Telepathy isn't often paired with an addiction metaphor in quite this way. Intriguing. It says something interesting about the concept of closeness and relationships, I think. And given that Szo basically gives people uncontrollable urges, there's a lovely conceptual game of being addicted to addicting. High marks on giving us English majors lots of bits and pieces to take apart and puzzle over; I like a story that's the thematic equivalent of a Tangram set. This one has some nice, hefty grips on it, too; easy to pick up, handles well, rewards poking and prodding.
I also enjoyed the moral grayness of this one, and I appreciate the ending left open as it is. I always prefer to think of the protagonists as succeeding at a cost, but the darker reading would hardly be inappropriate here, especially considering the venue.
I did initially say, "What, MORE stories about carnivorous apple trees?" :-P (And the phrase "new world" had me picturing Tonto hawking cellphones to the Pilgrims as they disembarked, which was momentarily disconcerting.) I think that was due more to the fact that it's an audio story, and those opening paragraphs take a minute or two to hear rather than ten seconds to read, than to any weakness in the actual process of setting the scene for the story.