My Two Cents (Book Review): SHE PLAYED FOR THE DEVIL by Amanda Rusza

Amanda Rusza's short fiction is fast becoming a favorite guilty pleasure. Her latest offering, "She Played for the Devil," is billed as flash fiction, but I don't think the label does it justice. This is a quick read, but will linger in your mind long after you're through, as you consider the different layers of meaning behind Rusza's dark but lovely, lyrical prose.

On the surface, "She Played for the Devil" the literal story of a young woman doomed to play the violin at the whim of a wicked entity capable of destroying the world if she stops. Beneath this simple premise, however, "She Played for the Devil" can be viewed as an allegory for any number of personal demons people struggle against: depression, anxiety, addiction, poverty, chronic illness, etc. The eponymous entity's cruelty, destructive tendencies, and suffocating presence torment the main character as much as any of these socioeconomic hardships, and her perseverance despite seemingly insurmountable odds serves as an analogy for anyone fighting to overcome the shadows and obstacles in their own lives.

There is no climactic triumph for the titular "She" in Rusza's story, no moment in which "She" vanquishes the devil she's tried so desperately to appease for so long. Instead, there is only a quiet and dignified sense of resignation; "She" decides the only way out of her predicament is to continue to go through it, come whatever may, to the best of her ability. And isn't that what the rest of us are trying to do, too?

"She Played for the Devil" is available here.