This is not your ordinary flash fic/blog tale.  Set in the real world, a man is left beaten and unconscious in an alley behind a bar in 2007 without a wallet or any ID.  Two years later and he still has no memory of himself or his life before that night.  He isn’t even sure Sam is his real name. 

Sam’s spent the last two years living above the less than glamroous hole-in-the-wall bar where he was found and working there as a bartender during the day shift.  The story starts off as a blog Sam starts at the urging of one of his friends/bar regulars.  The updates are short comments on his work and life at the crappy bar and the pariah regulars.  Crude language, cynicism, and blunt descriptions of impoverished life (prostitution, alcoholism, drugs, etc.) abound.  This is not a story where a magic wand or the arrival of aliens are going to turn everything around for the better.  I’m not usually a fan of bleak tales, but the honesty, brevity, and sarcastic humor kept me clicking the next button throughout the first section.

The story changes as Sam starts getting vague hints about his past and leaves the bar to pursue them.  The pace picks up and Sam’s questions only bring him more confusion and an emotional roller coaster.  He also starts having really weird dreams. The plot really engaged me at this point, trying to figure out along with Sam what the heck is going on.  Unfortunately, the story then went on hiatus back in June.  Boo! 

This isn’t my usual cup of tea, but I liked it anyway.  I won’t recommend it because it’s on hiatus, but if you don’t mind a cliff-hanger, go give it a try.

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