Category Archives: Short Story

Characterization in Sharon Solwitz’s “Alive”

Posted on January 13, 2014 by alex

Best American Short Stories 2012 – “Alive” by Sharon Solwitz Three years ago, a cousin I was very close to died in a car accident. Both of us were only children, born exactly a year apart, and we were the … Continue reading →

Posted in Best American Short Stories 2012, Characterization, Death, family, maturation, Sharon Solwitz, Short Story, Third-person limited | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dialogue in Jess Walter’s “Anything Helps”

Posted on January 6, 2014 by alex

Best American Short Stories 2012 – “Anything Helps” by Jess Walter Dialogue in Jess Walter’s “Anything Helps” serves to develop characters, convey important plot elements, and create tension. But I hope it isn’t too much of a stretch to use … Continue reading →

Posted in alcohol, Best American Short Stories 2012, Dialogue, Drinking, family, Humorous, Jess Walter, relationships, Short Story, Technique, Third-person limited | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Detail in Mike Meginnis’ “Navigators”

Posted on January 2, 2014 by alex

Best American Short Stories 2012 – “Navigators” by Mike Meginnis As someone who caught the tail end of the NES-generation games, this story strikes a special chord for me. Told in limited third-person narration from Joshua’s point of view, “Navigators” … Continue reading →

Posted in Best American Short Stories 2012, family, Fate, maturation, Melancholy, Mike Meginnis, relationships, Short Story, Third-person limited | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

“Your Fate Hurtles Down at You” by Jim Shepard

Posted on February 10, 2012 by alex

The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories originally published in Electric Literature I’ve watched Jim Shepard undertake a massive project of research and imagination for about a year now. When a story in 2010’s Best American Short Stories appeared as “The Netherlands … Continue reading →

Posted in Fate, First Person, Historical fiction, in medias res, Jim Shepard, Melancholy, Pen/O. Henry Prize Stories 2011, Short Story, Subtle | Leave a comment

Jennifer Egan’s “Safari”

Posted on March 28, 2011 by alex

by Jennifer Egan, The Best American Short Stories, 2010, p 63 A safari is interrupted in this well-told tale of family and fear. Rolph and Charlie are joining their father, his girlfriend, and several of his associates on a safari … Continue reading →

Posted in Best American Short Stories 2010, Ending, family, growth, Jennifer Egan, maturation, relationships, Short Story, Third-person omniscient | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Marlin Barton’s “Into Silence”

Posted on March 21, 2011 by alex

by Marlin Barton in Best American Short Stories 2010 (Originally published in The Sewanee Review) Barton captures Depression-era setting and overwhelming conflict that is as grand as it is subtle, but the execution is swallowed by soft prose and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Best American Short Stories 2010, deafness, Marlin Barton, Short Story, silence, Subtle, Third-person limited | 3 Comments

T.C. Boyle’s “When I Woke Up This Morning Everything I Had Was Gone”

Posted on March 3, 2011 by alex

by T.C. Boyle in Tooth and Claw The narrator of this story has a few things he wants to tell you. Beginning in a bar, you pretty much know how this story is going to turn out, but that’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in alcohol, Drinking, First Person, Melancholy, Short Story, T.C. Boyle, Tooth and Claw | Tagged , , | Leave a comment