First published 1997
In the prosperous city of Omelas, the people enjoy unparalleled happiness. But this utopia rests on an unspeakable cruelty: a child suffers in isolation, their anguish fueling the community's prosperity. As residents reckon with this grim reality, they face an impossible choice - ignore the horror, or walk away from Omelas forever.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, literary-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: moral-dilemma, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Omelas
32 pages · Library Binding · Creative Education, Inc.
Content warnings: child-abuse