With only a few hours
remaining in 2015, I thought it was high time to comment on what folks in the reviewing
world thought were the best short story collections of the year. I surveyed all the major print outlets that
list their "notable" or "best" or "favorite"
books of the year and singled out the short story collections that made those
lists. Here are the results of my survey
with some desultory comments on the choices.
Adam Johnson, Fortune
Smiles (National Book Award winner)
I read this one and reviewed it for Magill's Literary Annual, and therefore cannot comment on it here for
copyright reasons. Johnson, said he was surprised when it won the National Book
Award. I am surprised also, for I found it
mostly playing around with eliciting sympathy for unlikeable characters, rather
than truly exploring the complexities of character.
New York Times
National Public Radio
Washington Post
Lucia Berlin, A Manual
for Cleaning Women
I reviewed this one for Magill's
also and thus cannot go into any detail about it. But I did find it good, honest writing,
although it was more memoir than short fiction.
New York Times
Washington Post
Edith Pearlman, Honeydew
I am sorry to say that I was disappointed with this book,
after falling in love with her earlier collection Binocular Vision. I am not sure what happened here, but like her
work so much I plan to read it again and comment more on it later.
New York Times
Washington Post
Los Angeles Times
San Francisco
Chronicle
Joy Williams, The
Visiting Privilege: New and Selected Stories
No question that this
was my favorite of the year. I have not
read all the "new" stories yet, but have commented on many of the
earlier stories elsewhere on this blog.
New York Times
National Public Radio
Washington Post
San Francisco
Chronicle
Thomas McQuane, Crow Fair
I really do not understand how PW could term this the
"best" short story collection of the year. I reviewed it for Magills and found it superficial, cynical macho play-acting.
Publisher's Weekly
(who called it the best short story collection of the year
San Francisco Chronicle
Clarice Lispector, The
Complete Stories
I have written about Lispector in other places and have
always liked her work.
New York Times
San Francisco Chronicle
Colum McCann, Thirteen
Ways of Looking
Sorry to say I have not read this one yet, but hope to get
to in soon.
New York Times
National Public Radio
Charles Baxter, Something
I Want You to Do
This is Baxter's Vices and Virtues experiment. I have commented on two of the stories
earlier on this blog. I have always liked Baxter, but not sure about this collection.
Washington Post
San Francisco Chronicle
Ann Beattie, The State
We're In: Main Stories
I just ordered this book and will review it for Magill's. I will let you know later, but
am not expecting much.
Washington Post
San Francisco
Chronicle
Other collections that got at least one mention:
Steven Millhauser, Voices
in the Night (A favorite; see earlier comments on two stories)
Edna O'Brien: The Love
Object: Selected Stories (See earlier comments on O'Brien on this blog)
Kirstin Valdez Quade, Night
at the Fiestas (I posted comments on
two of her stories earlier)
I have not read the following, but hope to get to some of
them.
Padgett Powell, Cries
for Help
Anthony Marra, The
Tsar of Love and Techno
Alejandro Zamba, My
Documents
Kelly Link, Get in
Trouble
Elizabeth Tallent, Mendocino
Fire
Curious that a collection that was shortlisted for the
National Book Award, but not on any of the "best" lists is Karen Bender's
Refund. I reviewed it for Magill's and found it predictable and clichéd.
