Collection Review: The Dog of the Marriage

There’s a one-sentence story in this collection called “Memoir”—“Just once in my life—oh, when have I ever wanted anything just once in my life?”—and it is exquisite. But mostly for me, The Dog of the Marriage was like walking through a crowd of people and thinking you recognize someone, but realizing that you’re mistaken, it’s not the … Continue reading →

Collection Review: Tenth of December

We’ve had this date from the beginning, George Saunders. And I thought you were going to be the apple of my eye. That I’d tear my way through this collection and let no manner of expense or length of library wait-list prevent me from ravaging every other collection you’ve written. I imagined we’d frequent parks … Continue reading →

Collection review: Runaway by Alice Munro

Characterization: “…he only caught her, wound his arms around her, held her so tightly, with such continual, changing pressures that it seemed more than two arms were needed, that she was surrounded by him, his body strong and light, demanding and renouncing all at once, as if he was telling her she was wrong to … Continue reading →

“A Fable with Slips of White Paper Spilling from the Pockets” by Kevin Brockmeier

First sentence: “Once there was a man who happened to buy God’s overcoat.” Significant detail: “He was rummaging through a thrift store when he found it hanging on a rack by the fire exit, nestled between a birch-colored fisherman’s sweater and a cotton blazer with a suede patch on one of the elbows.” A man buys … Continue reading →

“The Bloody Chamber” by Angela Carter

FULL STORY First sentence: “I remember that night, I lay awake in the wagon-lit in a tender, delicious ecstasy of excitement, my burning cheek pressed against the impeccable linen of the pillow and the pounding of my heart mimicking that of the great pistons ceaselessly thrusting the train that bore me through the night, away … Continue reading →

“You’re Ugly, Too” by Lorrie Moore

First sentence: “You had to get out of them occasionally, those Illinois towns with the funny names: Paris, Oblong, Normal.” Humor: The trick to flying safe, Zoë always said, was never to buy a discount ticket and to tell yourself you had nothing to live for anyway, so that when the plane crashed it was no big deal. … Continue reading →

“What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver

First sentence: “My friend Mel McGinnis was talking.” Dialogue: “Mel, for God’s sake,” Terri said. She reached out and took hold of his wrist. “Are you getting drunk? Honey? Are you drunk?” “Honey, I’m just talking,” Mel said. “All right? I don’t have to be drunk to say what I think. I mean, we’re all just … Continue reading →

A Good Fit for Small Screens, Short Stories Are Selling – NYTimes.com

via A Good Fit for Small Screens, Short Stories Are Selling – NYTimes.com. A great piece, just published a couple weeks ago: “In recent decades the traditional outlets for individual short stories have dwindled, with literary magazines closing or shrinking. But the Internet has created an insatiable maw to feed.” Cal Morgan makes an excellent point … Continue reading →

“Pagan Night” by Kate Braverman

Read the full story here. First sentence: “Sometimes they called it Forest or Sky.” Imagery: “Today, walking by the river, it occurred to Sunny that this landscape was different from any other she had known. It wasn’t the punched-awake, intoxicated glow of the tropics, seductive and inflamed. It didn’t tease you and make you want … Continue reading →