The Best American Short Stories 2002 (The Best American Series (TM))

Rating:
Summary: There's no acccounting for taste
Review: Every year I buy a copy of "The Best American Short Stories". Some years I like the stories; some years I don't. I loved the collection selected by Amy Tan (1999). I thoroughly enjoy Garrison Keillor's writing - but his taste in short stories is like a dose of castor oil for me (1998). Sue Miller's choices are even more... medicinal. Some years I win; some years I lose... in fact, if it were possible, I wouldn't give this year's edition 1 star. Out of 20 stories, not one caught my imagination; not one held my attention. I wouldn't have even wasted the paper and ink to publish this collection. I'm sure Ms. Miller can give a very erudite defense of her choices, but I can't. But then there's no accounting for taste... and that's what this all come down to. Sue Miller likes stuff that I don't. Big deal, I suppose.

Rating:
Summary: Worth it!
Review: Only a few of the stories here evoke tears, laughter or breath-holding, but still worth the price. Several previous reviewers were critical because 9 stories were from THE NEW YORKER. (The same thing happened in 1992.) Cream rises to the top. Enough said!

I found great variations in locales, time periods, voice, texture, as well as responses of the characters to their circumstances. In her introduction, editor Miller fashions loose categories: the immigrant experience, deals gone awry, dog stories, etc. I could just as easily name groups such as: illicit love, children's voices, academia, morality, etc. So, it is all so very personal! Thank goodness!

Miller praised Richard Ford's "Puppy" due to its "meandering" style, which is exactly what turned me off. If an author wants to ask (and not answer) giant philosophical questions, he should write a novel or maybe an essay. But the Short Story depends on and is driven by an economy of words, and this piece was a failure in that respect.

Alice Munro's "Family Furnishings" was easy to read, engrossing and it glided along without a single bump. It was a satisfying and complex, but not ponderous, a richly woven tapestry of family conflict, snobbery, secrets, growth, shifting alliances and revelations. Munro clearly respects her readers by not being too obvious and not withholding too much.

"Heifer" begins in Finland, telling us of Aina, a teen girl with a fantasized love for Uwe, who sails to Canada to establish a farm. The incredibly strong-willed Aina later follows but only finds misery and a dolt of a husband. She takes her fate into her own hands. Cool stuff!

At first I was disappointed in "Digging" for it's seeming lack of character development, but then I came to realize that character development can be done ancesterorally as well as in the traditionsl way. Excellent writing and technique.

To me, most stories written from a child's perspective fail because the voice of origin seems so phony. Not so in "Red Ant House," where the child's voice is as clear and true as a ringing bell. But untruth and the usual phoniness prevailed in "Billy Goats." Too bad.

"Watermelon Days" tells us of Doreen, a Philadelphia flapper who winds up in South Dakota where she meets an insipid radio announcer. With nothing more on the horizon Doreen marries him and has a child, Edna. We learn that Doreen has neither talent nor desire for motherhood and seems almost sociopathic in her selfishness, irresponsibility and disdain for her husband. (She reminded me of Mildred in OF HUMAN BONDAGE - a user, a taker.) Perhaps Doreen's behavior originates in her disordered and deceitful childhood (and maybe that's the point). If you like nihilistic and depressing stories, this one is for you!

Those are the highlights (in my opinion). Happy reading!

Rating:
Summary: a wonderful collection
Review: The Best American Short Stories 2002 is a wonderful collection, and a great introduction to some of america's finest new authors. I especially liked the first story, entitled Along the Fontage Road -a compelling story from a father's point of veiw about raising his son in today's world. I would recomend this book to just about anyone who enjoys reading.