eBook The Best American Short Stories 2007 ePub

Every year I read both "The Best American Short Stories" and "The O. Henry Prize Stories", which both attempt to accomplish the same goal: collect the top 20 short stories published in North America in a given year. The highly subjective nature of this endeavor is proven by the fact that there is very little overlap in the stories chosen for each anthology (typically only one, or perhaps two). Nevertheless, I view each collection as a great way to read the works of a variety of authors, and I always end up recommending each volume to readers seeking a sampler of well-written short stories. The 2007 Best American Short Stories volume is no different; I recommend it, although I wouldn't rank it as one of the top volumes over the past decade.

2007 guest editor Stephen King made the final selection of the twenty stories included in this volume. The guest editor in the Best American series often selects works that are within that editor's style or genre. Hence you might expect this volume to contain twenty horror stories, but instead, Stephen King does an admirable job of selecting a wide variety of different stories. As his introduction demonstrates, King has a true love of reading and short stories, and the stories selected roam far and wide from King's home turf of the horror genre. The two aspects of Stephen King's style which I felt crept into this volume are a preference for long works, and (in some of the stories, such as Richard Russo's "Horseman"), a lack of polish in the wording, perhaps indicating that the stories were written quickly or without a strong editor analyzing every word.

My favorite story in this volume, and the one that I feel combines all the elements of a great short story, namely a gripping plot with a twist at the end, interesting characters, some deep lessons about the human condition, and precise, well-chosen wording, was T.C. Boyle's "Balto". This story alone is worth the price of the book; think of the others as a bonus that you get for free. John Barth, who has been writing smartly and satirically about society and interpersonal relationships for nearly half a century, shows that he still has all his powers in "Toga Party", which not only has a great plot twist at the end, but an absolutely perfect last sentence.

Other stories that I enjoyed included: Roy Kesey's "Wait", which, although it quickly jumps into the realm of the fantastic, illustrates a very interesting microcosm for international relationships; and two stories that obviously had a lot of research put into them, to recreate eras of history: Lauren Groff's "L. DeBard and Aliette: A Love Story", and Jim Shepard's "Sans Farine". The dud of the book, I felt, is Kate Walbert's "Do Something", a forgettable anti-war tirade. The book also contains the obligatory Alice Munro selection; she obviously appeals to some (or many) people, but not so much to me, although "Dimension" is indeed one of the more interesting Munro stories that I've read over the years of reading these short story anthologies.

So, while not the best volume ever in this series, I do recommend The 2007 Best American Short Stories.

It's dangerous to be a character in this collection. If you're not committing suicide or getting murdered you're liable to have cancer or other terminal illness. Even after you're dead your body gets shifted around, which is what happens in five of the 20 stories, perhaps reflecting that Stephen King is one of the editors. Science fiction is, as usual in this series, under-represented. Bruce McAllister's "The Boy in Zaquitos" is the only one from a science fiction magazine. None of the talents is completely new. I own books by seven of the contributors (Auchinloss, Barth, Beattie, T whatsisname Boyle, Mary Gordon, Alice Munro and Richard Russo).
Two of the stories (Russo's "Balto" and Kyle's "Allegiance") are about children caught in the tension between warring parents. Perhaps you could include Munro's "Dimension" in that category; it's the grisly ultimate in using the kids as a weapon in a marital dispute. There was very little humor, except perhaps for satirical overtones in Auchinloss's "Pa's Darling," Barth's "Toga Party," Epstein's "My Brother Eli"and Karen Russel's brilliantly original "St.Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, " and the oysterism of "The Bris."

Lacking

Not impressed, who said good short stories needed to be boring. Stephen King did something he has never done before, disappointed me. Most of the stories, were great just before bedtime, as they put you right to sleep. Getting sleeping thinking about it.

Good selection of recent short stories with lots of new writers. Great for teaching or book groups.

While not all stories will please everyone, the 2007 edition has some strong stories. Here is a brief breakdown of some highlights:

1. T.C. Boyle "Balto": A teenage girl must choose between speaking the truth and defending her alcoholic emotionally-arrested father in a tale that recalls Faulkner's "Barn Burning."

2. Joseph Epstein "My Brother Eli": Epstein poses the question does the artist enjoy higher privileges than the rest of us in a story that must be about Saul Bellow.

3. Stellar Kim "Findings & Impressions" A widowed father, also a radiologist, meets a breast cancer patient who makes him confront love, death, and loss in a non-sentimental, moving portrait. The story recalls Thom Jones' "I Want to Live."

4. Aryn Kyle "Allegiance" An elementary school girl learns how desperate we all are to conform and belong to the group in a story that focuses on the social politics of grade school.

5. Alice Munro "Dimension" An abused woman can't break the bond between her and her murderer-husband in a tale of self-abnegation that reminds me of a Joyce Carol Oates essay "They All Just Went Away."

6. Karen Russell. "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves": Wolf-girls are raised by nuns and learn that price one must pay to "become civilized."

7. Richard Russo. "Horseman": A middle-aged lit professor is revealed as a fraud and a cipher with nothing to show for her scholarship other than her blind ambition.

The Best American Short Stories 2007 (The Best American Series)
Have read this collection since it first appeared in print (and as a
paperback). This volume is not at all disapointing!!! A great selection, indeed.
As an old (very old) reader , whose favorite is the short story as a genre, these are most probably the best. Even if i have read some of them before, I am always ebcouraged anew. The American short story is very much alive, It is getting better. It is getting more modern, in the spirit of time, or as some want it, more "with it". Thanks and kudos to the editor and his readers.

Over the years, we have given each edition of this book to our daughter who is a teacher. She remarked that this edition is the best one of all. I then purchased it for my husband who is very positive in his comments regarding the book. Both claim that Stephen King shines as the editor.