2008 Short Stories Read
Sunday, August 24th, 2008An Ex-Mas Feast, by Uwem Akpan - Short Story Review
The sun had gone down on Ex-mas evening. Bad weather had stormed the seasons out of order, and Nairobi sat in a low flood, the light December rain droning on our tarpaulin roof. I was sitting on the floor of our shack, which stood on a cement slab at the end of an alley, leaning against the back of an old brick shop. Occasional winds swelled the brown polythene walls, The floor was nested with cushions that I had scavenged from a dump on Biashara Street. At night, we rolled up the edge of the tarpaulin to let in the glow of the shop’s security lights. A board, which served as our door lay by the shop wall. -From An Ex-Mas Feast-
Uwem Akpan released his debut short story collection titled Say You’re One of Them in June 2008. An Ex-Mas Feast is one of the stories in that collection - although I read it as a stand alone story in The New Yorker. Jigana, an eight year old who is the eldest boy of his family, narrates the story. He reveals the horrifying living conditions of a street family who rely on their eldest daughter’s income from prostitution to feed them. Jigana represents hope for his family who want him to go to school and become educated. Most of the story takes place on Christmas Day as the family waits for Maisha to return from her work on the streets. The mother offers her children glue to sniff to stave off hunger and reads aloud the names of relatives in an attempt to celebrate the holiday.
Mama took out our family Bible, which we had inherited from Baba’s father, to begin our Ex-mas worship. The front cover had peeled off, leaving a dirty page full of our relatives’ names, dead and living. She read them out. Baba’s late father had insisted that all the names of our family be included in recognition of the instability of street life. -From An Ex-Mas Feast-
Thematically this short story examines survival, family bonds, and the idea of education as hope to elevate oneself from poverty. It raises questions about global awareness of what is happening to families and children on the streets of Nairobi. When Jigana tells of the rich white men driving a Jaguar who “hire” Maisha for a night of sex, the reader feels stunned by the gap which lies between wealth and poverty.
Akpan’s writing is stark, shocking and painful. The story, narrated by a child, leaves the reader feeling brutalized. Bookmarks Magazine reviewed Akpan’s collection and writes:
Without flinching or lecturing, Akpan shares the almost unimaginable horrors that threaten Africa’s most vulnerable children. A Jesuit priest, he also evokes the love, grace, and other spiritual values that can emerge from the fight for survival. -From Sept/Oct edition (No. 36) of Bookmarks Magazine, page 32-
Although not easy to read, I highly recommend this short story if only to raise awareness of what is happening to children living on the streets in Africa.
Natalie, by Anne Enright - Short Story Review
After reading The Gathering, I was eager to read more work by Anne Enright. So when the 21st Fiction Yahoo group chose Enright’s short story Natalie to read and discuss, I was pleased. I read this story on-line at the New Yorker.
Natalie is narrated by an unnamed teenage protagonist who is laying in bed ruminating on her relationship with her boyfriend (also unnamed), Natalie, Natalie’s boyfriend Billy, and Billy’s mother Mrs. Casey. We learn that the narrator and Natalie have a psuedo-friendship of sorts and that Billy’s mother has ovarian cancer.
Although the title suggests this will be a story about Natalie, instead Natalie becomes the conduit for the narrator to reach a conclusion about life and death, and human connections. Natalie’s view of the world is that people are unconnected - they live or die independent of their relationships with each other. The narrator has a more idealistic view of the world. She resists the idea of ultimately being alone and searches for connections with others. Eventually, Natalies influence seems to shift the narrator’s viewpoint:
We are not connected. Because this is what Natalie is saying, isn’t it? That we are alone. -From Natalie-
Enright is skilled at capturing the voice of her narrator and convincing the reader we are indeed inside the head of a teenager. Despite her adept writing, Enright’s short story did not resonate with me. In the end, I felt a complete disconnect with the characters. Given the underlying theme of the story, perhaps this was Enright’s intention…but it didn’t work for me.
I must admit to needing help to work this short story out…and for that I thank the very astute readers at the 21st Fiction Yahoo group. I’d recommend the story as a thought provoking read which will stimulate group discussion. But, if you are just looking for an enjoyable short story, you could probably skip this one.
Mr. Bones - A Short Story Review
My father, apparently a simple, cheery soul, was impossible to know. -From Mr. Bones-
Paul Theroux wrote this short story which appeared on line at The New Yorker in September 2007. The narrator is a man remembering his father from many years previous. Right up front, he tells the reader that not only is his father impossible to know, but that family life is full of disorder and tension. The narrator’s father is a rather passive man, married to a domineering and critical woman, and he begins to practice for his role in a minstrel show. He dons the black face - a mask of sorts - and becomes Mr. Bones.
The story has a disturbing undercurrent, touching on racism, marital discord, and a young boy’s confusion about it all. Theroux’s writing is sharp and observant. He captures the uneasy relationships well; and forces the reader to examine the idea of hiding behind our own masks - whether it be in our personal lives or in front of an audience. As the story comes to its conclusion, the reader is left to ponder its true message.
This big event was just a talent show to Louie; and his white-haired father, who worked on the M.T.A. buses, was just an old guy singing. Yet in our house Mr. Bones had intimidated everyone. He was now someone to fear, saying the things that he normally avoided saying. In his minstrel-show costume, he could be as reckless as he wanted. -From Mr. Bones-
I found this short story stunning in many ways - the writing rich and compelling. But it is not an easy story to understand. Luckily, I read it for the 21st Fiction yahoo discussion group and so I was able to explore its many facets with other readers.
Free Radicals, by Alice Munro - Review
She hadn’t had time to wonder about his being late. He’d died bent over the sidewalk sign that stood in front of the hardware store offering a discount on lawnmowers. -From Free Radicals-
When Nita’s 81 year old husband Rich drops dead outside the hardware story, Nita grieves and wonders how she could have outlived him given her terminal diagnosis of cancer. Then an intruder arrives - and Nita’s view of life and death changes.
Alice Munro has crafted a short story about grief and moving forward after the death of a loved one. She also explores the creativeness of the human mind, especially when confronted with our own demise. Carefully constructed (although at times feeling a bit contrived), Free Radicals leaves some questions unanswered. I read this story on line at the New Yorker for 21st Fiction Yahoo Group. Not everyone in the group came away from it with the same interpretation of events. This is one thing I enjoy about a well-written short story - the loose ends, the questions that perhaps have several different answers. Free Radicals is a story which appears simple on its face, but has many levels of meaning below the surface.
Recommended;
The Kiss, by Anton Chekhov - Review
The most ill at east of them all was Ryabovitch - a little officer in spectacles, with sloping shoulders, and whiskers like a lynx’s. While some of his comrades assumed a serious expression, while others wore forced smiles, his face, his lynx-like whiskers, and spectacles seemed to say: I am the shyest, most modest, and most undistinguished officer in the whole brigade!” -From The Kiss-
I read this masterful short story of Chekov’s for The Russian Lit Yahoo group, and found it accessible and enjoyable.
Ryabovitch and his officers are billeted in a small town and find themselves invited to tea at a General’s home. They go reluctantly, feeling perhaps they have been invited out of obligation and nothing more.
In a house in which two sisters and their children, brothers, and neighbours were gathered together, probably on account of some family festivities, or event, how could the presence of nineteen unknown officers possibly be welcome? -From The Kiss-
But once at the gathering, they begin to enjoy themselves - talking to the ladies, drinking and dancing. All, that is, but Ryabovitch - a shy, naive man who feels uncomfortable in the presence of women. When he leaves the main room and wanders into a darkened library, however, Ryabovitch is astonished when a woman rushes up to him and kisses him on the cheek. Obviously having mistaken him for a secret paramour, the woman leaves without a word - and Ryabovitch is left to wonder who she is as the darkness of the room has prevented him from recognizing her identity.
Chekhov takes this singular event and weaves a story of obsession, expectation and disappointment. Although written in the early part of the twentieth century, The Kiss feels like a modern story of intrigue and romance. Chekhov’s skill at creating character and dialogue resonates with the reader.
I read this story as part of a collection from The Essential Tales of Chekhov, edited by Richard Ford - and plan to read the rest of Chekhov’s short works before the year is out. I can highly recommend The Kiss to readers - it is a simple story, but one that delights.
Landscape With Flatiron, by Haruki Murakami - Short Story Review
“Anyhow, let’s wait till the fire burns out,” Miyake said. “We built it, so we ought to keep it company to the end. Once it goes out, and it turns pitch-dark, then we can die.” -From Landscape with Flatiron-
This short story, part of a group of stories entitled After The Quake, occurs over the course of one night with three friends sitting around a bonfire. Miyake is an older man with an obsession in building the perfect bonfire. He befriends Junko, a young woman who lives with her boyfriend Keisuke and is estranged from her family. Whenever Miyake is going to light a bonfire, he calls Junko to come down and watch it burn; and the two of them have an unusual connection. Junko’s boyfriend, Keisuke, is a musician who lives in the here and now and has difficulty understanding Miyake and Junko’s relationship.
“The trouble is, I don’t have a damn thing to do with anything fifty thousand years ago - or fifty thousand years from now, either. Nothing. Zip. What’s important is now. Who knows when the world is going to end? Who can think about the future? The only thing that matters is whether I can get my stomach full right now and get it up right now. Right?” -From Landscape With Flatiron-
Much of the story revolves around a philosophical discussion between Miyake and Junko. It is important to understand that Murakami wrote this story shortly after the Kobe earthquake; and the themes of death, an uncertain future and the larger meaning of life resonate throughout the prose. I have heard many interesting things about Haruki Murakami’s literary works - but until I picked up this short story on line at Ploughshares, I had not read anything by this writer. Murakami’s prose is full of symbolism and beautiful imagery. Initially the story’s meaning completely eluded me…but I read this for the 21st Fiction Yahoo group and discussing it with the group gave me insights I had missed on my own. My appreciation for the story grew as we discussed the various parts of it.
This is a writer who I am curious to read again. I would recommend this short story with some reservations - for many readers, it may be a frustration in trying to tease out the symbols and understand the underlying messages (which I admit I am still working through). But this is an excellent short story for group discussion, and the writing itself is worth the effort.
The Overcoat, by Nikolai Gogol - Short Story Review
Thus flowed on the peaceful life of the man, who, with a salary of four hundred rubles, understood how to be content with his fate; and thus it would have continued to flow on, perhaps, to extreme old age, were there not various ills sown among the path of life for titular councillors as well as for private, actual, court and every other species of councillor, even for those who never give any advice or take any themselves. -From The Overcoat-
The Russian writer, Nikolai Gogol, published this short story in 1842 - a tale about a poor Russian official named Akakii Akakievich who is the ridicule of his department. Akakii lives entirely for his duties as a copier. His co-workers laugh at him and abuse him. He often has bits and pieces of filth on his uniform due to his “peculiar knack, as he walked in the street, of arriving beneath a window when all sorts of rubbish was being flung out of it.” Akakii’s coat is threadbare and he is finally forced to have a new overcoat sewn for him by Petrovich the Tailor. The cost of the overcoat is exorbitant for Akakii, but he scrimps and saves, denying himself food and other basic necessities until he is able to purchase the coat. Overnight, he becomes respectful. His co-workers fawn over his beautiful, new coat - and even throw him a lavish party in celebration. But, disaster falls upon Akakii … his joy is short lived when the coat is stolen.
Gogol’s short story takes an interesting twist as Akakii seeks help to recover the overcoat - going first to the police and then an “important personage.” He is lost amid a barrage of bureaucracy:
…”don’t you know etiquette? Where have you come to? Don’t you know how matters are managed? You should first have entered a complaint about this at the court: it would have gone to the head of the department, to the chief of the division, then it would have been handed over to the secretary, and the secretary would have given it to me.” -From The Overcoat-
The Overcoat is a story about a common man who is beneath everyone (much is made in the beginning about Akakii’s name which comes close to the Russian word kaka - translated as “poop”), but who rises in esteem simply upon the purchase of an overcoat. He falls again with the loss of this possession, and must appeal to the government for assistance - which does not come. The ending (which I do not want to reveal to those who have not read the story), implies that the common man will ultimately rise above his persecutors. Gogol pokes fun at those in power, showing them to be insubstantial and shallow despite their titles. He allows Akakii to come out on top - demonstrating it is not material gain which grants one power.
I enjoyed this short story which is perhaps more of a parable.
Recommended; rated 4/5.
Keeping it Short - Black Ice, by Cate Kennedy
“For everything poisonous there’s something else nearby to cure it, if you just look around.” -From Black Ice-
Cate Kennedy’s short story Black Ice was published on line at the New Yorker in September 2006. It is a quick read and written in accessible language. The story’s narrator, a young boy by the name of Billy, disturbs the reader with his tale of rabbit trapping (he sells them to a neighbor as dog food). Billy’s father has an edge of violence about him and although we do not have details of the boy’s home life, the reader can assume he is raised with a firm and unforgiving hand. The tension in the story arises when a woman buys a vacant and crumbling home near Billy. She scoffs at the “local color” and wrinkles her nose in disgust at the idea of Billy’s rabbit hunting. And although their interactions are brief, the reader is left with a distinct feeling of unease regarding Billy and the woman’s differences in perspective.
Black Ice is a disturbing look at class conflict, as well as an environmental treatise of sorts. It uses nature as a symbolic and stark backdrop to human dissension. Billy is described in terms that equate him to the furry rabbits he quickly dispatches (”I made myself small as a rabbit and moved through them on my soft scrabbly claws.”) which makes his ultimate behavior something the reader sees as destined to happen.
I am glad I will be discussing this with a group of readers at 21st Fiction Yahoo group because I think there are deeper elements to the story I may be missing.
Rated 3.5/5.
Monday, January 21st, 20082008 Short Stories Read
All short stories read in 2008 will be recorded and tracked on this post. Collections of short stories may also be found under 2008 Books Read. Single stories will only be found here. I use the following rating scale:
= Excellent; a must read; highly recommended
= Good/Very good; recommended
= Okay; pretty good
= Not recommended; boring; didn’t hold my interest; bad writing
= Awful; hated it; probably didn’t even finish the darn thing
1. Black Ice, by Cate Kennedy
Date Read: January 21, 2008
Rated: 
Read for: The Short Story Reading Challenge, A Novel Challenge Yahoo group (mini challenge), AND 21st Fiction Yahoo Group
Read my review.
2. The Overcoat, by Nikolai Gogol
Date Read: March 1, 2008
Rated:
Read for: The Short Story Reading Challenge, AND Russian Lit Yahoo Group
Read my review.
3. Landscape With Flatiron, by Haruki Murakami
Date Read: April 21, 2008
Rated:
Read for: The Short Story Reading Challenge, AND 21st Fiction Yahoo Group
Read my review.
4. The Kiss, by Anton Chekhov
Date Read: May 14, 2008
Rated:
Read For: The Short Story Reading Challenge, AND Russian Lit Yahoo Group
Read my review.
5. Free Radicals, by Alice Munro
Date Read: May 25, 2008
Rated:
Read For: The Short Story Reading Challenge, AND 21st Fiction Yahoo Group
Read my review.
6. Springtime on Mars, by Susan Woodring
Date Read: June 28, 2008
Rated:
Read for: The Short Story Reading Challenge
Read my review.
7. Mr. Bones, by Paul Theroux
Date read: June 28, 2008
Rated:
Read for: 21st Fiction Yahoo Group
Read my review.
8. Natalie, by Anne Enright
Date read: July 26, 2008
Rated:
Read for: 21st Fiction Yahoo Group
Read my review.
9. An Ex-Mas Feast, by Uwem Akpan
Date read: August 24, 2008
Rated:
Read for: 21st Fiction Yahoo Group
Read my review.
10. The View From Castle Rock, by Alice Munro
Date read: September 26, 2008
Rated:
Read for: The Book Place Yahoo Group
Read my review.
11.
Monday, December 31st, 2007Kate’s Short Story Reading Challenge
January 1 - December 31, 2008
Could you resist this button? Come on, be honest. You couldn’t. And neither could I…that, and I love the art of the short story.Kate at Kate’s Book Blog (and A Curious Singularity) has come up with the 2008 Short Story Challenge. And she’s made it flexible and individualized…AND she’s given it its own blog. So there you go. I’m in.
I’ve chosen option #5 - the custom option. And here is my plan:
I. Read six (6) individual short stories by authors I have not read before and which I will choose as I go along.
- Black Ice, by Cate Kennedy (finished January 21, 2008; rated 3.5/5; read my review)
- The Overcoat, by Nikolai Gogol (finished March 1, 2008; rated 4/5; read my review)
- Landscape With Flatiron, by Haruki Murakami (finished April 21, 2008; rated 4/5; read my review)
- The Kiss, by Anton Chekhov (finished May 14, 2008; rated 5/5; read my review)
- Free Radicals, by Alice Munro (finished May 25, 2008; rated 4/5; read my review)
- Mr. Bones, by Paul Theroux (finished June 28, 2008; rated 3.5/5; read my review)
- Natalie, by Anne Enright (finished July 26, 2008; rated 2.5/5; read my review)
- An Ex-Mas Feast, by Uwem Akpan (finished August 24, 2008; rated 4.5/5; read my review)
II. Read a minimum of three (3) collections chosen from these books:
- Springtime on Mars, by Susan Woodring (finished June 28, 2008; rated 5/5; read my review)
- The View From Castle Rock, by Alice Munro (finished September 26, 2008; rated 4/5; read my review)
- Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner, by William Faulkner
- The Country of Pointed Firs and Selected Short Fiction, by Sarah Orne Jewett (let it be noted that I have already read The Country of Pointed Firs and won’t re-read it, but all the other stories in this collection are up for grabs)
- Open Secrets, by Alice Munro
- Tooth and Claw, by T.C. Boyle
- A Private State, by Charlotte Bacon
- Friend of My Youth, by Alice Munro
- All Aunt Hager’s Children, by Edward P. Jones
I reserve the right to change the titles or add to them…but, I promise you I will read six (6) individual shorts, and three (3) collections!