Release Date 8 February 2022
BSFA Awards Shortlist 2023 for Best Short Fiction
Two young women live in the same city in the Middle East; Luca is drowning, while Dani is slowly being lifted off the ground.
Luca is rapidly spiralling into a heavy depression that no one but her can see. Alongside Luca’s descent, Dani is trying to find her place in the world. She has the unusual ability to see other people’s emotions.
Fortunately for Luca, Dani’s ability isn’t just an inconvenience; it might also be a gift.
Watch the YouTube Book Launch here.
CW: Self-harm
Luca
"Exploring mental health or disability issues in science fiction is always tricky. It is dangerous to just think thanks to a wave of your hand everything can be fixed. That would be an unrealistic outcome and as dangerous undertones of how we see people with those issues that are being faced ona daily basis. However what fantasy can do is explore the issues in different ways and can let the reader experience the feelings and complexities of the daily struggles mental health can bring in an engaging and powerful way. In Or Luca’s novella Luca we get a very powerful yet personal tale of mental health and survival.
Luca is a thoughtful and entrancing story that doesn’t sugar coat mental health issues and yet uses magical realism to share the worldview of the characters to encourage empathy and understanding. A dark tale but one that does say there can be a way through with support. I was really impressed with it and will be watching out for future tales from Or Luca in the future." Run Along the Shelves
