A review by davidabrams
The Best American Short Stories 2009 by Heidi Pitlor, Alice Sebold

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Another solid entry into the annual series celebrating the best short fiction published in the past year. Standout selections in the 2009 edition include those by Joseph Epstein ("Beyond the Pale"), Greg Hrbek ("Sagittarius"), Yiyun Li ("A Man Like Him"), Kevin MOffett ("One Dog Year"), and Ron Rash ("Into the Gorge"). These stories took me places.