Fic Rec: The Kiss by Frayach

[tdcat]

Title: The Kiss

Author: Frayach

Rating: M

Word Count: 5,175

Author’s summary: Draco’s trial is over, and Harry remembers almost everything.

Comments: Let’s say the everyday world is that of the real, the positive space. That which surrounds the real, its inverse, if you will, is the negative space. In yet another devastating story, Frayach pushes her characters and us, the readers, into that negative space where madness and darkness reside.

The emotional symbolism of a kiss operates on multiple levels in Frayach’s gorgeous story. As always, I can’t say enough about the sheer lyricism of Frayach’s writing. She opens with a breathtaking image of a kiss: “Not just a kiss, but The Kiss. The kind of kiss that stops time and blots out sound and sends the blood pulsing to your belly where it pools warm and hot and thick and alive.” From there she paints a complete picture of life during the wizarding equivalent of the Nuremberg trials. Using fewer than 5,200 words, Frayach portrays the harrowing cost of justice (or is it vengeance?) extracted in blood.

A sense of foreboding pervades the story, and its climax will leave you wrung out with heartbreak; take a moment to recover your breath. I read with my heart in my throat and was left to marvel at how Frayach was able to marry such emotional impact with such brevity. Her Harry in particular shines in this piece.

There’s little I can actually say about this story without revealing too much of the plot. Suffice to say that the drama lies in what’s not written – the aforementioned negative space. I recommend chasing this fic with something fluffy, something that rejoices in what it means to be alive.

May I suggest: Pairing with Stop and Stare by Sara_Girl. The contrast between these two wonderful stories is good for the heart.