roostercalls's review
5.0
Short stories by emerging writers are an unexplored region of the literary landscape for me, so when @catapult asked if I’d like to take a look at this anthology of 12 prize-winning short stories [as judged by @carmenmmachado @daniedve & @alicesolakim], I didn’t hesitate. Debut works hold the thrill of uncharted territory, and couldn’t we all use more adventure in our workaday (/reading) lives?
▫️
These stories reached out & gripped me; pulled me into moments with such speed & alacrity that I was left happily tripping over my own toes. I want to rip this collection up because there are at least a dozen people whose hands I’m dying to place one or more stories in. But I’m not sure I could bring myself to deconstruct such a finely wrought product.
▫️
Highlights for me included:
•Sarah Curry’s THE RICKIES, about the unhealed parts we don’t deem fit for public consumption: “[...w]e will our arms to become part of the weapon and hurl pieces of metal through a paper target shaped like the outline of a man’s hyperbolic death throw.”
•Doug Henderson’s THE MANGA ARTIST, a queer story which sideswiped me with its innovative form (narration of comic panels) & unexpected heart.
•Laura Freudig’s MOTHER AND CHILD, which I want to send to every new mother I know: “[...h]e yelled at me for not reacting quickly enough. Like I don’t save that baby from death twenty times a day when he’s not around.” [If you loved #MiracleCreek HOP TO THIS]
•Erin Singer’s BAD NORTHERN WOMEN, about four sisters born to an unforgiving life in Saskatchewan: “We are four strays strung together by seat belts, fingers against a windowpane as bush and bears and burning cigarettes whiz by.”
▫️
Editor Yuka Igarashi calls this collection, now in its 3rd year, “a yearly argument for risk and novelty.” In a bookish life where I’m always trying to maximize my time & reading experience this was a ‘risk’ that came with great reward. These stories were a breath of fresh air, a palate cleanser; a reading experience unlike any I’ve had all year.
▫️
These stories reached out & gripped me; pulled me into moments with such speed & alacrity that I was left happily tripping over my own toes. I want to rip this collection up because there are at least a dozen people whose hands I’m dying to place one or more stories in. But I’m not sure I could bring myself to deconstruct such a finely wrought product.
▫️
Highlights for me included:
•Sarah Curry’s THE RICKIES, about the unhealed parts we don’t deem fit for public consumption: “[...w]e will our arms to become part of the weapon and hurl pieces of metal through a paper target shaped like the outline of a man’s hyperbolic death throw.”
•Doug Henderson’s THE MANGA ARTIST, a queer story which sideswiped me with its innovative form (narration of comic panels) & unexpected heart.
•Laura Freudig’s MOTHER AND CHILD, which I want to send to every new mother I know: “[...h]e yelled at me for not reacting quickly enough. Like I don’t save that baby from death twenty times a day when he’s not around.” [If you loved #MiracleCreek HOP TO THIS]
•Erin Singer’s BAD NORTHERN WOMEN, about four sisters born to an unforgiving life in Saskatchewan: “We are four strays strung together by seat belts, fingers against a windowpane as bush and bears and burning cigarettes whiz by.”
▫️
Editor Yuka Igarashi calls this collection, now in its 3rd year, “a yearly argument for risk and novelty.” In a bookish life where I’m always trying to maximize my time & reading experience this was a ‘risk’ that came with great reward. These stories were a breath of fresh air, a palate cleanser; a reading experience unlike any I’ve had all year.
laurynreads's review
4.0
I’m starting to really get into short stories, and I decided I wanted to keep my finger on the pulse, as it were. There were some incredible and breathtaking stories in here, and some that I just kind of liked. Overall a solid collection and exciting to see the things current writers are doing with the short story form.
lillielainoff's review
5.0
*Provided copy by publisher*
As a young writer who predominantly writes about disabled young women, it is difficult, sometimes, to feel at home in the world of literary fiction.
It is collections like this, however, that make me feel like perhaps there is a place for me after all. The stories featured here are brash, bold, and unapologetic.
The diversity of the writing alone is extraordinary. I adore reading and writing second-person POV stories, and it was wonderful to see so many of them highlighted in this collection.
From a writer's standpoint, it is also a great resource for those who are just starting to submit their stories – the literary magazines that originally published these pieces are open to debut writers who experiment and push boundaries of content and form.
If these stories represent where short literary fiction is going in the future – and I sincerely hope that to be the case – we are in for some fantastic writing.
As a young writer who predominantly writes about disabled young women, it is difficult, sometimes, to feel at home in the world of literary fiction.
It is collections like this, however, that make me feel like perhaps there is a place for me after all. The stories featured here are brash, bold, and unapologetic.
The diversity of the writing alone is extraordinary. I adore reading and writing second-person POV stories, and it was wonderful to see so many of them highlighted in this collection.
From a writer's standpoint, it is also a great resource for those who are just starting to submit their stories – the literary magazines that originally published these pieces are open to debut writers who experiment and push boundaries of content and form.
If these stories represent where short literary fiction is going in the future – and I sincerely hope that to be the case – we are in for some fantastic writing.
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