“What if?”
It’s a sensible question humans often ponder following situations that veer into unexpected territory. In fact, it is a question that is no stranger to relationships, especially those of the romantic variety. And if this very specific question was a story, there is no doubt it would be I Can Fix Her by Rae Wilde.
Johnny finds herself staring at her ex, Alice, at the local cafe with some rather unexpected company. While this scene is jarring in and of itself, something feels off as their paths cross once more. Even though Alice virtually disappeared to another country, Johnny still feels the need to spend the evening with her, pondering the very question presented before, “What if?” What ensues feels akin to a hellish nightmare of brutal realizations, harsh reckonings, and poignant truths being shared over the course of one week with Johnny and Alice. Is there a reality in which these two characters make sense, or are they perpetually doomed?
Perhaps it’s the vulnerable subject at the heart of this story that sets I Can Fix Her apart or maybe it’s the method in which Wilde slowly and methodically unspools the fabric of reality to explore the characters of Alice and Johnny. But in either case, this deep, meticulous exploration of strife, change, and desire between two individuals yanks at every piece of the human heart. While we may not clearly relate to Johnny or Alice as characters, we surely know the feeling of malleability within a relationship, the primal desire to just make things work no matter the outcome, no matter how disastrous.
And the term disastrous barely scratches the surface of the turmoil unleashed through Alice and Johnny’s relationship. Wilde expertly manipulates the setting to reflect the absolutely insane, hellish landscape that forcing such a relationship renders. I Can Fix Her is a novella that reads like a fever dream with confounding, clashing logic that mirrors the inner turmoil of our characters until a point of critical conflict is reached. Where Wilde takes the story from here is nothing short of emotionally riveting on every level, fostering an honest conversation regarding cycles, conflict, and the love we believe we deserve.
An examination of those we hold closest no matter the harm caused, Rae Wilde writes a stunningly torturous tale of choice that fully demonstrates the cyclical nature of toxic love with I Can Fix Her. The use of an exaggerated setting dispels any romantic myths of forced relationships through Alice and Johnny who are two individuals hellbent on finding each other in every lifetime. Making this sentiment feel more like a threat than an endearment, I Can Fix Her is a memorable story that provokes the most honest of conversations, both with ourselves and the ones we love most.
I Can Fix Her is available at bookstores everywhere from CLASH Books.
