Initial thoughts: Coherent review of this to come up at some point but I'm sobbing rn soooo

Full review available 10th September 2020: https://inkandplasma.com/2020/09/10/ring-the-bell/

I signed up for an eARC of this short story without even reading the premise because I love Josie Jaffrey's work enough that I just had faith in this one. I'm so glad I decided to pick it up. This short story packs a punch hard enough that I felt a physical ache in my chest, and when I finished I just had to lay and stare at the ceiling for a few full minutes.

A dystopian story about a valley, the Unterstrom, that is struck by the Surge every 5 years. The first to reach the top of the race and ring the bell wins a reward: setting her family free of the valley altogether. But the faster she runs, the more people she condemns to death. I don't want to get into the specifics of it too much, as I don't want to spoil the emotional rollercoaster that I went into this with. The way this unfolds is achingly beautiful and heartbreaking. I want to read a novella based off the last few lines alone.

Ring the Bell was a quick read that's going to stick with me for a long, long time and will definitely be due a reread at some point because the depth of meaning in these 31 pages is so good I definitely want to read it again, slower, when my heart isn't racing with a need to find out what's happening.