A review by camilleisreading24
The Best American Short Stories 2021 by Heidi Pitlor, Jesmyn Ward

3.0

I look forward to these collections every year! It's always a great opportunity to discover new authors and I find that each guest editor has a different taste/flair in picking stories. Perhaps fitting for the year defined by a global pandemic and a contentious election that was defined as a battle for the soul of the nation, many of these stories are dark. I found it difficult to read some of the stories, since 2020 left me wanting to feel hopeful. Standouts in the collection are "The Miracle Girl" by Rita Chang-Eppig, "Escape from the Dysphesiac People" by Brandon Hobson, and "Love Letter" by George Saunders. My absolute favorite story was "Switzerland" by Nicole Krauss. I love stories told by someone looking back on their childhood understanding of the world and people in it with the added wisdom of adulthood. If you typically enjoy the best American short story collections, you should pick this one up.