What do you think?
Rate this book
Know Not: A Short Story
A brilliant scientist's vocabulary is now limited to a few words. His daughter wants to know why. Doctors can't tell her. Maybe someone else can.
- GenresShort Stories
12 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 26, 2021
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Scribner
476 books34 followersJoshua Scribner is the author of the novels Mantis Nights, The Coma Lights and Nescata. His fiction won both second and fifth place in the 2008 Whispering Spirits Flash Fiction contest. Up to date information on his work can be found at joshuascribner.com. Joshua currently lives in Michigan with his wife and two daughters.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 22, 2023
Typical of this clever writer to produce another short story where the elements of religious belief and the more sinister ideas of the afterlife spirits and ghosts are woven into everyday situations.
Here a retired physics professor living with daughter and son-in-law remains active with his mind alert and still doing research on his computer.
One day, he appears to have suffered a stroke as he has lost the ability to communicate apart from listing a number of drugs over and over again.
His condition baffles the medical profession but hope is offered by the interest and involvement of the Catholic Church.
Loved the telling of this one. The obvious love to an aging parent and the twist in the denouncement which is typical of Scribner’s stretch into the mysteries of all things other-worldly and metaphysical.
Here a retired physics professor living with daughter and son-in-law remains active with his mind alert and still doing research on his computer.
One day, he appears to have suffered a stroke as he has lost the ability to communicate apart from listing a number of drugs over and over again.
His condition baffles the medical profession but hope is offered by the interest and involvement of the Catholic Church.
Loved the telling of this one. The obvious love to an aging parent and the twist in the denouncement which is typical of Scribner’s stretch into the mysteries of all things other-worldly and metaphysical.
September 28, 2023
Everything happens for a reason…right?
Marie’s relationship with her dad made me smile. Their personalities were incredibly similar, and they clearly loved each other quite a bit. It’s always nice to meet characters who have stable, close families, and that foundation only made her father’s medical emergency more heartbreaking for me as a reader. I held my breath as I waited to see if the doctors could tell them why her intelligent and scholarly dad was suddenly unable to do something as simple as have a conversation about his feelings.
I found myself wishing for more details when the explanation was shared at the end of this short story. Yes, it made some sense given the world building that had happened earlier, but there were plot holes regarding how certain characters had this knowledge and how they knew it to be true that were never filled in. I know I’m being vague here, but it’s hard to give specific examples without sharing spoilers. My reaction to the final scene simply wasn’t what I hoped it would be. If only there had been a few more pages that dove more deeply into the conclusion.
With that being said, I enjoyed the characters’ determination to find an alternative explanation for the health problems Marie’s dad was experiencing once the medical establishment ran out of possibilities. Reaching the end of current medical knowledge is an incredibly frustrating experience, especially for someone who became as disabled as her dad did. I understood why they turned to religious leaders for advice as a last-ditch effort, and I thought it made the storyline stronger to show why some people make that decision under such circumstances.
Know Not was thought provoking.
Marie’s relationship with her dad made me smile. Their personalities were incredibly similar, and they clearly loved each other quite a bit. It’s always nice to meet characters who have stable, close families, and that foundation only made her father’s medical emergency more heartbreaking for me as a reader. I held my breath as I waited to see if the doctors could tell them why her intelligent and scholarly dad was suddenly unable to do something as simple as have a conversation about his feelings.
I found myself wishing for more details when the explanation was shared at the end of this short story. Yes, it made some sense given the world building that had happened earlier, but there were plot holes regarding how certain characters had this knowledge and how they knew it to be true that were never filled in. I know I’m being vague here, but it’s hard to give specific examples without sharing spoilers. My reaction to the final scene simply wasn’t what I hoped it would be. If only there had been a few more pages that dove more deeply into the conclusion.
With that being said, I enjoyed the characters’ determination to find an alternative explanation for the health problems Marie’s dad was experiencing once the medical establishment ran out of possibilities. Reaching the end of current medical knowledge is an incredibly frustrating experience, especially for someone who became as disabled as her dad did. I understood why they turned to religious leaders for advice as a last-ditch effort, and I thought it made the storyline stronger to show why some people make that decision under such circumstances.
Know Not was thought provoking.
February 26, 2024
“But whatever the words, the message is the same. It’s easy to spot if you know what you’re looking for.”
Marie Seeger-Lee is married to Doug. A mathematics professor at a “prestigious university,” Marie has moved her father into their home.
Dad spends all of his time upstairs in his bedroom. He’s a retired professor from Stanford University, and he continues working with numbers.
(One of the only authors to consistently handle race well. It’s never a defining factor. Wonderfully welcome.)
But one morning, when Marie brings up breakfast to her old man, things are…off.
Bishop Mitch, Archbishop Rey, the litany of drug names…
We learn that Dad was a quantum physicist before he got into teaching.
Interesting story. Some surprising and not unwelcome spiritual themes.
“When men tried to build a tower big enough to reach Heaven…”
Marie Seeger-Lee is married to Doug. A mathematics professor at a “prestigious university,” Marie has moved her father into their home.
Dad spends all of his time upstairs in his bedroom. He’s a retired professor from Stanford University, and he continues working with numbers.
(One of the only authors to consistently handle race well. It’s never a defining factor. Wonderfully welcome.)
But one morning, when Marie brings up breakfast to her old man, things are…off.
Bishop Mitch, Archbishop Rey, the litany of drug names…
We learn that Dad was a quantum physicist before he got into teaching.
Interesting story. Some surprising and not unwelcome spiritual themes.
“When men tried to build a tower big enough to reach Heaven…”
February 2, 2023
Excellent
As a lover of short stories, I followed this one with an eye searching for the clue to the puzzle. I figured it must be a disguised code, but I was unable to detect it. Joshua is one clever writer. I was amazed at the twist at the end, the answer to the riddle, and the imagination put forth by the writer in such a few number of pages. Highly recommended if you have a few minutes for an entertaining read.
As a lover of short stories, I followed this one with an eye searching for the clue to the puzzle. I figured it must be a disguised code, but I was unable to detect it. Joshua is one clever writer. I was amazed at the twist at the end, the answer to the riddle, and the imagination put forth by the writer in such a few number of pages. Highly recommended if you have a few minutes for an entertaining read.
September 29, 2024
The mystery of creation continues to drive seekers. Marie’s father has an all encompassing drive to find a truth he’s been keeping to himself. Now, it may be too late to share it with anyone else. Within the mathematical complexity of advanced physics lies answers of profound simplicity that point back to truths already provided, if only we would listen. The consequence of obsession can have its own repercussions. An enjoyable cautionary tale.
April 23, 2022
Challenging
I have to admit I was frustrated at the beginning of this short and scratching my head from the result, but cracking the riddle of this tale was worth it. Fun piece from Scribner.
I have to admit I was frustrated at the beginning of this short and scratching my head from the result, but cracking the riddle of this tale was worth it. Fun piece from Scribner.
January 30, 2021
Great Short Story
There were a few typos and errors, but overall the story was fantastic! Anyone can read this and learn something from it.
There were a few typos and errors, but overall the story was fantastic! Anyone can read this and learn something from it.
February 12, 2021
This was a clever short story, and an interesting choice of words that form the crux of the plot.
🟣
🟣
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews