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A review by christinafrancisgilbert
The Best Short Stories 2022: The O. Henry Prize Winners by Jenny Minton Quigley, Valeria Luiselli
4.0
I always find the short story genre a hit-or-miss reading experience. I understand that the structure of such short fiction needs to be tight, resonant in terms of its message to the reader and usually a single plot, yet I find the inconclusive nature of much short storytelling to be frustrating. I like a neat, tidy ending, whether it be a happy or tragic one. I often find the resolutions of prize-winning short stories to be unsatisfactory, perhaps highlighting an amateur writer way of thinking.
Many of the stories in this collection do not end with a definite conclusion. For me, they leave too many unanswered questions, which affects whether I'm left with a lasting message, and for many of these stories, I was not.
Ten of the twenty stories in this collection are in translation. Of these, translated from Spanish, Polish, Bengali, Norwegian, Greek, Russian and Hebrew, my favourite is that of Samanta Schweblin called An Unlucky Man. I enjoyed reading the author's explanation of its personal and political nature and her aim to show that 'without the reader's fears and prejudices, this story wouldn't work.' It reminded me of a scene from Dani Shapiro's latest novel Signal Fires.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's story Zikora and 'Pemi Aguda's story Breastmilk stand out from the crowd. Interesting since they address the same topics of motherhood and childbirth. The imagery and 'grittier and more realistic' description of birthing a child presented beautifully in both of these stories appealed to me.
A number of the stories deal with the Covid-era. They are current and engaging with fresh representation of what will become interesting historical documentation of this century. A collection of stories all more closely tied to the central pivot of the pandemic might have worked more strongly than having them dotted amongst other stories with no mention of Covid-19.
Many of the stories in this collection do not end with a definite conclusion. For me, they leave too many unanswered questions, which affects whether I'm left with a lasting message, and for many of these stories, I was not.
Ten of the twenty stories in this collection are in translation. Of these, translated from Spanish, Polish, Bengali, Norwegian, Greek, Russian and Hebrew, my favourite is that of Samanta Schweblin called An Unlucky Man. I enjoyed reading the author's explanation of its personal and political nature and her aim to show that 'without the reader's fears and prejudices, this story wouldn't work.' It reminded me of a scene from Dani Shapiro's latest novel Signal Fires.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's story Zikora and 'Pemi Aguda's story Breastmilk stand out from the crowd. Interesting since they address the same topics of motherhood and childbirth. The imagery and 'grittier and more realistic' description of birthing a child presented beautifully in both of these stories appealed to me.
A number of the stories deal with the Covid-era. They are current and engaging with fresh representation of what will become interesting historical documentation of this century. A collection of stories all more closely tied to the central pivot of the pandemic might have worked more strongly than having them dotted amongst other stories with no mention of Covid-19.