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The Husband Stitch
"‘I have heard all of the stories about girls like me, and I am unafraid to make more of them.’
If you read this story out loud, please use the following voices:
Me: as a child, high-pitched, forgettable; as a woman, the same.
The boy who will grow into a man, and be my spouse: robust with his own good fortune.
My father: Like your father, or the man you wish was your father.
My son: as a small child, gentle, rounded with the faintest of lisps; as a man, like my husband.
All other women: interchangeable with my own.
Carmen Maria Machado is the celebrated author of the memoir In the Dream House and the vibrant story collection Her Body and Other Parties. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the Bard Fiction Prize, the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, the Brooklyn Public Library Literature Prize, a Shirley Jackson Award and the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize.
If you read this story out loud, please use the following voices:
Me: as a child, high-pitched, forgettable; as a woman, the same.
The boy who will grow into a man, and be my spouse: robust with his own good fortune.
My father: Like your father, or the man you wish was your father.
My son: as a small child, gentle, rounded with the faintest of lisps; as a man, like my husband.
All other women: interchangeable with my own.
Carmen Maria Machado is the celebrated author of the memoir In the Dream House and the vibrant story collection Her Body and Other Parties. She has been a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the Bard Fiction Prize, the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, the Brooklyn Public Library Literature Prize, a Shirley Jackson Award and the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize.
45 pages, ebook
First published October 28, 2014
9 people are currently reading
2610 people want to read
About the author
Carmen Maria Machado
92 books11.6k followersCarmen Maria Machado's debut short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties, was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Kirkus Prize, LA Times Book Prize Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, the Dylan Thomas Prize, and the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction, and the winner of the Bard Fiction Prize, the National Book Critics Circle's John Leonard Prize, and the Crawford Award. In 2018, the New York Times listed Her Body and Other Parties as a member of "The New Vanguard," one of "15 remarkable books by women that are shaping the way we read and write fiction in the 21st century."
Her essays, fiction, and criticism have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Granta, Tin House, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, The Believer, Guernica, Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has been awarded fellowships and residencies from the Michener-Copernicus Foundation, the Elizabeth George Foundation, the CINTAS Foundation, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, and the Millay Colony for the Arts. She is the Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania and lives in Philadelphia with her wife.
Her essays, fiction, and criticism have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Granta, Tin House, McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, The Believer, Guernica, Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and has been awarded fellowships and residencies from the Michener-Copernicus Foundation, the Elizabeth George Foundation, the CINTAS Foundation, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, and the Millay Colony for the Arts. She is the Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania and lives in Philadelphia with her wife.
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November 11, 2021you bet your ass the stories i read for class go towards my gr goal
May 25, 2021
This week's shortie is a feminist and dark fantasy retelling of one of the stories that totally and completely haunted me as a child
I had heard of the anthology Her Body and Other Parties that houses this story, but when I found this one online for free I decided to dive right in. I had no idea that it was based on Jenny and her infamous green ribbon
The original story has apparently been adapted and told by several others, including Washington Irving and Alexandre Dumas and is itself based on an old French folktale that nobody remembers the author of. Kind of like an urban legend, if you will. This story is also interjected by several other urban legends, all with a female central figure who is usually the subject of gaslighting and manipulation. These stories were all reminiscent of other tales we've all heard but still have an unknown origin. The author has also inserted some meta-like asides into the narrative, which itself is broken into short vignettes, instructing the reader on how to reenact certain scenes when reading aloud. The technique sounds obtrusive, but is anything but as it sucks the reader in, making the story sound familiar and eerie and brings a realistic tone, despite the obvious fantastical and symbolic elements.
As I am familiar with a variation of the original tale, I knew what was coming but this did not in any way detract from my enjoyment. But for those who are not maybe as familiar, it is probably best to go into reading this with as little knowledge as possible. It is about a woman who falls in love at a young age with the man she will eventually marry. The woman wears a green ribbon around her neck that torments her husband's curiosity.
We travel with the woman through her marriage and the eventual birth of her son. Her husband continues to nag her about the ribbon until she stops wanting to become intimate with him in an effort to stop him from asking. Eventually her son becomes fixated on the ribbon, and though it breaks her heart, must put a divide between them to stifle his curiosity. The ending is swift and brutal, but effortlessly rendered.
I'm spoiler tagging this next paragraph and strongly suggest that those interested in reading this ignore until after you've read.
I will make a comment that I gave this one five stars originally which is compltely based on my feelings when I was done. 5 star ratings for me are typically a gut reaction. I know as soon as I've finished if a story or book is worth 5 stars or not. And this one was at the time. Until I started reviewing it and finding that this sour aftertaste of radical feminism just doesn't sit as well with me as I'd like. There are insinuations in this story that only women are abused and it is only men who cause abuse. (My spoiler extrapolates upon this a bit). And I just couldn't get behind it. And as much as I wanted to, I cannot give this one 5 stars no matter the other impressions it left on me. It is kinda how I feel about The Handmaid's Tale. Just because I am pro-woman's rights does not necessarily make me anti-man. Feminism itself is about equality. Meaning both sexes are equal. Feminism isn't about women being better than men or that men have caused all of women's problems because both of those statements aren't true. I know a lot of men who have suffered abuse, a lot of times from the hands of women. And I also know a lot of women who have suffered abuse, a lot of times from the hands of men. But overgeneralizing this in a story does nothing to promote understanding and cooperation. And so I dropped half a star.
Because even with that being said, I loved this story.
Read it for FREE here:
https://granta.com/the-husband-stitch/
4.5 stars
I had heard of the anthology Her Body and Other Parties that houses this story, but when I found this one online for free I decided to dive right in. I had no idea that it was based on Jenny and her infamous green ribbon
The original story has apparently been adapted and told by several others, including Washington Irving and Alexandre Dumas and is itself based on an old French folktale that nobody remembers the author of. Kind of like an urban legend, if you will. This story is also interjected by several other urban legends, all with a female central figure who is usually the subject of gaslighting and manipulation. These stories were all reminiscent of other tales we've all heard but still have an unknown origin. The author has also inserted some meta-like asides into the narrative, which itself is broken into short vignettes, instructing the reader on how to reenact certain scenes when reading aloud. The technique sounds obtrusive, but is anything but as it sucks the reader in, making the story sound familiar and eerie and brings a realistic tone, despite the obvious fantastical and symbolic elements.
As I am familiar with a variation of the original tale, I knew what was coming but this did not in any way detract from my enjoyment. But for those who are not maybe as familiar, it is probably best to go into reading this with as little knowledge as possible. It is about a woman who falls in love at a young age with the man she will eventually marry. The woman wears a green ribbon around her neck that torments her husband's curiosity.
– I have given you everything you have ever asked for, I say. Am I not allowed this one thing?
– I want to know.
– You think you want to know, I say, but you do not.
– Why do you want to hide it from me?
– I am not hiding it. It is not yours.
We travel with the woman through her marriage and the eventual birth of her son. Her husband continues to nag her about the ribbon until she stops wanting to become intimate with him in an effort to stop him from asking. Eventually her son becomes fixated on the ribbon, and though it breaks her heart, must put a divide between them to stifle his curiosity. The ending is swift and brutal, but effortlessly rendered.
I'm spoiler tagging this next paragraph and strongly suggest that those interested in reading this ignore until after you've read.
I will make a comment that I gave this one five stars originally which is compltely based on my feelings when I was done. 5 star ratings for me are typically a gut reaction. I know as soon as I've finished if a story or book is worth 5 stars or not. And this one was at the time. Until I started reviewing it and finding that this sour aftertaste of radical feminism just doesn't sit as well with me as I'd like. There are insinuations in this story that only women are abused and it is only men who cause abuse. (My spoiler extrapolates upon this a bit). And I just couldn't get behind it. And as much as I wanted to, I cannot give this one 5 stars no matter the other impressions it left on me. It is kinda how I feel about The Handmaid's Tale. Just because I am pro-woman's rights does not necessarily make me anti-man. Feminism itself is about equality. Meaning both sexes are equal. Feminism isn't about women being better than men or that men have caused all of women's problems because both of those statements aren't true. I know a lot of men who have suffered abuse, a lot of times from the hands of women. And I also know a lot of women who have suffered abuse, a lot of times from the hands of men. But overgeneralizing this in a story does nothing to promote understanding and cooperation. And so I dropped half a star.
Because even with that being said, I loved this story.
Read it for FREE here:
https://granta.com/the-husband-stitch/
4.5 stars
July 20, 2021
A dark retelling of the classic kiddie horror story, "The Girl with the Green Ribbon". (Why this story was in a early readers' book, I'll never understand!)
This retelling stays true to the essence of the original, but is far more adult in nature, with erotica details added and the plot lengthened out. But it's still an interesting story.
You can read it online for free on https://granta.com/the-husband-stitch/.
This retelling stays true to the essence of the original, but is far more adult in nature, with erotica details added and the plot lengthened out. But it's still an interesting story.
You can read it online for free on https://granta.com/the-husband-stitch/.
January 27, 2022
Wow! An amazing, dark story, brilliantly written. Reminiscent of Angela Carter.
May 5, 2021
so, i've found that horror can be written in very short stories and still be incredibly scary...so i went looking for horror shorts.
I was told the story of the woman with the green ribbon many many years ago. I remember being very scared coming to the realization that her HEAD CAME OFF. like...what?? i think i was like 9 when i first hear that story.
SO, naturally, finding this retelling, I was like oh i gotta read this.
at first i was like...uhhhh wow lots of sexy stuff in here...
then i was like...okayyyy?????
and i kept wondering why it was titled "The Husband Stitch"... which, i guess i'm still kind of confused on because....i mean...are they talking about the "extra stitch" he "asks" for after she has their baby?? (perverse and not the right time, husband. i just pushed out your baby and you're asking the doctor to "tighten it up"?!?) i dont know.
There are a lot of people talking about the metaphors here. like in feminism and what not. The husband pushes for years and years for the woman to take off her ribbon and finally, she gives and lets him take it off. Only to have her head roll onto the floor and him be horrified. and that's pretty much what it's like being with a man in general. being pushed beyond your limits (even when you've proven time and time again that you will do almost anything for them), being accused of keeping secrets (even when those "secrets" are literally just parts of you that you don't enjoy talking about), and being shown that your boundaries aren't sacred (goes with being pushed beyond your limits) and being made fun of or being rejected or gawked at.
all of this.....i stilllll don't quite understand why the story was so sexual toward the beginning...and i don't understand why the "original" story was originally in a children's book. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE REAL MEANING BEHIND THIS.
i wish i could say that i totally got the story...that all the little stories worked in made sense...but....i really can't. i enjoyed the read nonetheless. though, not exactly horror in my eyes, it was a thriller and i very much liked the story was told.
I was told the story of the woman with the green ribbon many many years ago. I remember being very scared coming to the realization that her HEAD CAME OFF. like...what?? i think i was like 9 when i first hear that story.
SO, naturally, finding this retelling, I was like oh i gotta read this.
at first i was like...uhhhh wow lots of sexy stuff in here...
then i was like...okayyyy?????
and i kept wondering why it was titled "The Husband Stitch"... which, i guess i'm still kind of confused on because....i mean...are they talking about the "extra stitch" he "asks" for after she has their baby?? (perverse and not the right time, husband. i just pushed out your baby and you're asking the doctor to "tighten it up"?!?) i dont know.
There are a lot of people talking about the metaphors here. like in feminism and what not. The husband pushes for years and years for the woman to take off her ribbon and finally, she gives and lets him take it off. Only to have her head roll onto the floor and him be horrified. and that's pretty much what it's like being with a man in general. being pushed beyond your limits (even when you've proven time and time again that you will do almost anything for them), being accused of keeping secrets (even when those "secrets" are literally just parts of you that you don't enjoy talking about), and being shown that your boundaries aren't sacred (goes with being pushed beyond your limits) and being made fun of or being rejected or gawked at.
all of this.....i stilllll don't quite understand why the story was so sexual toward the beginning...and i don't understand why the "original" story was originally in a children's book. AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND THE REAL MEANING BEHIND THIS.
i wish i could say that i totally got the story...that all the little stories worked in made sense...but....i really can't. i enjoyed the read nonetheless. though, not exactly horror in my eyes, it was a thriller and i very much liked the story was told.
April 5, 2022
“I feel my jaw tighten, and my hand fondles my bow involuntarily. My mind skips between many answers, and I settle on the one that brings me the least amount of anger.”
This excerpt (page 12) takes place when they are talking about their future child. The husband asks if their child will also have a ribbon, and the excerpt is her response. His insistence on this topic angers her each time it is mentioned (the ribbon, not the child). Yet she doesn’t really show her anger. She keeps it in. It reminds me of a quote I read a few years ago. I’m unsure of the author but the quote is along the lines of, “A woman’s first blood is not from between her legs but from biting her tongue.” Women are conditioned to bite their tongues, contain their emotions, shrink their personalities, and act ‘ladylike’.
The ribbon’s symbolism and significance are never outright explained by the author, but its importance is easily understood. Its vulnerability, it's something that’s only hers, and it keeps her together. The ribbon is strong and binding, but not in a restricting way. It holds the thoughts that never come out due to biting her tongue, the emotions she can’t express, and her innermost personality. Following this excerpt, her husband touches the bow while she begs and demands him to stop. Her husband wants to possess all of her, and the ribbon is the only thing he lacks. And, in the end, he goes against her wishes, declarations, and disciplines to take this last piece of her.
This excerpt (page 12) takes place when they are talking about their future child. The husband asks if their child will also have a ribbon, and the excerpt is her response. His insistence on this topic angers her each time it is mentioned (the ribbon, not the child). Yet she doesn’t really show her anger. She keeps it in. It reminds me of a quote I read a few years ago. I’m unsure of the author but the quote is along the lines of, “A woman’s first blood is not from between her legs but from biting her tongue.” Women are conditioned to bite their tongues, contain their emotions, shrink their personalities, and act ‘ladylike’.
The ribbon’s symbolism and significance are never outright explained by the author, but its importance is easily understood. Its vulnerability, it's something that’s only hers, and it keeps her together. The ribbon is strong and binding, but not in a restricting way. It holds the thoughts that never come out due to biting her tongue, the emotions she can’t express, and her innermost personality. Following this excerpt, her husband touches the bow while she begs and demands him to stop. Her husband wants to possess all of her, and the ribbon is the only thing he lacks. And, in the end, he goes against her wishes, declarations, and disciplines to take this last piece of her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2021
Brilliant and unsettling. Why do men?
October 22, 2021
3.5
yeah i mean it was dark and disturbing but i've read verity soo.... yeah....
i mean i enjoyed it but yeah...
yeah i mean it was dark and disturbing but i've read verity soo.... yeah....
i mean i enjoyed it but yeah...
October 24, 2020
Stories have this way of running together like raindrops in a pond. They are each borne from the clouds separately, but once they have come together, there is no way to tell them apart.
Read it for free HERE.
Read it for free HERE.
August 30, 2021
WHAT THE HELL
November 30, 2023
One of the best short stories that eventually I'll do in class.
"I have given you everything you have ever asked for, I say. Am I not allowed this one thing?"
"I have given you everything you have ever asked for, I say. Am I not allowed this one thing?"
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December 31, 2025"𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙜𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙡𝙛 𝙘𝙪𝙗𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩, 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙙. 𝙀𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩."
October 21, 2020
This made me sad, knowing how she eventually caved and gave what little she had for herself to her husband.
It was a very provocative read and fits perfectly in horror.
It was a very provocative read and fits perfectly in horror.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2022
A very well written and uncomfortable read - I recommend researching the husband stitch beforehand.
March 6, 2024
3.5 stars
December 28, 2023
This short story was a dark and clever retelling of a childhood story filled with little references to other horror that I really enjoyed.
February 21, 2024
loved it! love the theme of stories
September 11, 2022
7 year old me read the green ribbon story and ive been horrified ever since. this short story is gorgeous. it’s riddled with absolutely bone chilling interjections for the reader and countless scary stories about being a woman. most of the stories i had either read before or heard about in some form but a few were new and those were just as hard hitting. the title should’ve clicked immediately but it didn’t cause i was so excited and distracted by the green ribbon, but it honestly made the title more upsetting because it only clicked for me when it was referenced and all i can say is i hate men. overall i loved this so much, gonna have to buy the entire collection now cause her writing is so good
September 7, 2023
A really cool meditation of storytelling itself. Super meta yet sincere. After giving everything to this man on her own volition and then more outside of her volition, he still wanted more. The line where she says that the source of her pain was realizing that he is not a bad man killed me. I feel like it really put to words the dissonance of the female experience, and how there are some things that are impossible to truly share with a man because of how different you have always been viewed.
April 14, 2023
Brilliant
July 11, 2024
I'd say at least half of this story was lost on me. I wasn't familiar with "The Girl with the Green Ribbon" until after I've read this version; unlike the hookman urban legend, it didn't make its way across the pond. Similarly, I only know what a husband stitch is because of an article I've read last year--this also doesn't seem to be a widespread phenomenon outside of North America. And what exactly is the author trying to tell me with only some but only women having brightly colored ribbons tied somewhere on their bodies? All signs point to an implication that also doesn't reflect my reality. See? Almost complete cultural clash.
But does she create the atmosphere! And how! The way she plays with urban legends is both fun and creepy. Her writing is beautifully sensual, engaging and intimate. Then there are the stage directions after key scenes that range from a simple way to engage more senses to bringing the horror right into your household.
But does she create the atmosphere! And how! The way she plays with urban legends is both fun and creepy. Her writing is beautifully sensual, engaging and intimate. Then there are the stage directions after key scenes that range from a simple way to engage more senses to bringing the horror right into your household.
March 10, 2024
disclaimer: las lecturas de la uni si o si cuentan para cumplir la meta de goodreads.
igual genia la referencia a la mutilación de genitales femeninos después de parir únicamente para darle placer al hombre y aún más brillante mostrar que el esposo es el tipo de saco de weas para preguntar sobre la intervención con su mujer recién parida xd
uno de los comentarios que me gustó en las reseñas es que el hombre no podía soportar no apropiarse de todo de su esposa y tenía que tomar la única cosa que ella le había rogado quería que fuera solo suya
igual genia la referencia a la mutilación de genitales femeninos después de parir únicamente para darle placer al hombre y aún más brillante mostrar que el esposo es el tipo de saco de weas para preguntar sobre la intervención con su mujer recién parida xd
uno de los comentarios que me gustó en las reseñas es que el hombre no podía soportar no apropiarse de todo de su esposa y tenía que tomar la única cosa que ella le había rogado quería que fuera solo suya
February 2, 2025
Reminds me of why I hate men. Amazing.
It's an amazing depiction of how women are treated in patriarchy and how they are expected to give up everything they have and are just for male pleasure. The true horror does not lie within what is actually said and happening, but within the imagery and how disturbingly real it is.
I'm just not a short story kinda person. If you are, though, read it right now!
It's an amazing depiction of how women are treated in patriarchy and how they are expected to give up everything they have and are just for male pleasure. The true horror does not lie within what is actually said and happening, but within the imagery and how disturbingly real it is.
I'm just not a short story kinda person. If you are, though, read it right now!
August 29, 2021
invented writing
October 18, 2021
Welp! Wasn't expecting such an ending
Always wanted where the plot reveals itself in last line ig my wish came true. Other than that idk what to say
READ THIS!!!
Always wanted where the plot reveals itself in last line ig my wish came true. Other than that idk what to say
READ THIS!!!
August 3, 2023
this story is so important to me. i wrote about this for my gender studies final because it's just so amazing. it made me so emotional tbh. her loneliness and loss of agency after all that. UGH! it really shows the suppression of women's sexuality and erotic power SO WELL and also like the ribbon as a metaphor for gender performativity... possibly?! maybe?! MARRIAGE TO MEN IS A PRISON. sorry. like not true probably but. this story makes me feel strong feelings.
January 15, 2023
This was a fascinating short story: a modern remake of "The Girl with the Green Ribbon," following a woman who falls in love at a young age with the man she will marry. The woman wears a green ribbon around her neck that piques her husband's curiosity, but she lays down the ground rule firmly: no matter what, he should not touch it, much less undo it. There is an implicit understanding that women who wear these ribbons might have been on the receiving end of sexual trauma, specifically imparted by men. Our protagonist sees a few other women with ribbons and cultivates an innate sympathy and sisterhood with them.
The story is interspersed with the narrator's fables: seemingly disjointed and unrelated, but all exploring a tale where a woman is gaslit or manipulated. It is written almost jauntily as if our narrator has come to the peaceful conclusion that women are on the receiving end of heinous coercion. She breaks the fourth wall multiple times to ensure her readers have an immersive experience. There's something almost even more chilling about the sheer callousness these stories imbibe.
The tale explores the nuances of women and sexual and bodily autonomy without spelling it out for the audience. We see the protagonist appeal to whatever the men in her life want, but they remain fixated on her ribbon because they cannot fathom a part of her that is not theirs to take control of. It also explicates the complicated ideas of consent in relationships and how men often cannot fathom the idea that a woman is not theirs entirely when they are together/wed, and think that leaves them entitled to anything they want from them under the guise of, in the case of this story, "no secrets."
The story took me half an hour to read but left me with a lot to think about.
The story is interspersed with the narrator's fables: seemingly disjointed and unrelated, but all exploring a tale where a woman is gaslit or manipulated. It is written almost jauntily as if our narrator has come to the peaceful conclusion that women are on the receiving end of heinous coercion. She breaks the fourth wall multiple times to ensure her readers have an immersive experience. There's something almost even more chilling about the sheer callousness these stories imbibe.
The tale explores the nuances of women and sexual and bodily autonomy without spelling it out for the audience. We see the protagonist appeal to whatever the men in her life want, but they remain fixated on her ribbon because they cannot fathom a part of her that is not theirs to take control of. It also explicates the complicated ideas of consent in relationships and how men often cannot fathom the idea that a woman is not theirs entirely when they are together/wed, and think that leaves them entitled to anything they want from them under the guise of, in the case of this story, "no secrets."
The story took me half an hour to read but left me with a lot to think about.
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August 29, 2021I almost never write reviews but I'm obsessed with this story and I need to scream into the void.
Writing: 5/5 she's spectacular
Satisfying: 1/5 because I really, really wanted to know more about this world and the ribbons but it is a short story so it ended RIGHT when i got invested. As short stories usually do for me. Oof.
Mythology and cultural references: 5/5. She weaves urban legends into the plot seamlessly, and even obliquely touches on how they shape us as children, which is SO perfect for a story that is, itself, a retelling of an urban legend that's at least 200 years old.*
Feminism: 5/5 again. She uses the ribbon as an allegory for what it is to be female in society and how scary that is but also just, a fact of life? And she doesn't trash talk the men while she does this which is really impressive.
Characters, 5/5. The husband is a sweet, loving person, and even though we KNOW he will ultimately be her downfall (when he allows his curiosity to overcome him and that kills her), we still love him as the girl does. This is really impressive since usually, when I read a story about a woman falling for a man who is definitely going to be her downfall, it's just frustrating to watch and makes me angry. But this story is so well written, that I understand why she loves him even though his nature will kill her.
Content Warnings: it contains graphic sex and the ending is violent.
*previous appearances of this legend:
1824, Washington Irving, "The Adventure of the German Student."
1970, "the velvet ribbon" in "Ghostly Fun" by Ann McGovern
1984, "The Green Ribbon" as part of "In a Dark Dark Room and Other Scary Stories" by Alvin Schwartz.
Writing: 5/5 she's spectacular
Satisfying: 1/5 because I really, really wanted to know more about this world and the ribbons but it is a short story so it ended RIGHT when i got invested. As short stories usually do for me. Oof.
Mythology and cultural references: 5/5. She weaves urban legends into the plot seamlessly, and even obliquely touches on how they shape us as children, which is SO perfect for a story that is, itself, a retelling of an urban legend that's at least 200 years old.*
Feminism: 5/5 again. She uses the ribbon as an allegory for what it is to be female in society and how scary that is but also just, a fact of life? And she doesn't trash talk the men while she does this which is really impressive.
Characters, 5/5. The husband is a sweet, loving person, and even though we KNOW he will ultimately be her downfall (when he allows his curiosity to overcome him and that kills her), we still love him as the girl does. This is really impressive since usually, when I read a story about a woman falling for a man who is definitely going to be her downfall, it's just frustrating to watch and makes me angry. But this story is so well written, that I understand why she loves him even though his nature will kill her.
Content Warnings: it contains graphic sex and the ending is violent.
*previous appearances of this legend:
1824, Washington Irving, "The Adventure of the German Student."
1970, "the velvet ribbon" in "Ghostly Fun" by Ann McGovern
1984, "The Green Ribbon" as part of "In a Dark Dark Room and Other Scary Stories" by Alvin Schwartz.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2021
My favorite short story of all time. Made me cry. I don't know how else to describe it. You'll either get it, or you won't
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