Dramatic entrances and exits in Cari Luna’s “Gone to Water,” from our September issue.

1. Wilderness is as much a character in this story as Karen or Nicki or Alex, the dark force that takes us over. Are we really just animals? At what points does the lizard brain kick in?

The lizard brain kicks in when the needs of the body take precedence over the preoccupations of the mind. It keeps us alive. Karen isn’t taken over by the lizard brain; she’s taken over by her grief, her jealousy, her aloneness in the face of her loss. That’s all elevated shit that kicks in after the basic needs of survival are met. Nicki’s, on the other hand- her pain sinks her down into the terrifying lizard-brain present. The lizard doesn’t care about loss because loss is in the past or the future. The lizard just wants the pain to stop. The lizard just wants to not die. Continue reading →