Category Archives: Ending

Characterization in Sharon Solwitz’s “Alive”

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

Detail in Mike Meginnis’ “Navigators”

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

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”

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