Paz by Camarin Grae

By ‘boondocksfan’ (Avondale Estates, GA United States) – See all my reviews

A woman is caught in a tornado and suffers severe brain trauma. After awakening, she discovers that she is able to change the core beliefs of anyone she meets by simply looking into their eyes and telling them what their new belief is. Even better, her subjects have no memory of the exchange, or ‘zap.’ The story moves from the woman’s early experiments with her limitations to her thoughtful deliberation on how and when to use the power. All the while, she is constantly threatened by outside forces who wish to use her power for their own gain – and those forces may include some of her closest friends.

The idea is intriguing enough to carry the story on its own. What makes it doubly interesting, however, is the author’s subtle exploration of lesbian feminism and lesbian separatism as the main character comes out and enters the women’s community. The characters all seem to accept the premise that women are inherently less violent, competitive, or cruel than men – with one notable exception – but it’s presented in such a casual, non-threatening way that one almost doesn’t notice.

The ending is a little less than inspired – here the feminism subtext moves to the forefront – but the story is so interesting that you won’t mind.