Poignant, tragic, and potentially life-altering, our scars — and the events that leave them — stand out. They're the jagged, bumpy ridges on the human relief map that we either learn to traverse or forever get lost in, unsure of how to proceed.
Alabaster by Audrey Cafely is all about the topography of scars, and how we can find a foothold. Set in small-town Alabaster, Alab., the story centers on reclusive folk artist June, living alone with her two goats Weezy and Bib after a catastrophic tornado lays waste to most of her family farm. The storm also leaves her covered with head-to-toe scars and debilitating PTSD. She makes a fascinating study for internationally renowned photographer Alice — who does not wear her scars on the surface, but finds solidarity with her mercurial subject nonetheless. The sexual tension between the two women is undeniable, but it's their shared quest to engage their pain and heal through their art that ultimately bonds them.
