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A review by gracecrandall
Idle Roomer by Mike Resnick, Lezli Robyn
5.0
I am absolutely in love with this story!
The main character, a cleaning woman at a boarding-house, has a guest that she has never seen. He leaves his room spotless, never seems to use the bed, and has a small statue--of what, she can never really guess. She swears it changes shape behind her back.
She worries for him. One day, she writes him a note to cheer him up a bit; and the next, she enters the room to find a book. Underneath it is a note, explaining that it is a gift--for her.
It might have been my own history in housekeeping that immediately endeared me to this premise, but the writers follow through on that premise so very well. There's a pleasant contrast between the main character's grounding plainness and the hinted-at ancient languages, alien technology, and intergalactic law.
Most of all, though, I love how this story sets up a meaningful, non-romantic relationship between two people who have never met. It's a story of small kindnesses changing two lives for the better, even when they cannot change events. It's just such a soft, satisfying story. I love it.
The main character, a cleaning woman at a boarding-house, has a guest that she has never seen. He leaves his room spotless, never seems to use the bed, and has a small statue--of what, she can never really guess. She swears it changes shape behind her back.
She worries for him. One day, she writes him a note to cheer him up a bit; and the next, she enters the room to find a book. Underneath it is a note, explaining that it is a gift--for her.
It might have been my own history in housekeeping that immediately endeared me to this premise, but the writers follow through on that premise so very well. There's a pleasant contrast between the main character's grounding plainness and the hinted-at ancient languages, alien technology, and intergalactic law.
Most of all, though, I love how this story sets up a meaningful, non-romantic relationship between two people who have never met. It's a story of small kindnesses changing two lives for the better, even when they cannot change events. It's just such a soft, satisfying story. I love it.