The Infinite Loop: a novella of spaceships, time warps and free pie

by Sandra Peterson Ramirez, T.D. Whittle

Lenie and Rachel are two old friends sharing a road trip and a new vision of life, beyond marriage and children. Things begin to feel strange out in the West Texas desert: a buzzing, tingling kind of strange. An aircraft appears to be following them and distant lights shine from a town that doesn't appear on their maps. What awaits them there is a tidy RV park boasting modern amenities and fresh all-you-can-eat pie.

Feeling lucky to have landed in this quiet oasis under a star-strewn desert sky, the women are reluctant to leave, even as they find themselves drawn into a series of increasingly disturbing events. Is it the town, the pie, or some kind of shared hallucination? One thing they know for sure is that they can’t leave without seeing the local attraction that has beckoned them ever since their arrival: the Infinite Loop.

Genres: Novella

106 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Writes stories and takes photos and walks the dogs. And reads. Co-author of 13 Ways: Illustrated Stories; The Infinite Loop: a novella of spaceships, time warps and free pie; and Stranger Places: A Pie Town Novel.

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of this had a Twin Peakish feel to me, which is certainly not a bad thing. This could have been because of the multiple sets of triplets, some of them Magritte type bowler wearing gents, and other strange characters. Or maybe it was the pie and the UFOs and the constant “what the hell is going on here?” vibe. Except instead of the Pacific Northwest, we’re in the West Texas desert, its wide-open skies punctuated by mysterious lights that seem to behave in a peculiar manner, as do many things here as events unfold.

Two middle-aged women, best friends since college, on a road trip: Rachel is leaving her husband of 22 years; Lenie’s come to take her from Houston to Lenie’s Tucson home. They stop for the night in a little town, not on any map, that’s got an RV park for their Bronco and Airstream trailer. They don’t know where they are, but they’re tired and there’s free pie.

The story is told in short alternating first-person chapters consisting of Rachel’s journal and Lenie’s blog, although they’re not sure if any of the blog posts are reaching its readers. They don’t get responses to any of their e-mails either, in spite of the advertised wi-fi, and their watches stop. Things keep getting stranger as the people they meet don’t seem quite right and the town seems to morph every day in ways towns are most definitely not supposed to do, even in West Texas.

They stay a few days – there is all that delicious pie – but one particular late-night event frightens them into packing their bags. Then they discover they’ve really got a problem.

Not just a story about a peculiar place, odd characters, and mysterious events, it is also about time and memory, friendship and relationships with others, as well as the relationship between one’s waking and dreaming selves, and current selves and former ones. There’s also the question of what constitutes or creates “reality” (whatever that is).

This was a fast and engaging read in a week when I needed exactly that. And there’s a second novel about Pie Town, which I’m looking forward to. Recommended.

Playlist:

On the Road Again Willie Nelson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBN86...
Come a Little Bit Closer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuWkV...
Starman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MrP8...
City with No Children in It https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQEad...
Triplets https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjW_y...
Gone Pie, Patti Smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPuy4...
Sweet Dream Are Made of This https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMFq...
Stuck in a Moment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykIj1...
Cuban salsa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlrNP...
Red Red Wine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej1Kp...
Palisades Park https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnLCv...

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What a sad and cynical world this has become when one is forced to be suspicious of pie."

Privileged to read an early copy of the latest story from two of my favorite authors that are developing a unique style of their own that can't be nailed down. A really clever and absurd mystery that offers an intelligent treatment of consciousness in a way I'd not seen done before. I wish I could hit Pie Town tonight and ride the Infinite Loop myself. Top notch writing from beginning to end.

[Louis Corsair · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a pretty great Twilight Zone-style story. The premise is a bit like Lost (the television show), which gave it an edge as the characters try to figure out what’s going on. Unfortunately, the ending left me with more questions that can’t possibly be answered (also like the television show).