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A review by kimtrucks
The Best American Short Stories 2018 by Heidi Pitlor, Roxane Gay
4.0
Brief reviews of every story:
Cougar: a child on the brink of adulthood, from an impoverished and small family, becomes fixated on a local cougar, for good reason. Very good.
A Family: so like the stories from his collection that I had to double check that I hadn't read it already.
The Art of Losing: a lovely and understated view of aging, esp. As immigrants. Wonderful.
Los Angeles: an aspiring actress working at an unnamed-but-clearly-American-apparel store finds a new way to make money. Did not leave a strong impression on me.
Unearth: an adult woman grapples with her brother's heretofore denied death in a residential school (designed to destroy Native culture). Very good.
Boys go to Jupiter: a photo of a confederate flag bikini creates a college scandal. I find this one shallow.
A history of China: a woman goes to a family reunion after her father's death, unable to say what she needs to. Fine, the time shifts made an otherwise wonderfully concrete story feel deliberately unmoored.
Come on, Silver: a bride-training camp for menstruating young women meets am unwilling participant (and some very bad Latin?). Wonderful tone, not sure about the whole.
What got into us: a young queer romance goes awry. Very well done.
Everything is far from here: from inside the refugee camps at the border, a mother searches for her son.
Good with boys: a young woman tries a very determined plot to turn a field trip into a burgeoning romance. Lovely narrator.
Control negro: a father explains a son's life. Shades of Three Identical Strangers.
The brothers brujo: I could not finish this, it as relentlessly concerned with the horror of abuse.
A big true: an itinerant immigrant musician from Iran tries and fails to connect with his daughter. Fine.
Items awaiting protective enclosure: a subtly post-apocalyptic tale that sneaks up on you. Very good.
The baptism: a pastor attempts to right his prior wrong in a frontier setting. Soli's.
Suburbia!: a woman places a bet to never go home. Despite an unexpected twist, did not enjoy it.
The prairie wife: a strangely vicious roman-a-clef about a prominent food blogger turns into something sweeter, but not enough to wash the sour taste out of my mouth.
Whose heart I long to stop with the click of a revolver: a woman grapples with the history of her newly child in light of their reunion. Excellent.
What terrible thing it was: a psychiatric patient considers treatment options. Great.
Cougar: a child on the brink of adulthood, from an impoverished and small family, becomes fixated on a local cougar, for good reason. Very good.
A Family: so like the stories from his collection that I had to double check that I hadn't read it already.
The Art of Losing: a lovely and understated view of aging, esp. As immigrants. Wonderful.
Los Angeles: an aspiring actress working at an unnamed-but-clearly-American-apparel store finds a new way to make money. Did not leave a strong impression on me.
Unearth: an adult woman grapples with her brother's heretofore denied death in a residential school (designed to destroy Native culture). Very good.
Boys go to Jupiter: a photo of a confederate flag bikini creates a college scandal. I find this one shallow.
A history of China: a woman goes to a family reunion after her father's death, unable to say what she needs to. Fine, the time shifts made an otherwise wonderfully concrete story feel deliberately unmoored.
Come on, Silver: a bride-training camp for menstruating young women meets am unwilling participant (and some very bad Latin?). Wonderful tone, not sure about the whole.
What got into us: a young queer romance goes awry. Very well done.
Everything is far from here: from inside the refugee camps at the border, a mother searches for her son.
Good with boys: a young woman tries a very determined plot to turn a field trip into a burgeoning romance. Lovely narrator.
Control negro: a father explains a son's life. Shades of Three Identical Strangers.
The brothers brujo: I could not finish this, it as relentlessly concerned with the horror of abuse.
A big true: an itinerant immigrant musician from Iran tries and fails to connect with his daughter. Fine.
Items awaiting protective enclosure: a subtly post-apocalyptic tale that sneaks up on you. Very good.
The baptism: a pastor attempts to right his prior wrong in a frontier setting. Soli's.
Suburbia!: a woman places a bet to never go home. Despite an unexpected twist, did not enjoy it.
The prairie wife: a strangely vicious roman-a-clef about a prominent food blogger turns into something sweeter, but not enough to wash the sour taste out of my mouth.
Whose heart I long to stop with the click of a revolver: a woman grapples with the history of her newly child in light of their reunion. Excellent.
What terrible thing it was: a psychiatric patient considers treatment options. Great.