The Husband Stitch, by Carmen Maria Machado

The Husband Stitch is my latest read from the Nebula nominees.  The story theme is one I've seen before (can't recall quite where, but more than once), but it's told in a fun and interesting way.  There are read-aloud stage directions that make it somewhat self-deprecating, and it has an earnest tone with some dry wit underneath.

The plot and ending are not the point of the story at all--it's about writing well (which is the point of a literary magazine).  The protagonist is a very submissive, sensual woman with a secret--a ribbon around her neck that she will not remove.  She encounters other women with ribbons too.  But mostly this is her life story--marrying early, loving her husband, and her son.  For all her subjugation she seems to be fairly happy, right up to the end.  Maybe that's deeper irony.

In any case, it's worth reading.  I give it a solid 3 stars.