A girl has to prove that she doesn’t know math.
This is a weird one indeed. In some sort of dystopian world, people aren’t supposed to know math – not just more advanced math, but simple things like counting and proportions and even measuring time. Families are visited by men who try to trick children into proving their familiarity with numbers, and take them away if they’re caught with the forbidden knowledge. Throughout the story, the reader is reminded how integral basic math is to normal day-to-day functioning.
Of course, the whole concept falls apart under any sort of scrutiny. How can they be eating chicken Kiev if they couldn’t measure ingredients or set the temperature on the stove? How can they watch television in a world where electrical engineering would be impossible? But the thing about Malerman stories is that no matter how ludicrous they are, he manages to ratchet up the tension to such a degree that you overlook the silliness and only feel the dread. Darn you, Josh Malerman, I liked your stupid math story.