First published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and most recently included in the Lavie Tidhar-edited anthology The Best of World SF Volume 2, Nadia Afifi’s fascinating short story The Bahrain Underground Bazaar is a powerful tale of an elderly woman coming to terms with a terminal illness in the modern, digital world. Understandably scared, and worried about being a burden on her family, Zahra visits the ‘virtual immersion chambers’ of the Underground Bazaar where she practices for her own passing by virtually experiencing the deaths of others. When one particular visit raises more questions than it answers, Zahra finds herself compelled to try and understand the life of the woman whose end she experienced, hoping to find some clarity in what remains of her own life.
It’s a really dark premise, but the idea of being able to experience other people’s memories in a digitally-connected world – and the technology facilitating it being put to somewhat sinister use – is remarkably believable. As she explores both the shady underground and the respectable face of a potential future Bahrain, Afifi talks about ”the thrill of the macabre” in Zahra’s visits to the Bazaar and her interactions with its staff and other patrons, and that aptly describes this somewhat sinister but intriguing story. Zahra’s fascination with death is grim but understandable, and it’s strangely compelling to follow her thought process as she contemplates her future and holds tight to her independence in the face of her family’s concerns and society’s conception of what an elderly woman is capable of.
As well as the personal stakes, it’s fascinating to see Bahrain (and beyond, though to say more risks spoilers) through Zahra’s eyes and experience the clash of tradition and technologically-enhanced modernity in the Arab world. There’s a real sense of old versus new, and a deeply relevant view on the consequences of technological consumerism, digital privacy and corporate data mining, with Zahra offering an unusual but effective perspective. It all comes together into a clever, believable story that takes both Zahra and the reader on an unexpected journey, delivering warmth and heart as well as the macabre, with a reminder to look for wonder and joy in amongst the darkness. It’s a tale that will linger long in the memory, for all the right reasons, and is well worth getting hold of.
I read The Bahrain Underground Bazaar as part of The Best of World SF Volume 2, edited by Lavie Tidhar and published by Head of Zeus in 2022 – review copy provided by the publisher.
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