When I was younger, short stories were mostly confined to fairy tales. A little older, I loved everything written by Roald Dahl, including his short stories for young readers in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More and later, those for adults in The Roald Dahl Omnibus.
Such high quality exposure to the art of the short story left me thinking that creating a rich plot in a mere few pages was simple. I now realize it was the naivete of youth and lack of experience reading works by different authors that made me think this way.
It was when I read Unaccustomed Earth, (which I highly recommend) by Jhumpa Lahiri, a few years ago, that I had renewed appreciation for the talent required to write an excellent short story. In just a few pages, the author needs to pull in the reader and make them care about characters, set a scene, and immerse them in a plot. Not as easy as it seems.
Which leads me to two books I’ve read this month. Like Unaccustomed Earth, which took place in India, Everything Inside is full of culturally-rich short stories. Author Edwidge Danticat (who was recently honored with a prestigious lifetime achievement award) takes us to the fascinating country of Haiti.
What I loved about this collection was the way it reminded me that, yes, cultures have their differences, but people are essentially the same no matter where they live or where they come from. We deal with victories and challenges, love and learn, and we all have choices in how we live and interact with others. Many of our external hardships stem from our cultures but, at our core, we all want health, happiness, and peace. I’m so glad to have found this author. 9/10 Stars
My online book group has several little challenges for Pride Month, one of which is to read a book with all of the colors of the rainbow on the cover. I came across Scattered Showers, by Rainbow Rowell (do I get double points?) and I was so impressed by these nine stories. Most are contemporary, one is a modern fairy tale, and the final one (my favorite) could be considered fantasy.
The three I loved the best were: Winter Songs for Summer, The Prince and the Troll, and In Waiting. I LOVED In Waiting! It tells of a purgatory-like place where book characters wait to be used. Walking around in different states of completion, they are all either in development or abandoned. Two characters make a special connection, knowing that their time together is limited. I wish this story could be a full-length book! It is one of the most creative pieces I’ve ever read. 9/10 Stars
There are so many wonderful short stories to be discovered! I hope this post will inspire you to seek them out.
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