Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend (2011) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 3 stars

“"Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend" is a charming story about a fast food manager who meets an alien running from an oppressive dystopian regime. The story opens with Lisa, a new inductee to the staff of a fish burger fast food joint. Lisa finds her supervisor, Joshua, attractive but a conversation with a co-worker leads Lisa to assume (despite her own contrary judgement) that Joshua is gay.

As the story progresses, Joshua becomes the focus. While walking home from work he catches a glimpse of Mariella, a blue-haired alien whose exotic beauty intrigues and attracts him. Despite his penchant for avoiding others, Joshua finds a connection with Mariella and love ensues. This is short-lived, as agents from Mariella's home world come and take her back to a pre-destined life one day while Joshua is at work.

Characters are sketched in an interesting way, but Carroll doesn't develop them beyond that. Joshua, as the main character, is better developed than others, but the reader is told about several attitudes and quirks rather than seeing them demonstrated through the plot. More minor characters are barely more than quick insertions with interesting, but too simple back stories.

Throughout the story, several characters make reference to an assumption that the introverted Joshua is gay. While the reader is made aware that this is not the case, the reasoning these characters present for their assumptions (primarily observations that better fit with descriptors such as "shy," "reserved," "loner," etc. than they do with "gay") falls short and the entire idea seems unnecessary to the overall plot anyway.

At the end of the story we are given a glimpse of Joshua's life post Mariella and his disappointment at losing her and being powerless to change it. Lisa is reintroduced in a one-line reference indicating that Joshua may be interested in her, but this is left hanging and the reader may feel it is either out of place or just incomplete.

In summary, Carrolls' "Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend" is an interesting read and the short length is perfect for a quick escape from earthly life, however characters could be better developed and the plot could use more action by the characters (rather than description). The prose is, at times too simplistic and the story feels like it lacks a real resolution in its ending. ”

S. A. Williams wrote this review Tuesday, December 11, 2012.