A review by the_enobee
The Best American Short Stories 2014 by Heidi Pitlor, Amanda Urban, Jennifer Egan

2.0

Somehow these books always end up as a slog. I thought it might be a bad sign when I couldn't make it through the guest editor's intro (establish a more rigorous short story aesthetic? really?). And the annual hand-wringing over the state of the short story, the precious magazines that publish them, and technology's affect on the artist. Gag me with a spoon! However, there were some goodies. Peter Cameron's After the Flood was emotionally powerful yet had me laughing my ass off. TC Boyle's story also had some cool moments. If only all 20 stories had been simlarly striking.