katepowellshine's review against another edition
4.0
A solid collection, as usual. I do have to make angry glaring eyes at "Madame Lazarus" by Maile Meloy for being a mean-0 story and making me cry. Seriously, eff you, "Madame Lazarus." There's no need to put such sadness into a story.
chloejoy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
tanzimerritt's review
3.0
This collection isn't as good as it has been in some other years, but with a new editor each year you get a different feel to the stories chosen, so it's always worth reading.
jeremy_bearimy's review
This was a bit of an experiment for me since I don't usually read short stories, but I gave up about halfway through. The stories were too dark for me and made me feel depressed. My favorite was set in a dystopian setting along the lines of The Handmaid's Tale called Moving On, by Diane Cook. I enjoy other shorts stories, especially by Kurt Vonnegut (which aren't the lightest fare either), but my tastes are obviously very different from whoever curated these selections.
sharonbakar's review against another edition
5.0
This is only the second volume of Best American Short Stories I've read from cover to cover, although I own several and have dipped into them. I enjoyed this book much better than the 2014 collection.
I also really appreciate the notes in the back where the authors talk about how their story came together.
I also really appreciate the notes in the back where the authors talk about how their story came together.
twylghast's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
melias6's review
3.0
Starts strong, but peters out just before the halfway point save for two knockout, devastating stories, “Thunderstruck" (Elizabeth McCracken) and "Madame Lazarus (Maile Meloy.) The former, concerning a traumatic brain injury, hit close to home; the latter, about a man's love for his dying dog, couldn't be further from home but generated an unexpected gut punch.
Other notable picks: "The Siege at Whale Cay" (Meghan Mayhew Bergman), "Happy Endings" (Kevin Canty), "Moving On" (Diane Cook), "The Black Cat" (Louise Erdrich), and "Kavitha and Mustafa" (Shobha Rao).
Other notable picks: "The Siege at Whale Cay" (Meghan Mayhew Bergman), "Happy Endings" (Kevin Canty), "Moving On" (Diane Cook), "The Black Cat" (Louise Erdrich), and "Kavitha and Mustafa" (Shobha Rao).
cosmiccloudbird's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
bufally47's review
3.0
I’m never sure how to rate collections, as they’re meant to cover diverse styles and topics. The inevitable three stars? Some of these stories reminded me how fresh and insane short fiction can be. I liked that the introduction pointed to Poe’s definition of a short story as “of a length to be read in one sitting, an hour’s entertainment.” That primed me to at least attempt to savor each.
Stories that knocked my socks off: Bride; Kavitha and Mustafa; The Siege at Whale Cay; Jack, July
Knocked my socks half-off: The Largesse of the Sea Maiden; About My Aunt; Sh’khol
Stories that made me remember everything that’s bad about short stories: Motherlode; You’ll Apologize If You Have To; Fingerprints
Aren’t we collectively over stories about road-trips and con men and slightly-unhinged tough guys? Evidently not, unfortunately. However, there was certainly no blatantly terrible writing in the collection, just the occasional trope and occasional dwelling on too-real muck like missing fathers and children in comas. Such muck might be handled with more grace in novel form. For stories, I prefer the outlandish or foreign-and-jarring.
Stories that knocked my socks off: Bride; Kavitha and Mustafa; The Siege at Whale Cay; Jack, July
Knocked my socks half-off: The Largesse of the Sea Maiden; About My Aunt; Sh’khol
Stories that made me remember everything that’s bad about short stories: Motherlode; You’ll Apologize If You Have To; Fingerprints
Aren’t we collectively over stories about road-trips and con men and slightly-unhinged tough guys? Evidently not, unfortunately. However, there was certainly no blatantly terrible writing in the collection, just the occasional trope and occasional dwelling on too-real muck like missing fathers and children in comas. Such muck might be handled with more grace in novel form. For stories, I prefer the outlandish or foreign-and-jarring.