Weekly Fic Rec
Fic: Retrial by phoenixgal
Rating: T
Genre: AU - modern setting, non-magical, mystery, crime.
Word count: 23,410 words, 12 chapters, complete.
Summary: “Remus Lupin, host of the popular podcast Retrial, decides to focus on the case of Sirius Black, a man convicted of murdering his high school best friend, for his upcoming season. Remus has gotten too close to his subjects in the past, so he promises himself that won't happen this time.”
Major CW: Crime, murder, discussions of incarceration, non-graphic discussions of sexual violence.
Mod Theo thoughts: This fic was recommended to me recently, and I may have ever so slightly neglected my work duties to read it. In this fic - based loosely on the popular American podcast Serial - Remus is the queer, Latino podcast host charged with telling the story of the murder of Lily and James Potter thirteen years prior, and getting to the bottom of whether or not the convicted killer - presently incarcerated Sirius Black - is perhaps actually innocent. If you don’t like true crime, you probably won’t like this, but if you do, what could be better?? My only complaint was that this fic wasn’t longer. The representation here is subtle but well done, finding little ways to explore Remus’s heritage, the importance of his interactions with fellow Latinx community, and his background as the child of an incarcerated father. The author uses creative and diverse means of storytelling and somehow manages to keep you guessing about whether or not Sirius Black is innocent right until the end.
Read it on AO3!
