit upright -or stand -for an hour after taking my bone density medication) --to be 'strong-like-like-bull'!
Reading this short story kept me company!
Heartfelt!
Love is love is love! To hide it is a lie --don't ya think?
Family complexity -relationships tender! .......and love between Matt and Gus is pure as water!
The cover and title caught my attention! It can be read online --for free.
Every Sunday morning I need to sit upright -or stand -for an hour after taking my bone density medication) --to be 'strong-like-like-bull'!
Reading this short story kept me company!
Heartfelt!
August 2, 2018
In the near future water falls from the sky whenever someone lies (either a mist or a torrential flood depending on the intensity of the lie). This makes life difficult for Matt as he maneuvers the marriage question with his lover and how best to “come out” to his traditional Chinese parents.
“Coming out would have hurt less a decade ago and it’ll hurt less now than a decade from now. Unless I just keep quiet and wait for my entire family to die off. Now there’s a cheery thought.”
I've been on the search for a captivating magical realism story and this one fit like a glove. The premise of That Falls on You from Nowhere remains to be completely fascinating to me: tell a lie and rain shall fall from the sky. I'm still amazed with the author for coming up with it.
On that note, I've gathered a list of things that left me with a content heart:
• To-the-point writing style.
• It was a lovely and quick distraction from daily life.
• Superb characterization in only twenty or so pages.
• I unexpectedly started loving Matt's mother after this passage:
“Mom asks me if we’ve eaten. According to the textbooks, it’s a polite greeting, but she always means it literally. If I tell her I’m not hungry, she’ll say, “不餓還需要吃啊.” (Even if you’re not hungry, you still need to eat.) That must be true since that never causes the water to fall.”
• I LIVED for those moments when it would say if water had fallen or not.
• Then this one scene with Matt and his older sister, Michele, kind of reminded me of my favorite dynamic between Jessica Huang and her sister, Connie, in the show Fresh Off the Boat:
“You understand what I’m saying. I shouldn’t have to spell it out. You don’t trust your own sister?”
When I was eight, she convinced me that she was psychic, then foretold exactly how horrible my life would be if I didn’t do exactly as she said. It’s embarrassing how many years she got away with it. If the water had been falling back then, she’d have flooded the house.”
• And one last thing: Matt's partner, Gus, is an amazingly supportive love interest with such a generous soul. Which is why this next scene utterly warmed my heart:
“Matt, you’re leaving out of spite.” The doorjamb neatly frames Gus. “Okay, your sister had a bad reaction, but poe poe and gohng gohng don’t seem to be taking it badly.”
I blink and shake my head. It takes me a few seconds to realize that he’s talking about my parents.
“Did you just call my parents 婆婆 and 公公?”
“Yeah, poe poe and gohng gohng.” He looks confused. “I tried to call them Mr. and Mrs. Ho this afternoon, but they both corrected me before I got past hello. Am I pronouncing it wrong?”
“We can work on that, but that’s not my point.” I shut his suitcase. “‘婆婆’ means husband’s mother and ‘公公’ means husband’s father.”
Overall, I highly recommend you give this short story a go. Not only does it have a stunning cover, but the inside is just as phenomenal, if not more so.
Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying That Falls on You from Nowhere, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!
Support creators you love. Buy a Coffee for nat (bookspoils) with Ko-fi.com/bookspoils
“Coming out would have hurt less a decade ago and it’ll hurt less now than a decade from now. Unless I just keep quiet and wait for my entire family to die off. Now there’s a cheery thought.”
I've been on the search for a captivating magical realism story and this one fit like a glove. The premise of That Falls on You from Nowhere remains to be completely fascinating to me: tell a lie and rain shall fall from the sky. I'm still amazed with the author for coming up with it.
On that note, I've gathered a list of things that left me with a content heart:
• To-the-point writing style.
• It was a lovely and quick distraction from daily life.
• Superb characterization in only twenty or so pages.
• I unexpectedly started loving Matt's mother after this passage:
“Mom asks me if we’ve eaten. According to the textbooks, it’s a polite greeting, but she always means it literally. If I tell her I’m not hungry, she’ll say, “不餓還需要吃啊.” (Even if you’re not hungry, you still need to eat.) That must be true since that never causes the water to fall.”
• I LIVED for those moments when it would say if water had fallen or not.
• Then this one scene with Matt and his older sister, Michele, kind of reminded me of my favorite dynamic between Jessica Huang and her sister, Connie, in the show Fresh Off the Boat:
“You understand what I’m saying. I shouldn’t have to spell it out. You don’t trust your own sister?”
When I was eight, she convinced me that she was psychic, then foretold exactly how horrible my life would be if I didn’t do exactly as she said. It’s embarrassing how many years she got away with it. If the water had been falling back then, she’d have flooded the house.”
• And one last thing: Matt's partner, Gus, is an amazingly supportive love interest with such a generous soul. Which is why this next scene utterly warmed my heart:
“Matt, you’re leaving out of spite.” The doorjamb neatly frames Gus. “Okay, your sister had a bad reaction, but poe poe and gohng gohng don’t seem to be taking it badly.”
I blink and shake my head. It takes me a few seconds to realize that he’s talking about my parents.
“Did you just call my parents 婆婆 and 公公?”
“Yeah, poe poe and gohng gohng.” He looks confused. “I tried to call them Mr. and Mrs. Ho this afternoon, but they both corrected me before I got past hello. Am I pronouncing it wrong?”
“We can work on that, but that’s not my point.” I shut his suitcase. “‘婆婆’ means husband’s mother and ‘公公’ means husband’s father.”
Overall, I highly recommend you give this short story a go. Not only does it have a stunning cover, but the inside is just as phenomenal, if not more so.
Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying That Falls on You from Nowhere, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!
Support creators you love. Buy a Coffee for nat (bookspoils) with Ko-fi.com/bookspoils
December 29, 2015
fun and mysterious, with a great sense of style.
dinged a star for the condom thing. don't normalize war-time best practices in a time of peace. it's not normal to treat your fiancé the same way you'd treat a grindr hookup.
dinged a star for the condom thing. don't normalize war-time best practices in a time of peace. it's not normal to treat your fiancé the same way you'd treat a grindr hookup.
December 16, 2014
I read this as part of the Hugo nomination packet, and am somewhat baffled. It's well written, I suppose, and there is a nominal science fiction element, though I'm tempted to instead check the box to shelve it as "magical realism." Apparently a few months ago, water started falling on people from nowhere whenever they tell a lie. If you're a little evasive, you get damp. If you tell a whopper, you get drenched. This just happens and there's no explanation, and it serves no purpose in the story except to occasionally emphasize the sincerity of what the characters are saying.
The main character is a gay Chinese man who has not come out to his rather traditional family yet. He brings his lover/boyfriend/almost-husband home to meet the parents, has some fights with his judgmental sister, and then storms off to be comforted by his SO.
So, family drama and gay cuddling. Okay, whatever. This was literary and just off-beat enough to qualify as "speculative fiction," but I am still at a loss to call it genuinely SF or F.
The main character is a gay Chinese man who has not come out to his rather traditional family yet. He brings his lover/boyfriend/almost-husband home to meet the parents, has some fights with his judgmental sister, and then storms off to be comforted by his SO.
So, family drama and gay cuddling. Okay, whatever. This was literary and just off-beat enough to qualify as "speculative fiction," but I am still at a loss to call it genuinely SF or F.
December 17, 2022
To be completely honest, I felt absolutely nothing while reading that. The idea of water intrigued me, but the story's use of it did not make up for how little of it there was. Additionally, I didn't feel any kinship with the plot or the characters.
December 5, 2016
I started crying partway through reading this beautiful story.
December 16, 2014
My book club read a selection of short stories this month; this was one of them.
This is a very well-crafted piece; and all the relationships in it ring very true. It's the story of a gay man struggling with coming out to his family during a holiday visit (this is a great story to read for Christmas!)
I like that just about nothing here is idealized or sanitized - people are difficult, hard, irrational - but at the same time, the overall mood is sweet and hopeful.
However, I disagree with this story winning a Hugo award. It's not really a science-fiction story. The 'supernatural' element (water that falls on someone's head whenever they tell a lie [shades of Pinocchio]) is used as a literary device, not in a speculative fashion. If it won an award for the gay romance genre, that'd be well-deserved.
This is a very well-crafted piece; and all the relationships in it ring very true. It's the story of a gay man struggling with coming out to his family during a holiday visit (this is a great story to read for Christmas!)
I like that just about nothing here is idealized or sanitized - people are difficult, hard, irrational - but at the same time, the overall mood is sweet and hopeful.
However, I disagree with this story winning a Hugo award. It's not really a science-fiction story. The 'supernatural' element (water that falls on someone's head whenever they tell a lie [shades of Pinocchio]) is used as a literary device, not in a speculative fashion. If it won an award for the gay romance genre, that'd be well-deserved.
May 12, 2017
I first read this in new year minutes before some family relatives come to my house, so this story has an impact due to read it at the right time.
But I barely found any science fiction or even fantasy element of this story, except the brief concept of a child of gay couple in one of the dialog. I found the family drama and MM romance were okay, but the main issue for me: the drama was not gripping my emotion, it felt like a regular family time. Compared to my own family-time, not much difference.
But I barely found any science fiction or even fantasy element of this story, except the brief concept of a child of gay couple in one of the dialog. I found the family drama and MM romance were okay, but the main issue for me: the drama was not gripping my emotion, it felt like a regular family time. Compared to my own family-time, not much difference.
October 26, 2015
Chu looks at family both the blood one and the other ones we make as we grow. Families that we love and hate at the same time, families that pulls us here and there but the ropes that tie us cannot so easily be untied and we would feel adrift if they're cut.
Don't know if I can call this sci-fi or fantasy anyway what's in a name. The premise and it's permutations are very very interesting and the piece is very well written, so much so that eventhough I'd have loved a translation to all the Chinese bits, I could totally follow and did not feel any loss.
September 25, 2014
There's something clever about this story. Water that falls on you from nowhere...when you are fibbing. The conceit is the narrator is an in the closet gay, at least to his parents, and without the ability to lie to them since the water started falling, is faced with the conflict of how he is going to keep up the facade in front of his aged parents over the Christmas holidays when any lie he tells will be given away by...water, falling out of nowhere.
Clever, right?
Right. But science fiction?
John Chu won the Hugo this year for Best Short story with The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere, and I don't quite understand why. There is almost nothing that is even related to science in it. And, lest you argue that fantasy gets consideration for the Hugo, as well (just look at The Wheel of Time series, a Hugo nominee this year), let me just say that I'm not quite sure it falls well under that category, either. Maybe surrealism or, as I saw one person call it, "magical realism." No, I'm not sure what that oxymoron means, but it sounds good, and feels about as good a label for this strange story as anything else.
So, anyway, it got the Hugo and I picked it up to read it, because that's what people who like science fiction often do: they read the stories that the Hugo.
I finished it, put down my device (it was on my Kindle app), and scratched my head. Literally. "That's all it takes to get the Hugo?"
There's no accounting for taste, I suppose, but even in a year with a lot of controversy, I don't see why this story won. It's just not very good scifi. Clever, emotional even, but send it over to one of those literary houses for consideration and leave the science fiction to something that might be remotely recognizable as belonging to the genre.
Clever, right?
Right. But science fiction?
John Chu won the Hugo this year for Best Short story with The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere, and I don't quite understand why. There is almost nothing that is even related to science in it. And, lest you argue that fantasy gets consideration for the Hugo, as well (just look at The Wheel of Time series, a Hugo nominee this year), let me just say that I'm not quite sure it falls well under that category, either. Maybe surrealism or, as I saw one person call it, "magical realism." No, I'm not sure what that oxymoron means, but it sounds good, and feels about as good a label for this strange story as anything else.
So, anyway, it got the Hugo and I picked it up to read it, because that's what people who like science fiction often do: they read the stories that the Hugo.
I finished it, put down my device (it was on my Kindle app), and scratched my head. Literally. "That's all it takes to get the Hugo?"
There's no accounting for taste, I suppose, but even in a year with a lot of controversy, I don't see why this story won. It's just not very good scifi. Clever, emotional even, but send it over to one of those literary houses for consideration and leave the science fiction to something that might be remotely recognizable as belonging to the genre.
December 12, 2017
After the title of this story grabbed my attention, the art-work and synopsis enticed it further.
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere is a drama that can categorize into the genre of Bizarro. The simple fantasy theme belying it is that there's a downpour on every person who utters a lie and, depending on the severity of a lie, can turn into a drizzle, humidity, or even a torrent. The science and visual information behind this phenomenon has been denied to the readers because the sole focus is on the concept of truth and lies, and it is quite nicely delivered.
I am, perhaps, turning a bit biased towards Chinese authors because they have seemed to display exceptional skills of instigating emotional vibes in me through very simple words. I will, for the umpteenth time, mention The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, which started off my obsessive chain of short-reads.
The Water That Falls on You From Nowhere (it is a pain to type but so lovely to pronounce) is a drama detailing themes of homosexuality, familial relationships, cultural restrictions and language barrier. That's a lot of subjects in one short story and, yet, they're all present with equal voracity.
In conclusion, this is an extremely engaging read, well written, and sensationally appealing.
I recommend this to anyone who has 15 spare minutes where they don't know what to do next in life. Oh and, you can read it for free here:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/02/th...
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere is a drama that can categorize into the genre of Bizarro. The simple fantasy theme belying it is that there's a downpour on every person who utters a lie and, depending on the severity of a lie, can turn into a drizzle, humidity, or even a torrent. The science and visual information behind this phenomenon has been denied to the readers because the sole focus is on the concept of truth and lies, and it is quite nicely delivered.
I am, perhaps, turning a bit biased towards Chinese authors because they have seemed to display exceptional skills of instigating emotional vibes in me through very simple words. I will, for the umpteenth time, mention The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu, which started off my obsessive chain of short-reads.
The Water That Falls on You From Nowhere (it is a pain to type but so lovely to pronounce) is a drama detailing themes of homosexuality, familial relationships, cultural restrictions and language barrier. That's a lot of subjects in one short story and, yet, they're all present with equal voracity.
In conclusion, this is an extremely engaging read, well written, and sensationally appealing.
I recommend this to anyone who has 15 spare minutes where they don't know what to do next in life. Oh and, you can read it for free here:
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/02/th...
December 25, 2017
What a concept: water falls from the sky if you lie. It's cold too. And if your lie is to your lover, he gets drenched too. Is that what love is? Sharing the cold and chilling, as well as the warm and comforting?
I loved this short story. It had a structure to it that this math major appreciated.
Thanks Elyse for sharing your review so that I could share the story too.
I found this story on tor.com by entering John Chu in the search box.
Its even appropriate for Christmas Day as the story takes place, in part, as the family celebrates Christmas.
I loved this short story. It had a structure to it that this math major appreciated.
Thanks Elyse for sharing your review so that I could share the story too.
I found this story on tor.com by entering John Chu in the search box.
Its even appropriate for Christmas Day as the story takes place, in part, as the family celebrates Christmas.
August 1, 2014
This short was nominated for a Hugo in 2014. This award is for science fiction and fantasy. I saw very little of this in this story. In fact, i think it was just added to make a 'coming out story' accessible for an award.
The story was boring and i had zero interest in it. The only fantasy element was water appears if a lie was told.
The writing may be good, but the story is boring.
The story was boring and i had zero interest in it. The only fantasy element was water appears if a lie was told.
The writing may be good, but the story is boring.
September 9, 2018
Με ζορίζουν απίστευτα οι ιστορίες που μιλάνε για τέτοια ψυχολογική καταπίεση, για το πώς οι πιο δικοί μας άνθρωποι τελικά είναι οι πιο αδίστακτοι να μας κακοποιήσουν με τις λέξεις τους. Με ζορίζουν πολύ, σε σημείο να θέλω να παρατήσω μια τέτοια ιστορία (όπως πχ, δεν τολμώ να παρακολουθήσω την ταινία Ένας νομοταγής πολίτης, ή το Ξύπνα Βασίλη). Αλλά αυτό... αυτό ήταν σχεδόν ζεστό. Όπως όταν λες την αλήθεια κι η υγρασία στεγνώνει αμέσως. Άξια όλα του τα βραβεία.
June 1, 2021
rep: Chinese gay mc, gay li, Chinese characters
tw: abuse and homophobia from sibling
hello i am crying, yes
tw: abuse and homophobia from sibling
hello i am crying, yes
May 26, 2017
“I love you, Matt” doesn’t count as a powerful statement that holds true for all time and space. Except when Gus says it, apparently.
I have always felt that crafting a short story is far more difficult than a full-length novel. You have so much to say, so many people to introduce and so many ideas to explore in such a small number of words. But it also means, that no word is wasted. Everything is profound. Huge amounts of genius and creativity compressed in such a small space, a good short story will be a burst of pleasure when done right.
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere is tender, funny, sweet and emotional with two extremely likable leads. The narrator is witty and John Chu has used such beautiful language to give him voice.
My last 15 minutes were well spent. Go on and read it.
http://www.tor.com/2013/02/20/the-wat...
April 24, 2020
This love story is just so pure and heartwarming, I didn’t want it to get over. Gus is a sweetheart and Matt maybe a bit scared but his heart is true. I liked everyone except Matt’s sister and I don’t care if she loves him, but she is a bully.
I also liked how fascinating this world was, and how everyone had to maneuver the way they spoke, hedging between truth and lies, so that they don’t get drenched in water. It’s a real dilemma and makes us realize how difficult it is to be truthful 100% of the time. I’m just amazed at how much the author was able to convey in such a small story and can totally understand why this won the Hugo.
I also liked how fascinating this world was, and how everyone had to maneuver the way they spoke, hedging between truth and lies, so that they don’t get drenched in water. It’s a real dilemma and makes us realize how difficult it is to be truthful 100% of the time. I’m just amazed at how much the author was able to convey in such a small story and can totally understand why this won the Hugo.
April 29, 2020
Finally a 5 stars short story!!!
I simply loved this. The water was a further element to glimpse into the characters' feelings, something that can be hard to accomplish in such short stories, but here even without the water everyone was so well fleshed out that I didn't even feel like it was necessary. Still a really cool concept though and I think everyone can see it as a metaphor for whatever they wish and whatever comes closer to their personal experience.
TW: homophobia, emotionally abusive sister
I simply loved this. The water was a further element to glimpse into the characters' feelings, something that can be hard to accomplish in such short stories, but here even without the water everyone was so well fleshed out that I didn't even feel like it was necessary. Still a really cool concept though and I think everyone can see it as a metaphor for whatever they wish and whatever comes closer to their personal experience.
TW: homophobia, emotionally abusive sister
April 23, 2014
One of the more effective approaches to writing a speculative fiction short story, it seems, is to come up with one clever element and then speculate on how that would influence every aspect of life. Ted Chiang does this very well in his story The Truth of Fact, The Truth of Feeling, which was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novelette this year (2014). Aliette de Bodard did it very well in her story Immersion, which was nominated for a slew of awards last year. And John Chu does it very well in this story. What happens if every lie you tell becomes a huge, embarrassingly public display? I just complained because one of the other stories that I read wasn't speculative fiction enough for me. And this one isn't so speculative either except for the huge showers of rain that fall on people occasionally. It's much more about relationships and family. But the fantastic element is enough to make it work, it's the element that forces the family drama to happen. And unlike with the other story, I was never bored during this one, so I'm not inclined to complain about it.
December 28, 2018
Ahoy there mateys! This 22 page 2014 Hugo award-winning short story was absolutely wonderful. Of course as it is from Tor.com I was expecting it to be. In this version of the future, telling a lie causes water to fall from the sky. How much water depends on how big the lie. This phenomena brings Matt a whole additional set of concerns about coming out to his traditional Chinese parents. I really enjoyed this quick read and absolutely loved the ideas and thoughts around telling lies. What crazy complications that entails. Yeesh! I do recommend this one and ye can read it for free here. Arrr!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
March 3, 2016
A Hugo nominated short with a very cool premise, when you tell a lie, water falls on you. The author uses this idea to tell the story of a gay Chinese man as he comes out to his family. Wonderful story of love and the many shades of lies we tell throughout the course of our days and lives.
January 22, 2020
Because life, I had to pause this halfway through, and couldn’t pick it up again until late last night, and I thought about it for each one of the intervening hours and couldn’t rest until I finished it. If there’s a criterion for a good story, that’s it. No wonder it won the Hugo in 2014.
July 11, 2020
A beautiful short. I love the concept. If this were real life I'd know some folks who'd be perpetually wet. I can also appreciate how siblings can make you feel like you want to hide. Sometimes we're way rougher on each other even than our parents would be on us.
The concept, the emotions, the drama, the love. The person that is there for you no matter what. It's a 5 star story.
The concept, the emotions, the drama, the love. The person that is there for you no matter what. It's a 5 star story.
February 15, 2019
3.75 stars rounded up
Purists Lovers of science-fiction might not fully agree with this short story having strong science fiction / fantasy element. There's element of speculative fiction, with water coming down on people who's lying; no explanation about it though.
But for me, the core of this story how Matt loves Gus, and he's struggling to come out to his traditional Chinese family, and tell them that he's not going to find a good Chinese woman to marry and have kids with. Instead he will have a husband. I loved this story, it was beautiful, endearing, touching ... and it was always wonderful to read about (East) Asian culture.
This is one short story that I wish to be longer... I wouldn't mind reading a full novel out of this story
But for me, the core of this story how Matt loves Gus, and he's struggling to come out to his traditional Chinese family, and tell them that he's not going to find a good Chinese woman to marry and have kids with. Instead he will have a husband. I loved this story, it was beautiful, endearing, touching ... and it was always wonderful to read about (East) Asian culture.
This is one short story that I wish to be longer... I wouldn't mind reading a full novel out of this story
February 16, 2019
This is a neat little magical-realist story with an interesting base premise: If you lie, water falls on you, more water the bigger the lie. And the main character is a gay man struggling with coming out to his traditional Chinese family.
It has all the ingredients for a culture-clash screwball comedy, but this story is about the pain of lying to yourself and the ones you love, and the pain only they can inflict, both intentionally and not. It is also very sweet, and shows the relief in owning the truth.
It's a damn good story, but can I also see that screwball comedy in this same world? It could be a hoot...
It has all the ingredients for a culture-clash screwball comedy, but this story is about the pain of lying to yourself and the ones you love, and the pain only they can inflict, both intentionally and not. It is also very sweet, and shows the relief in owning the truth.
It's a damn good story, but can I also see that screwball comedy in this same world? It could be a hoot...
February 9, 2015
Didn't like this at all. I was expecting fantasy or even some science fiction elements to make it original and interesting, but instead this was just another (boring) story about relationships, coming out and family.
Maybe I completely missed the point and this is "too deep" for me, but frankly I had no interest at all in it.
Good thing it was short.
Maybe I completely missed the point and this is "too deep" for me, but frankly I had no interest at all in it.
Good thing it was short.
December 28, 2017
Every so often I like to read a stand-alone short story; one that isn't necessarily part of a writer's collection or taken from a multi-author anthology. A case in point is a 6,655-word composition I chanced upon while skimming Goodreads recently. It piqued my interest sufficiently for me to take time out from the novel I was then reading.
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere by John Chu first appeared on Tor.com in 2013 – a “publisher neutral” website aimed at sci-fi and fantasy readers – before going on to win the Hugo Award for Best Short Story the following year.
Almost as soon as I started reading, I realised it would be difficult to accurately fit this tale into a single genre because it was equally at home under the lgbtq+ fiction heading. Indeed, this very issue had caused (and continues to cause) consternation amongst the purists who felt it should never have won a competition voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention. Nevertheless, as a piece of imaginative writing, it seems to have proved enduringly popular with short story lovers.
John Chu is a writer, translator and podcast narrator who earns his living as a microprocessor architect. In his story we enter a future world where a deluge of freezing cold water plummets from the sky on to the head of any person telling a lie (evasiveness merely turns the air muggy). The downpour, however, serves only as a backdrop to the main narrative, which is about a loving relationship between two young men and the problems one of them has coming-out to his traditional Chinese parents.
I won't give away any more of the plot, but I found it heart-warming and original. The ideal mini, literary interlude.
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere was also published in Some of the Best From Tor.com, 2013 Edition (Tor.com Anthologies).
This story is freely available to read at Tor.com.
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere by John Chu first appeared on Tor.com in 2013 – a “publisher neutral” website aimed at sci-fi and fantasy readers – before going on to win the Hugo Award for Best Short Story the following year.
Almost as soon as I started reading, I realised it would be difficult to accurately fit this tale into a single genre because it was equally at home under the lgbtq+ fiction heading. Indeed, this very issue had caused (and continues to cause) consternation amongst the purists who felt it should never have won a competition voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Convention. Nevertheless, as a piece of imaginative writing, it seems to have proved enduringly popular with short story lovers.
John Chu is a writer, translator and podcast narrator who earns his living as a microprocessor architect. In his story we enter a future world where a deluge of freezing cold water plummets from the sky on to the head of any person telling a lie (evasiveness merely turns the air muggy). The downpour, however, serves only as a backdrop to the main narrative, which is about a loving relationship between two young men and the problems one of them has coming-out to his traditional Chinese parents.
I won't give away any more of the plot, but I found it heart-warming and original. The ideal mini, literary interlude.
The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere was also published in Some of the Best From Tor.com, 2013 Edition (Tor.com Anthologies).
This story is freely available to read at Tor.com.
September 27, 2017
I only picked this up because of the Around the Year challenge to read a Hugo Award winner or nominee. The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere won the award for best short story in 2014.
The premise of this story is that water rains down on you when you lie, no matter where you are. I'm not sure that's enough to make it science fiction? No matter, I thought this story was really well executed. Even though it's a short story the characters were well developed. It would have been a full five stars from me if the ending wasn't quite as unresolved.
TW: homophobia
The premise of this story is that water rains down on you when you lie, no matter where you are. I'm not sure that's enough to make it science fiction? No matter, I thought this story was really well executed. Even though it's a short story the characters were well developed. It would have been a full five stars from me if the ending wasn't quite as unresolved.
TW: homophobia
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