| Title | : | The O. Henry Prize Stories 2016 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1101971118 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781101971116 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 400 |
| Publication | : | Published September 6, 2016 |
CONTENTS
"Irises," Elizabeth Genovise
"The Mongerji Letters," Geetha Iyer
"Narrator," Elizabeth Tallent
"Bonus Baby," Joe Donnelly
"Divergence," David H. Lynn
"A Simple Composition," Shruti Swamy
"Storm Windows," Charles Haverty
"Train to Harbin," Asako Serizawa
"Dismemberment," Wendell Berry
"Exit Zero," Marie-Helene Bertino
"Cigarettes," Sam Savage
"Temples," Adrienne Celt
"Safety," Lydia Fitzpatrick
"Bounty," Diane Cook
"A Single Deliberate Thing," Zebbie Watson
"The Crabapple Tree," Robert Coover
"Winter 1965," Frederic Tuten
"They Were Awake," Rebecca Evanhoe
"Slumming," Ottessa Moshfegh
"Happiness," Ron Carlson
The Jurors on Their Favorites: Molly Antopol, Peter Cameron, Lionel Shriver
The Writers on Their Work
Publications Submitted
For author interviews, photos, and more, go to www.ohenryprizestories.com
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2016 Reviews
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ترجمهٔ علی فامیان قابل قبول بود.
کتاب سه داستان داشت که به خواندن می‌ارزید:
بازیکن با پیش‌پرداخت زیاد - سیگار - یک تصمیم خاص
و یک داستان شاهکار:
قطار هاربین
راستش را بخواهید، امروز هم داستان خوب همه جای دنیا نوشته می‌شود، این غیر قابل انکار است، ولی این هم مهم است که بدانی خیلی هم جایی خبری نیست! مثل همیشه اکثریتی قریب به اتفاق از نوشته‌ها و نویسنده‌های فراموش‌شدنی داریم و اقلیتی خیلی کوچک، که توان ماندن دارند. -
The stories in this wonderful anthology never fail to reveal the newest and best short stories being published today by writers known and unknown. A go-to for anyone interested in the form.
-
I planned on averaging the star ratings that I gave all the stories individually, but this was full of so many great stories that shocked my socks off and brought me to tears that I felt discounting it for the stores I wasn’t as much of a fan of would have been unfair. It was brilliant and gorgeous.
I’ve decided from now on i’m going to review short stories individually. The ones with a star are ones I read for class.
Irises by Elizabeth Genovise- 5 stars*
Brilliant. Thought-provoking. Romantic. Very strong. Feminist. GORGEOUS prose. Unforgettable. Impactful. I don’t have enough praise about this— it was so enrapturing, heartbreaking, and real. Highly, highly recommend.
The Mongerji Letters by Geetha Iyer- DNF’ed*
Not a fan of magical realism— could not suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy this one, and I’m not a fan of the epistemological style.
Narrator by Elizabeth Tallent- 4 Stars
This was a pleasant read! Made me think, was sort of meta about a writer, but also deals with a topic I find fascination: romanticization of another person, especially someone you’ve never met before, like in this case, an author whose works the main character connects with. Just really impressive quality.
Bonus Baby by Joe Donnelly- DNF'ed
DNF’ed because it was about baseball and I think reading about sports is almost more boring than sports itself.
Divergence by David H. Lynn- 4 stars*
This book was interesting with a great writing style and details folded into the narrative, but the ending was disappointing to me. I couldn’t quite connect with the narrator’s POV and his pessimism.
A Simple Composition by Shruti Swamy- 4.5 stars
This was really enjoyable! At its roots is a story about the male gaze and the patriarchy and a woman’s place in the home, but it also weaves in messages about Indian culture. Heartwarming, but also sad. Pretty writing, as well.
Storm Windows by Charles Haverty- 5 stars*
Another favorite from this collection. The threads in this story just weave together so nicely and it’s so symbolic and meaningful, all wrapped together with GORGEOUS descriptions and very meaningful relationships between the characters. Again, highly recommend this one.
Train to Harbin by Asako Serizawa- 3 stars
TW: gore (blood, hospitals), suicide
This was interesting and thought-provoking. The writing was nice and easy to follow. It's historical fiction, which I felt was awkward to put in short format because it loses its context and it's difficult to create a full timeline in a short amount of words, but this ended up being atmospheric, yet slightly confusing. It was haunting, though.
Dismemberment by Wendell Berry- 5 stars
THIS WAS SO UNEXPECTEDLY TOUCHING! A very meaningful and fulfilling story that was very inspiring and lighthearted. It's about recovery and shedding selfishness and masculinity, and it was so lovely. The writing and the similes in this blew me away.
Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino- 4 stars
This was..... the strangest thing I have ever read. I get what she means by it, and the symbolism is clear, but wow. This was just WEIRD, man.
edit: a few days after i read this story— it definitely stuck with me. i can’t stop remembering this story. it’s SO weird, but very resonating.
Cigarettes by Sam Savage- 2 Stars*
Wasn’t a massive fan of this one. It’s only 2 pages long and it’s comprised of just one paragraph, and it tells the story of a smoker. It was too brief for me, didn’t offer enough depth, and just wasn’t relatable. Everyone else in my class seemed to love it.
Temples by Adrienne Celt- 5 stars
TW: Anorexia
Gorgeous. Haunting. The split narrative between “I” and “the girl” was so well-done. The subtle connections in this. The deeper meaning. The up-front meaning. This was flawless and stitched together with flowing and descriptive writing.
Safety by Lydia Fitzpatrick- 5 stars
I’m crying as I type this. Absolutely incredible. Holy shit. Probably the best piece I have ever read about a school shooting. The way it jumps in time, the way that minor characters are referred to, the progression of the story, the quality of writing. Immaculate.
Bounty by Diana Cook- 4.5 stars
This was very different from everything I’ve been reading in here! It was a pleasant change. The narrator was refreshing and his voice read eerily like Warner, so I enjoyed it (hehe yay selfish assholes). I read the author’s note about this one in the back and she said that this story is about the struggle of having to choose between companionship and survival, and it was just gorgeous and fraught with such inner turmoil that I thought it was great. Harder to connect to, though, because it’s set in an apocalypse-type situation. But the voice of a frenzied man afraid of death was spot-on.
A Single Deliberate Thing by Zebbie Watson- 3.5 stars
This book just wants to keep me crying tonight! Wow this one struck close to home because it’s about horses and I have horses. The writing and story weren’t fantastic, but the attention to detail was stunning.
The Crabapple Tree by Robert Coover- 4 stars*
Weird, morbid, and open to interpretation, which is what I think made it work.
Winter, 1965 by Frederic Tuten- 3.5 stars
This was a nice story. It develops a really rich inner turmoil of one character, which was interesting, but really lacked a circumstance or deeper meaning to make it outstanding. Still evidence of a talented writer here.
They Were Awake by Rebecca Evanhoe- 5 Stars*
I loved this! It was so atmospheric and real to imagine, but there was almost this unfathomable depth to it that I want to reread and reread again in order to fully be able to digest it. It's genius and folded into a lighthearted story.
Slumming by Ottessa Moshfegh- DNF
I didn’t like the tone or subject of this piece. It seemed like it was shaming the lower class, and it was about drug addiction, so I skipped it.
Happiness by Ron Carlson- DNF*
This was a book about a road trip but there was so much unnecessary detail and I got bored.
I highly recommend this collection! SO many great ones. -
Been working my way through this one for a few years too. Read the last few stories this week. Favorites were Geetha Iyer’s “The Mongerji Letters” (blogged about by me at
https://bibliophilica.wordpress.com/2... ) Safety by Lydia Fitzpatrick (also covered on my blog
https://bibliophilica.wordpress.com/2... ) “The Crabapple Tree” by Robert Coover (also featured on my blog
https://bibliophilica.wordpress.com/2...) and, the most memorable story was Asako Serizawa’s “Heart-rending “Train to Harbin” which, sadly, I never posted about on my blog. Maybe someday... -
Overall, and minus a few duds, this is a fantastic collection of short stories. It features several of the best short stories I've ever read, including a story that manages to make baseball fascinating -- a heroic accomplishment by itself.
4.7 Stars
Rough notes and comments on my favourite selections
'Irises' by Elizabeth Genovise
- This is definitely one of the best short stories I've ever laid eyes on. The writing is top notch, the delivery gently-volleyed and insightful.
'Narrator' - Elizabeth Tallent
- Tallented (...) writing, though hard to follow the thread at times. Witty and observant.
'Bonus Baby' -- Joe Donnelly
[Hidden because it's definitely best to go into this one blind!]
'Divergence' -- David H. Lynn
- Bicycles! First paragraph -- bicycles, road versus tourer and it's a classics prof!
'A Simple Composition' -- Shruti Swamy
- A 16 year old girl sleeps with her much-older music teacher (who teaches the, new to me, 'veena'). Rape-ish, a bit unclear...
'Storm Windows' -- Charles Haverty
- Reflections on childhood, family, a son's relation to his father, death and regret. Words unsaid. Kind of a little tour and exposition on family.
- The normal dramas of middle-class American life
- GOOD
'Train to Harbin' -- Asako Serizawa
- Long-winded, wordy tour of a Japanese doctor at Harbin/Pinfang, performing grotesque and horrific bacteriological experiments on the Chinese around WWII.
- Fwewf! Dark and sad.
'Exit Zero' -- Marie-Helene Bertino
- The writing is a bit cliché perhaps, but it's a cute story.
'Cigarettes' -- Sam Savage
- Two pages long. Tight, packed and good enough.
'Temples' -- Adrienne Celt
- Page 178: One of a number of stories featuring recently-deceased relatives and bizarre acknowledgement of dead skin remnants.
- The story of 'Aunt' Marjorie, a Polish-American immigrant who converted to Mormonism
- Marjorie loves cake
- The narrator is possibly an autistic girl
- A charming and odd story
'Safety' -- Lydia Fitzpatrick
- A tense, gripping story where...
'Bounty' -- Diane Cook
- Waterworld!
- Zombie apocalypse fans may like this little ditty
'A Single Deliberate Thing' -- Zebbie Watson
- Rural teen love and horses in a dry summer
'The Crabapple Tree' -- Robert Coover
- A kind of rural legend tale of town gossip and weird, possibly supernatural folk
'Winter, 1965' -- Frederic Tuten
- A welfare caseworker and unpublished author fails to get published and makes his rounds
- An excellent 'meta' piece on a lonely, struggling writer in 1965. A very different 1965 than some had lived.
- No internet, just the thin phone lines and address labels which provide tenuous holds and chances in a warmer world for the protagonist
'They Were Awake' -- Rebecca Evanhoe
- Some ladies have a potluck and talk about their strange and disturbing dreams, exciting imaginations and bonding further in the process
'Slumming' -- Ottessa Moshfegh
- A high school English teacher has a summer home in a poor community, where she is rich by comparison...
'Happiness' -- Ron Carlson
- Strangely simple and pleasant. The whole story just creeps along the cusp of lame and hokey but somehow manages to simply be totally happy and positive. A father, his two grown sons, and his brother head to the old cabin to do some late-season fishing one more time. They have a wonderful time and nothing really goes wrong. I guess the conflict centres on aging and change ! -
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2016
Not as strong a set of stories as last year in my opinion. Still I would recommend it certainly as a snapshot of the short story world. Here are a few comments on the stories I enjoyed.
One of the best I thought was the opening story “Irises” by Elizabeth Genovise (from Cimarron Review). It explores a mother-daughter relationship, the question of abortion and life itself. A very intriguing opening from a fetus perspective that is facing being aborted. It goes on to explore the big questions of what is important in life, love, art, family and gardening.
This is followed by “The Mongerji Letters” by Geetha Lyer (from Orion) which is an incredible fantastical story told in the form of a one-sided postal correspondence. Oceans and Polar Bears and move pour out of envelopes which also allow children and pets to enter and explore other worlds. Amazing story!
“Storm Windows” by Charles Haverty (from One Story) explores family relationships again, this time a father and son and what it means to be a man or something like that.
“Exit Zero” by Marie-Helene Bertino (from Epoch) is wild ride with a unicorn which has been left to the narrator by her estranged father.
“Temples” by Adrienne Celt (from Epoch as well) was interesting for it’s religious perspective on the temples we build of bodies and lives and death and cakes! And for a line that took me by surprise despite it’s pedestrian nature - “...as a god of light.”
The strongest story here is “Safety” by Lydia Fitzpatrick (also from One Story) which sprang from memories of school days and school shootings which have become far too common. The author says it began as the opening line - “In the gym, the children are stretching in rows.”
“Bounty” by Diane Cook (from Harper’s) is a bizarre take on a flooding world (possibly from melting of polar caps/global warming?), about haves and have-nots and the things we need most.
I disagreed with the jurors on their favorites with the exception of “Irises” the opening story. But hey, that’s okay, variety, diversity, ecology makes the world go round and you may very well disagree with my selections. It’s all good and so is this Anthology. Buy it, Read it! -
This book got me through a LOT of sleepless nights and morning/ evening commutes into work. Each story is distinctly different in not only their writing style, but their subjects, tone, emotions and details. I was taken on short journey's as a fly on the wall in all of the stories, and for some I desperately wanted to cling on more, or get out of there immediately. There is no debate, these writers were cherry picked for a reason in their story-telling skills. The choice of transition in the subjects and pace/tone of the book is done with a very distinct eye. I absolutely recommend reading this book for ANYONE, but especially those who have ADD (or self prescribed ADD), which really means anyone with a short attention span that's distracted by all of the gadgets we play with & work on.
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This was an alright collection of short stories. There were some that were excellent and some that were horrible, and a lot in between. It took me just over two months to finish this book because there were several stories that just completely turned me off from it, and made it difficult to go back. I also thought the order of the stories was possible a bad choice - in the first have of the book, there were several stories that centered around infidelity. The second half of the book had none. That was also part of what took me so long - I hate reading about infidelity and it was hard for me to pick up the book again when so many stories had centered entirely around that. The last half of the book went much faster for me.
Irises 5 stars
This story had a very interesting perspective (that of the child, but telling the story from when it was a fetus). It could have been preachy, but wasn't. I enjoyed the story and the imagery that was presented.
The Mongerji Letters 2 stars
Too much magical realism for me, and a short story isn't the ideal place for that. It was very confusing. When I finished the story I still kind of felt like... okay... well... that was weird.
Narrator 1 star
I suppose the story had merit in that it tried to show that idolizing a person you have never met only sets you up for failure and unrealistic expectations, but it just fell flat for me. The main character made so many impulsive and reckless decisions and didn't seem to understand herself or have any semblance of an idea of what she wanted. It was wildly irritating.
Bonus Baby 4 stars
An interesting read. I enjoyed it, even though I don't particularly enjoy sports.
Divergence 3 stars
Eh, it was fine.
A Simple Composition 1 stars
Again, I hated the main character. She had no idea what she wanted and made stupid and reckless decisions over and over again because of that.
Storm Windows 3 stars
It was fine.
Train to Harbin 5 stars
This story was so haunting. The author withheld the critical information until it was almost too late. As the reader, I began to suspect the worst and was horrified to find out I was right. I was even more horrified when I did follow up research and found out that the events depicting in this short story were true. It has continued to come back to me in the weeks since I read it. I think it takes great talent to provide so much historical information in such a haunting and morbidly fascinating way.
Dismemberment 3 stars
It was fine.
Exit Zero 4 stars
I'm not entirely sure I liked this story, per se, but I think it did the magical realism well. It explained just enough to not leave me entirely confused (I'm looking at you, Mongerji Letters).
Cigarettes 5 stars
Excellent very short story. Good characterization and use of atmosphere.
Temples 3 stars
HERE IS THE THING. This story is about a Mormon woman. The author obviously did a great deal of research about Mormons, but I'm not sure they actually sat down and talked to one. There were just a few inconsistencies that immediately made the story inauthentic. For example, Mormons do not go worship with their congregation on Sundays in the temple. They have separate church buildings for that. Mormons also take the Sabbath fairly seriously, so a devout Mormon woman would not go purchase a cake every Sunday. A less devout Mormon wouldn't have a problem with it, but the author tried to paint the aunt as a very religious Mormon woman. The whole story rang false to me because of these fallacies.
Safety 5 stars
It was a very difficult read because of the subject matter, but it was masterfully done.
Bounty 4 stars
It was weird, but it was compelling. I didn't like the main character, but the choices they made made sense to me because I understood their ultimate goal.
A Single Deliberate Thing 3 stars
It was fine.
The Crabapple Tree 5 stars
Probably my favorite of the anthology. So delightfully weird and creepy.
Winter, 1965 3 stars
It was fine.
Slumming 4 stars
Well, the main character sucked, but that's the point, I think. She thinks she so much better than the people around her, but they are helpful and kind where she is a bitter old woman who refused to help those who are hurt and just likes to get high. So. There's that, I guess. The author did a good job of writing into such a clueless and selfish psyche.
Happiness 3 stars
I expected a little more from Ron Carlson. But it was fine. -
قطار هاربین، مجموعه داستانی است شامل ده داستان کوتاه که همگی برندگان جایزه‌ی ادبی اُ. هنری هستند به همراه مقدمه‌ای توصیفی از مترجم که معرفی بسیار مختصری از داستان‌ها به دست می‌دهد. داستان‌های این مجموعه گاه آن قدر بلنداند که به نظر می‌رسد از چهارچوب‌های داستان کوتاه خارج شده‌اند و گاه مانند داستان «سیگار»، آن قدر کوتاه‌اند که در سه صفحه، برشی کوتاه از زمان را نشان می‌دهند و با تعریف داستان کوتاه منطبق‌تر به نطر می‌رسند. به بیانی دیگر داوران جایزه، طیف وسیعی از داستان‌ها را در شمار داستان کوتاه برگزیده قرار داده‌اند و چندان خود را در بند تعاریف تئوری جای نداده‌اند. گاه نو بودن موضوع داستان آن را متمایز کرده است مانند داستان «نامه‌های مونگرجی» و گاه حالت عاطفی و نوستالژیک راوی میانسال در ارتباط با پدر و مادر پیر و خانه قدیمی‌شان مثلا در داستان «پنجره‌های محافظ». این ده داستان از نظر فرم، مضمون و محتوا، تکنیک‌های پردازش، نوع روایت و انتخاب راوی و ... بسیار متفاوت و متنوع‌اند.
«نامه‌های مونگرجی» اثر گیتا لایر با فرمی متفاوت و در قالب نامه‌نگاری‌هایی چندسویه شکل گرفته است. «بازیکن با پیش پرداخت زیاد» اثر جو دانلی، داستان ورزشکاری است که جهانش با بیس‌بال گره خورده است. «واگرایی» اثر دیوید اچ لین، داستان استاد دانشگاهی است که به صورت حرفه‌ای دوچرخه‌سواری می‌کند. در اثر حادثه‌ای که به هنگام دوچرخه‌سواری به همراه همسر و دوستان برایش اتفاق می‌افتد، بیهوش شده و پس از به هوش آمدن، تفکرات تازه‌ای ذهنش را مشغول می‌کنند: «احساس کوچکی می‌کرد. فاصله و سکوتی غریب بر گذشته‌اش حاکم شد و حس کرد میان جرمی ماتیسِ سابق و خودش که اینجا و اکنون حضور داشت، شکافی عمیق به وجود آمده است. او تغییر کرده بود. موضوع همین بود. زندگی‌اش تغییر کرده بود. نه آنقدرها زیاد. اما به قدر کافی. او حس می‌کرد از همان لحظه‌ای که به هوش آمده، قبل از آن که بفهمد کجاست و چه بلایی بر سرش آمده است، تلوتلوخوران سفری را شروع کرده است، سفری که هیچ کنترلی بر آن نداشت و از قطب‌نما و ستاره راهنما هم خبری نبود. تنها کاری که از عهده‌اش بر‌می‌آمد این بود که رو به آینده خنجر بکشد. حالا در این لحظه از شب در بیمارستان، در مقابل چشمانش سرزمینی بی حد و حصر می‌دید.»
«پنجره‌های محافظ» اثر چارلز هاورتی، داستان زندگی همه‌ی آدم‌هایی است که در مقطعی از زندگی با پدیده‌ی پیرشدن پدر و مادرشان روبرو می‌شوند. برای فرار از پذیرش این واقعیت، به همراه مرور خاطرات کودکی‌شان دست به تعمیر قسمت‌های مختلف ساختمان یا وسایل خانه‌ی پدری می‌زنند. در این میان نقش محافظ و حامی و تکیه‌گاه را برای پدر و مادر بازی می‌کنند. گویی سعی دارند گذر زمان را متوقف کنند و همه چیز را به گذشته و به حالت ایده‌آل دوره‌ی کودکی برگردانند. «قطار هاربین» اثر آساکو سریزاوا که اثر منتخب داوران سال 2016نیز هست، روایت خشم و طغیان درونی و پشیمانی است. «قطع عضو» اثر وندل بری، نیز روایت زندگی کسی است که با ازدست دادن یک دست، پس از طی مراحلی ذهنی به دنبال پذیرش موضوع و یافتن راه چاره‌ای برای ادامه‌ی مسیر است.
در داستان «سیگار» اثر سم سوج، این بازآفرینی و توصیف فضا است که واقعیت زندگی پسامدرن مردی میانسال را شرح می‌دهد؛ «خانه، خانه سیگاری‌هاست. همیشه یکی از ما در حال دود کردن است. بعضی وقت‌ها هر سه نفر با هم سیگار می‌کشیم و دود همه‌ی فضای خانه را اشغال می‌کند. روی تمام پنجره‌ها لایه‌ای چسبناک نشسته است. صاحب‌خانه می‌گوید پاک‌کردن شیشه فایده‌ای ندارد. این روزها سیگاری قهار زیاد نیست. به قول کلمنت نسل ما دارد منقرض می‌شود.»
«یک تصمیم خاص» اثر ذبی واتسون، از احساسات و افکار و اندیشه‌های دختری روستایی حرف می‌زند. از دل‌مشغولی‌های روزمره مثل نگرانی‌هایش نسبت به اسب بیمارشان و دغدغه‌هایی فراتر از روزمرگی در مورد عشق و زندگی و آینده. واگویه‌های درونی دختر، با توصیف‌های دقیق و جزیی‌اش از فضا در هم می‌آمیزند تا رئالیسمی نو خلق کنند.
«زمستان 1965» اثر فردریک تاتن نیز داستان نویسنده‌ی جوان و تهی‌دستی است که در انتظار چاپ داستانش در یک مجله، زمان را با رویابافی‌هایی در مورد آینده‌ی شغلی‌اش می‌گذراند. آینده‌ای که در لایه‌های شهرت و ثروت و قدرت پیچیده است. اما چاپ نشدن داستان و به دنبال آن آشنایی‌اش با زنی عجیب که از طرف دفتر مجله با او تماس گفته است، خیال‌پردازی‌های خام و جوانانه‌اش را دستخوش تغییر می‌کند.
«خوشبختی» اثر ران کارلسون نیز روایت چند روز از زندگی مردی است که در پیری به کلبه‌ی ییلاقی خانوادگی‌شان می‌رود و تعطیلاتی چند‌روزه را با برادر و دو پسرش می‌گذراند. در این میان با به‌یاد‌آوردن خاطراتی از کودکی خودش در میان خانواده، خاطرات همسرش و کودکی پسرانش و حتی مرور خاطرات چند سال اخیر، گویی به مرور خوشبختی‌اش و مزه‌مزه کردن آن می‌پردازد. به بیانی دیگر، داستان بازتعریف خوشبختی است از زبان یک انسان معمولی. پرداختن به جزییات بسیار و طولانی کردن روایت اتفاقاتی ساده همچون ماهیگیری یا روشن کردن اجاق، گویی بازنمود بیرونی مفهوم انتزاعی خوشبختی در ذهن راوی و تمایل به طولانی‌تر کردن آن است.
این یادداشت در سایت الفِ کتاب به نشر رسیده است. -
overall 4* but for this story it's 5*
I am rather excited for this next short story review. I bought this book in January when I went to New York and I have waited for the right moment to start reviewing the stories! ‘The O.Henry Prize Stories 2016′. There are 22 (or more if you count the extra bits and pieces) short stories but for this review, I have chosen the very first story in the book. ‘Irises’ by Elizabeth Genovise is a captivating read with an unusual take on a ‘love story’. The story is told by the unborn foetus still in the womb. It follows the story of her mother and her lover fleeing from their former life to new pastures. But, will they decide to keep the unborn child? It was unusual as although the story was so short, the characters were so imaginative I felt like I had read a full-length novel rather than just 12 pages.
Guessing her impending fate, the foetus tells the story from a ‘birds-eye’ view. They see her mother, her hopes, dreams, pain and reasons for leaving her husband. They describe Joaquin, not as a knight in shining armour, but the yin to the mothers yang. The music to the dance. The man she fell in love with… The fetus tells the story of how they met, how they came to be, which is incredibly romantic. The poetic way in which the story is told makes it so outstanding. An innovative and interesting take on narrating a story. Definitely not ‘sickly-sweet’ at all.
I don’t want to spoil the end so like my other short story reviews, it will be a bit shorter. Brilliant if you only have a few mins to take a look! Equally, this is also what is a bonus about this story. It’s short but a ‘deep thinker’. I like books which make you surpass a level of thought into a more meaningful place. I did a little research on bits and bobs on the title of the book which led me to the goddess Iris. The title becomes clearer at the end of the novel but I did find it interesting to look up some symbolism… ‘communication’, ‘the messenger’, and ‘defined by their role in life’ are themes which the fetus represents. There were lots of myths and legends about irises which also peaked my curiosity.
I could be reading more into this than there is but I feel as if this short story, as a plot and a way of writing, is truly remarkable. Praise for the author, I was really surprised that such a short story could be so thought-provoking. The style of writing is effortlessly beautiful; poetic, graceful and elegant. There are so many themes and relationships in the story and I could spend hours analysing them but it may spoil the plot so I won’t! 😉 So much drama and emotion expressed in only 12 short pages… amazing.
I would recommend to anyone who loves reading short stories, wants to explore more deeper symbols in books and loves the themes of love, loss and tragedy.
Hope you enjoyed this review! Happy reading! Lx -
It's been a hot minute since the last time I read an anthology. This one, for some reason, spoke to me. Some of the stories were absolutely splendid. Others were just OK. A few were "meh." And a select few soared. My favorite of the bunch was "Irises" by Elizabeth Genovise. That story sang. I also thoroughly enjoyed "Bonus Baby" by Joe Donnelly. "Exit Zero," by Marie-Helene Bertino, is fantastical and funny. "Safety," by Lydia Fitzpatrick, is sweet and scary. "Winter, 1965," "Slumming," and "Happiness" are massive homeruns. Those mesmerizing stories were written by Frederic Tuten, Ottessa Moshfegh and Ron Carlson, respectively. This was a good collection of stories, proving that the art form of short fiction is alive and well. That is all.
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I really enjoyed this book! Now I can't say I liked every story for there were two I didn't like at all. But there were so many stories that I loved. One is the first story in the book "Iris." It's such a good story, with interesting characters, and a great plot. Check it out, and find out which stories you enjoy most.
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A little heavy on the surreal/magic realism, but otherwise another solid edition of this perennial favorite. Although I don't agree with the judges on what the three best stories in this collection were (really, yet another story about a writer?), I'm certain any lover of short stories will find plenty to enjoy here.
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For me, stories have to be about something.
These, as with most of the prize winners of any literary prize, seem to be lovely writing going nowhere. No point to the stories at all.
Obviously some people like that. It's not for me.
I'll try to remember that before I choose books. -
Hit and miss.
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Collections of short stories are always a great adventure especially when traveling. I love O'Henry prize collections.
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Really great collection. A few gems in these pages for sure.
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A great collection of diverse stories. This book really showcases the best of the kind of short stories that are being written today.
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Wonderful variety of stories and introduced writers new to me.
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5/5. Love short fiction.
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Always great. This was a particularly good year.
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An exquisite selection of poignant, sublime short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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I usually love the O. Henry collections. But the 2016 edition didn’t do it for me.
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"Irises," Elizabeth Genovise - 5/5
"The Mongerji Letters," Geetha Iyer - 3/5
"Narrator," Elizabeth Tallent - 4/5
"Bonus Baby," Joe Donnelly - 3/5
"Divergence," David H. Lynn - 5/5
"A Simple Composition," Shruti Swamy - 2/5
"Storm Windows," Charles Haverty - 2/5
"Train to Harbin," Asako Serizawa - 4/5
"Dismemberment," Wendell Berry - 2/5
"Exit Zero," Marie-Helene Bertino - 2/5
"Cigarettes," Sam Savage - 3/5
"Temples," Adrienne Celt - 1/5
"Safety," Lydia Fitzpatrick - 5/5
"Bounty," Diane Cook - 4/5
"A Single Deliberate Thing," Zebbie Watson 2/5
"The Crabapple Tree," Robert Coover 3/5
"Winter 1965," Frederic Tuten 4/5
"They Were Awake," Rebecca Evanhoe 3/5
"Slumming," Ottessa Moshfegh 2/5
"Happiness," Ron Carlson 2/5 -
Spectacular collection of short fiction. My significant other gave me a copy of this book for my birthday with the idea that we could read and discuss each story - one at a time. Of course, once I picked the collection up, I could not put it down so I've read the whole book and he's halfway through one story. I remember doing the same thing in English Lit classes in high school. I'd read the whole book of stories the night of the first reading assignment. This collection had the same wide ranging glee for me. Each story, some more successfully than others, was a unique adventure and the collection as a whole showcased such immense talent!
I particularly loved Happiness (Ron Carlson), which was the ultimate enjoyment of the simple pleasures, experienced through the senses; Exit Zero (Marie-Helene Bertino), which was particularly emotional for me in light of my mom's recent death ("Despite her best efforts, she has pieced together an image of her father's life: He lived on an impeccable cup-de-sac in an organized house, eating diet dinners, shaving regularly, exercising his bi and triceps with products ordered from television, and ignoring advice from doctors and zookeepers, with a drawer of old photos and a flatulent, possibly Jewish unicorn."); Slumming (Ottessa Moshfegh), which was wonderfully weird and horrifying; A Single Deliberate Thing (Zebbie Watson), tears; The Mongerji Letters (Geetha Iyer), which was spectacularly imaginative and charming and wistful without weakness; and Bonus Baby (Joe Donnelly), the only short story about baseball I have ever enjoyed (or frankly, bothered to read). I could keep going ... Safety (Lydia Fitzpatrick), and Bounty (Diane Cook) require mention -- both are haunting and extraordinary. -
The stories I liked:
-The Mongerji Letters: A fantastic tale in epistolary format dealing with descriptions that are a bit too real...
- Divergence: A story of an accident that touches upon the question of whether anything remains constant in the continuum of awareness that is our life.
- Safety: What I liked about this one is that it deals with a current issue in America: school shootings.
- Bounty: I don't think the author intended it this way, but I read it as an ecological dystopia.
-Train to Harbin: A harrowing historical tale of human experimentation during WWII.
-Storm Windows: This was my favourite one. It's a story about loss in stages and a series of ''rehearsals'' to preemptively come to terms with it.
Stylistically, I liked the taut prose of ''Irises''and the more ornate one of ''A Single Deliberate Thing'' best.
