Tag: Short Story Review

  • Best of 2023 – Short Story Review: “Different People” by Clare Sestanovich

    (The short story “Different People” by Clare Sestanovich appeared in the January 30th, 2023 issue of The New Yorker.)

    (SPOILERS ahead!)

    Illustration by Jillian Tamaki

    I have been trying for some time to come up with a good introduction for this piece, but I have decided that the best way to open this is to say that I really, deeply enjoyed reading “Different People” by Clare Sestanovich. So much so that I just want to start talking about it.

    This was such a smart, honest, tactile story which allowed me to meet and spend time with three characters. This was a story where I enjoyed the journey it was on, and when the conclusion of the piece arrived, I was completely satisfied with how it all tied together, and ended the way that I knew it had to. This is the type of story that inspires me to write. It’s about people living their lives, and it is so cleverly constructed that the story never feels forced, or artificially fabricated.

    The story is about Gilly and her parents, Peter and Lisa, their divorce, how all of them change because of the divorce, and how Gilly begins to see her parents as people. But, it’s also about how one should beware of what they wish for. Or, it might also be about the need for security even as the world shifts under one’s feet. Or it might be about how one has to always grow and learn. Maybe it’s about how people hide in plain sight. Maybe. Maybe not.

    This story is divided up into six sections. Each of the sections are paced well, leading to a rise in the action, and then if not ending with a small climax of the section, it concludes with a “button.” And these buttons do a wonderful double duty of enlightening us on the characters in these sections, but also foreshadow upcoming events. Yet, this foreshadowing is so slight and sly that is seamlessly exists with the flow of the story, and doesn’t reek of a plot point.

    Also, I so enjoyed the very smart choices that Sestanovich made to develop her theme. I appreciated that the narrator doesn’t dwell often in the internal thoughts of any character, and allows actions to do the telling. Even a simple choice of having the parents referred to by their first names, which never puts the reader in the frame of thinking of these two people as parents first – Peter and Lisa remain adults. Thus, the reader sees the world as Gilly does – observing these two adults and how they react to this situation. All choices made by a writer that understands the craft of storytelling.

    I have read this story three, maybe four times now; it’s like a song I like listening to on repeat.  I still find these three characters compelling, and hope the best for them, if that makes sense. It’s also nice to be surprised by a well written story.

  • Short Story Review: “Let Me Try to Make It Interesting” by Francesca Leader

    (The short story “Let Me Try to Make It Interesting” by Francesca Leader appeared on December 7th, 2023 in Milk Candy Review.)

    And then I read something that just floors me. Like, pulls at me in a way, like my breath is being evacuated from my body. That a piece of writing can use words and language in a way that plays like a delicate symphony in my mind, but at the same time has a weight, and honesty, and a brutal truth to it that just crushes me in the best possible way. In 400+ words, Francesca Leader crafted a mini triumph with “Let Me Try to Make It Interesting.”

    The piece does have a content warning, as the story deals with sexual assault. The narrator, from the beginning, believes that her story would “bore” us, so she goes on to describe the abuse in a metaphorical way. The vividness of the imagery that Leader creates does a disturbingly excellent job of incapsulating the violence, but especially the emotional toll on the narrator. I couldn’t shake the thought that the narrator felt she needed to create this imagery because of how sexual assault is not taken as seriously as it should be; that the truth still didn’t carry enough weight to it. Yet, this story does have a journey to it, a path the narrator follows, which leads to a conclusion that is neither preachy, nor cliché.

    “Let Me Try to Make It Interesting” is a very good and serious piece, crafted by the very talented Francesca Leader. This is one of the best flash pieces that I have read in a very long time, not only for the subject matter, but because Leader used the flash fiction format to its fullest. I am still taken aback that in 400+ words she created such a complete story that left an impact while also being hopeful. It’s just impressive.

    If you or anyone you know is being sexually assaulted, help is available at https://www.rainn.org and also by calling 1-800-656-4673.

    RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.

    RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country.

  • Short Story Review: “Self-Portrait in Assignments” by Max Kruger-Dull

    (The short story “Self-Portrait in Assignments” by Max Kruger-Dull appeared on November 30th, 2023 in Milk Candy Review.)

    I am a strong proponent for flash fiction to not behave like a short story. That’s not to say that a writer cannot craft a well written short story in under a thousand words which exhibits all the qualities of a traditional short story; opening, rising action, climax, conclusion, character development…etc. I hold to that flash fiction should reject the use of plot, climax, and even resolution. Flash should be its own beast that is about the expression of an idea or an emotion, wherein the narrative ends with the conclusion of the idea or emotion, but does not necessitate a resolution of the idea or emotion.

    (Academic enough for you?)

    “Self-Portrait in Assignments” by Max Kruger-Dull came across my desk last week, and I have been kicking it around in my head ever since. It’s the type of flash story that was a bit of a gut punch and made me question my approach toward this style of fiction. The piece is made up of ten short vignettes, just about all dealing with words that, in one way or another, have been assigned to the narrator. Each short piece is titled with the abbreviated name of the person who did the assigning.

    So, that’s the form of the piece.

    The way these ten vignettes play with each other creates a picture of the narrator, though not in a linear timeline, more of a sequence that exemplifies the narrators emotional standing, and ultimately, emotional growth. Though the narrator comes across as a smart person, there is also a hint of a lack of self-confidence, though a determination to keep trying also exists in the character. That determination is exemplified in the love and care that the narrator has for his daughter. Kruger-Dull smartly gives three examples of interactions with the daughter; one being before the daughter was born thus showing how her influence was already present in the narrators life. By using the rule of three, the importance of this relationship is made paramount, thus signaling the emotional conclusion of this “self-portrait.”

    All the notes are played right in this piece, which left me feeling satisfied with the journey that this piece took me on. I want to say that the narrator started in one place and finished in another, but did they? Did the narrator only acknowledge their shortcomings, and choose not to pass them on to their daughter? I first thought there wasn’t a conflict in the piece, but was there? Was the narrator fighting to accept himself in the eyes of his daughter? To be better for her, even if that means he has to fake who he is?

    See; I can’t put my finger on what it is. But what I do know is that “Self-Portrait in Assignments” is using flash fiction in a specific way to express an emotional idea that couldn’t exist an any other format.

  • Short Story Review: “According to Alice” by Sheila Heti

    (The short story “According to Alice” by Sheila Heti appeared in the November 20th, 2023 issue of The New Yorker.)

    Illustration by Janet Hansen

    At the very end of “According to Alice” by Sheila Heti, there is an addendum which states:

    This story was written in collaboration with a customizable chatbot on the Chai AI platform, which Sheila Heti started engaging in conversation early in the summer of 2022. To create the story, she asked the chatbot questions, some of them leading and others open-ended, to which its answers were never more than a sentence long. Sometimes she repeated a question to get a new answer. She removed her side of the conversation and threaded together the chatbot’s answers, at times cutting and tweaking for comprehension and flow.

    So… this is an experimental short story. I love experimental, crazy, envelope pushing, outta left field short stories that play with form, structure, tone, format, and everything else. I like people who take the rules and throw them out the window and try something new. Sometimes it works and it’s amazing; sometimes it’s a dumpster fire of awful; but most of the time it’s just okay, but I value the effort. When it comes to “According to Alice,” as an experiment, it’s pretty cool as it raises many questions about literature and writers interacting with AI; as a story – it’s not very good.

    On the Experiment Side of Things: I have several friends that are in WGA, and the AI issue was a big part of the strike, and still an issue of trepidation for them. No one knows how, or if, AI will be a helpful tool for writers. Some are looking for ways to use AI, while others want to chase it out of town. So, to see Heti engage with AI is intriguing to me. Though from the addendum, it sounds more like Heti behaved like an interviewer, editing down the responses to create the story. If that is true, does that make her an editor? Or is she more like a collage artist? (Donald Barthelme did call collage the art form of the 20th Century. Maybe it’s being extended to the 21st?) I also had to wonder what writers had been feed into Chai AI’s learning to create the prose? (Being that ChatGPT stole many authors books for its “learning.”) If other author’s books were used in Chai AI, does Heti need to share credit with them? Does Chai AI also deserve credit as the writer of this story along with Heti? Also, how much editing and rearranging was needed to create this story? I see why The New Yorker printed this story for its “AI Issue” as it raises many ethical questions, as well as makes me wonder how much can a writer use AI and still call it “their” story? In the end, what makes someone, or something a creator?

    On the Story Side of Things: Yeah, I didn’t find the story to be very compelling. Oh, it moved along at a clip, but it never felt like it was going anywhere. Before I found out that it was “written” by AI, I had this thought that the story felt like what a freshman English major would write if they were asked to create an absurdist/surrealist short story. Sure, it has some jabs at Christianity and the Patriarchy, but I could never tell if these were meant to be honest criticism, or more an attempt at making a joke. The story, not surprising, doesn’t feel like there is a heart in it. And the fact that the AI element was revealed at the end, leads me to believe that I was supposed to think a human “wrote” this, only to have it revealed that it was written in conjunction with AI. That’s kind’a gimmicky, if I’m going to be honest. And also goes back to the ethical aspect; when does the audience need to know that AI was involved with the creation of a story?

    What I am saying here is that, yes, you should read this story. I respect that Sheila Heti is the type of writer, and an artist, to tackle AI, and see if there is a way for writers to use it. That does take courage, because as far as I know, she is the first person to give something like this a try. The end result isn’t the best, but if literature is going to continue to grow and explore as an art form, then experiments like this are needed.

  • Short Story Review: “Our Time is Up” by Clare Sestanovich

    (The short story “Our Time is Up” by Clare Sestanovich appeared in the November 13th, 2023 issue of The New Yorker.)

    Illustration by James Lee Chiahan

    You know, and I’m not stepping out on a ledge here, but there should be more stories about mothers and daughters. For centuries, the literary cannon is filled with stories of fathers and sons – even a couple of religions revolve around that idea. So, when I see a story that is about mothers and daughters, like Clare Sestanovich’s “Our Time is Up,” I look forward to delving into these relationships, which sometimes can be very dramatic and enlightening.

    This story revolves around Angela, who is entering the first stages of middle age, and beginning to wonder about the decision in her life. Her yardstick of measurement is her mother, which leads to uncomfortable comparisons. Angela is relatively happily married, though her and her husband, Will, are in couple’s therapy. There are a host of issues they are addressing, such as if to have children, and Angela’s aging parents. There is a slight hint of depression in Angela, an unwillingness to move forward on some of her issues. The story takes Angela and Will to Angela’s parent’s home, which needs to be cleared out as it is becoming a hoarder’s house. They also explore, by taking a tour, of putting Angela’s parents in assisted living. Some more tangents are sprinkled in the piece, so you can see that there is a lot going on here.

    Which leads me to my chief criticism of this story; there is too much going on which doesn’t allow these details to be fleshed out. I can see that Sestanovich was trying to make the point that Angela’s life is complicated and busy, and she has trouble giving each person and issue, let alone herself, the time that they need. The way this is presented leaves some characters flat, while other situations feel rushed. Will, the husband, plays only one note in the story, with no depth or insight. The father is barely present, having only one job which is to fall thereby starting the conversation about assisted living, and then he serves no other purpose. There is the cleaning of the hording house, which seemed like it was primed for dramatic action, but is just breezed over.

    I say all of this because “Our Time is Up” doesn’t feel like a short story, but the first chapter of a novel. There are so many wonderful places that these characters could go to be fleshed out, giving them depth and authenticity. Especially Angela, who in this story, is more like a middle-aged person who just wonders why things happen to them, and never makes a decision or choice. Even the climax of the piece, a coffee mug made by her mother which breaks in Angela’s luggage, is a situation of something happen to Angela, and not Angela taking an action or making a decision.

    And I was rooting for this story. As I got closer to the end, I kept expecting a dramatic or revelatory action to take place. (I will credit Sestanovich with avoiding the cliché of someone dying, which I think is what most writers would have done.) But it doesn’t arrive. I was also expecting Angela to grow in some way, but she seems to end in the same place where she started, which left me feeling unsatisfied with the story. It’s too bad, as the writing is very good, and the quiet insights of Angela’s life are intriguing. And if there was a second chapter, then I would very much want to read that novel.