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A review by modeislodis
The Best American Short Stories 2019 by Heidi Pitlor, Anthony Doerr
4.0
Notes mostly for myself here, as readers don't need to be encouraged to pick up The Best American Short Stories' annual collection; these collections are a touchstone for those of us who enjoy short stories and you'll either check it out or not.
Proof in point: I read the 2019 volume strictly because of my devotion to Anthony Doerr and was curious about what kind of stories he finds entertaining/intriguing.
I liked the exposure to some legendary authors; Ursula K. Le Guin's "Pity and Shame" was a real standout - 3-dimensional characters living in a rugged landscape, all propped up on her beautiful writing. I am DYING to talk to someone about the 3rd person-to-1st person switch up in the last two paragraphs of Wendell Berry's "The Great Interruption...", gave me whiplash with such a tone change and made the entire story read different.
Some new voices that I'll keep a keen eye on now; Jamel Brinkley's "No More Than a Bubble" is probably the story I come back and think about the most. What does that dog scene symbolize, and did the two boys have sex at the end? Julia Elliott's "Hellion" was such a blast to read -more of her in my life, please! Manuel Munoz's "Anyone Can Do It" broke my heart so bad I have to remind myself that it's fiction in order to cope.
Proof in point: I read the 2019 volume strictly because of my devotion to Anthony Doerr and was curious about what kind of stories he finds entertaining/intriguing.
I liked the exposure to some legendary authors; Ursula K. Le Guin's "Pity and Shame" was a real standout - 3-dimensional characters living in a rugged landscape, all propped up on her beautiful writing. I am DYING to talk to someone about the 3rd person-to-1st person switch up in the last two paragraphs of Wendell Berry's "The Great Interruption...", gave me whiplash with such a tone change and made the entire story read different.
Some new voices that I'll keep a keen eye on now; Jamel Brinkley's "No More Than a Bubble" is probably the story I come back and think about the most. What does that dog scene symbolize, and did the two boys have sex at the end? Julia Elliott's "Hellion" was such a blast to read -more of her in my life, please! Manuel Munoz's "Anyone Can Do It" broke my heart so bad I have to remind myself that it's fiction in order to cope.