Tideline, by Elizabeth Bear

Listen to it at Escape Pod.

To me, science fiction is a tricky genre. This is mostly because I’m almost ashamed to admit that I read it. I remember, a few years ago, a friend of mine was aghast when I admitted I liked reading scifi. Even though she was fond of flimsy teen romance books, I cared about what she thought, and that moment of shock and horror still haunts me on some level.