The O. Henry Prize Stories 2016

by Laura Furman (Editor)

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2016 gathers twenty of the best short stories of the year, selected from thousands published in literary magazines. The winning stories range in setting from Japan at the outset of World War II to a remote cabin in the woods of Wyoming, and the characters that inhabit them range from a misanthropic survivor of an apocalyptic flood to a unicorn hidden in a suburban house. Whether fantastical or realistic, gothic or lyrical, the stories here are uniformly breathtaking. They are accompanied by the editor's introduction, essays from the eminent jurors on their favorites, observations from the winning writers on what inspired them, and an extensive resource list of magazines.

CONTENTS

"Irises," Elizabeth Genovise
"The Mongerji Letters," Geetha Iyer
"Narrator," Elizabeth Tallent
"Bonus Baby," Joe Donnelly
"Divergence," David H. Lynn
"A Simple Composition," Shruti Swamy
"Storm Windows," Charles Haverty
"Train to Harbin," Asako Serizawa
"Dismemberment," Wendell Berry
"Exit Zero," Marie-Helene Bertino
"Cigarettes," Sam Savage
"Temples," Adrienne Celt
"Safety," Lydia Fitzpatrick
"Bounty," Diane Cook
"A Single Deliberate Thing," Zebbie Watson
"The Crabapple Tree," Robert Coover
"Winter 1965," Frederic Tuten
"They Were Awake," Rebecca Evanhoe
"Slumming," Ottessa Moshfegh
"Happiness," Ron Carlson
The Jurors on Their Favorites: Molly Antopol, Peter Cameron, Lionel Shriver
The Writers on Their Work
Publications Submitted

For author interviews, photos, and more, go to www.ohenryprizestories.com

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Literary Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

Published September 6, 2016

About the author

Laura J. Furman (born 1945) is an American author best known for her role as series editor for the O. Henry Awards prize story collection. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Mirabella, Ploughshares, Southwest Review.

She has written three collections of stories (The Glass House, Watch Time Fly, and Drinking with the Cook), two novels (The Shadow Line and Tuxedo Park), and a memoir (Ordinary Paradise).

She founded American Short Fiction, which was a three-time finalist for the National Magazine Award. She is currently Professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in writing. Most recently, she has announced that she has submitted a collection of short stories to her agent, and the subsequent collection will be her first new work to follow the release of 2001's Drinking with the Cook.

Reviews

[Pooya Kiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

ترجمهٔ علی فامیان قابل قبول بود.

کتاب سه داستان داشت که به خواندن می‌ارزید:
بازیکن با پیش‌پرداخت زیاد - سیگار - یک تصمیم خاص

و یک داستان شاهکار:
قطار هاربین

راستش را بخواهید، امروز هم داستان خوب همه جای دنیا نوشته می‌شود، این غیر قابل انکار است، ولی این هم مهم است که بدانی خیلی هم جایی خبری نیست! مثل همیشه اکثریتی قریب به اتفاق از نوشته‌ها و نویسنده‌های فراموش‌شدنی داریم و اقلیتی خیلی کوچک، که توان ماندن دارند.

[Karen Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The stories in this wonderful anthology never fail to reveal the newest and best short stories being published today by writers known and unknown. A go-to for anyone interested in the form.

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I planned on averaging the star ratings that I gave all the stories individually, but this was full of so many great stories that shocked my socks off and brought me to tears that I felt discounting it for the stores I wasn’t as much of a fan of would have been unfair. It was brilliant and gorgeous.

I’ve decided from now on i’m going to review short stories individually. The ones with a star are ones I read for class.

Irises by Elizabeth Genovise- 5 stars*
Brilliant. Thought-provoking. Romantic. Very strong. Feminist. GORGEOUS prose. Unforgettable. Impactful. I don’t have enough praise about this— it was so enrapturing, heartbreaking, and real. Highly, highly recommend.

The Mongerji Letters by Geetha Iyer- DNF’ed*
Not a fan of magical realism— could not suspend my disbelief enough to enjoy this one, and I’m not a fan of the epistemological style.

Narrator by Elizabeth Tallent- 4 Stars
This was a pleasant read! Made me think, was sort of meta about a writer, but also deals with a topic I find fascination: romanticization of another person, especially someone you’ve never met before, like in this case, an author whose works the main character connects with. Just really impressive quality.

Bonus Baby by Joe Donnelly- DNF'ed
DNF’ed because it was about baseball and I think reading about sports is almost more boring than sports itself.

Divergence by David H. Lynn- 4 stars*
This book was interesting with a great writing style and details folded into the narrative, but the ending was disappointing to me. I couldn’t quite connect with the narrator’s POV and his pessimism.

A Simple Composition by Shruti Swamy- 4.5 stars
This was really enjoyable! At its roots is a story about the male gaze and the patriarchy and a woman’s place in the home, but it also weaves in messages about Indian culture. Heartwarming, but also sad. Pretty writing, as well.

Storm Windows by Charles Haverty- 5 stars*
Another favorite from this collection. The threads in this story just weave together so nicely and it’s so symbolic and meaningful, all wrapped together with GORGEOUS descriptions and very meaningful relationships between the characters. Again, highly recommend this one.

Train to Harbin by Asako Serizawa- 3 stars
TW: gore (blood, hospitals), suicide
This was interesting and thought-provoking. The writing was nice and easy to follow. It's historical fiction, which I felt was awkward to put in short format because it loses its context and it's difficult to create a full timeline in a short amount of words, but this ended up being atmospheric, yet slightly confusing. It was haunting, though.

Dismemberment by Wendell Berry- 5 stars
THIS WAS SO UNEXPECTEDLY TOUCHING! A very meaningful and fulfilling story that was very inspiring and lighthearted. It's about recovery and shedding selfishness and masculinity, and it was so lovely. The writing and the similes in this blew me away.

Exit Zero by Marie-Helene Bertino- 4 stars
This was..... the strangest thing I have ever read. I get what she means by it, and the symbolism is clear, but wow. This was just WEIRD, man.
edit: a few days after i read this story— it definitely stuck with me. i can’t stop remembering this story. it’s SO weird, but very resonating.

Cigarettes by Sam Savage- 2 Stars*
Wasn’t a massive fan of this one. It’s only 2 pages long and it’s comprised of just one paragraph, and it tells the story of a smoker. It was too brief for me, didn’t offer enough depth, and just wasn’t relatable. Everyone else in my class seemed to love it.

Temples by Adrienne Celt- 5 stars
TW: Anorexia
Gorgeous. Haunting. The split narrative between “I” and “the girl” was so well-done. The subtle connections in this. The deeper meaning. The up-front meaning. This was flawless and stitched together with flowing and descriptive writing.

Safety by Lydia Fitzpatrick- 5 stars
I’m crying as I type this. Absolutely incredible. Holy shit. Probably the best piece I have ever read about a school shooting. The way it jumps in time, the way that minor characters are referred to, the progression of the story, the quality of writing. Immaculate.

Bounty by Diana Cook- 4.5 stars
This was very different from everything I’ve been reading in here! It was a pleasant change. The narrator was refreshing and his voice read eerily like Warner, so I enjoyed it (hehe yay selfish assholes). I read the author’s note about this one in the back and she said that this story is about the struggle of having to choose between companionship and survival, and it was just gorgeous and fraught with such inner turmoil that I thought it was great. Harder to connect to, though, because it’s set in an apocalypse-type situation. But the voice of a frenzied man afraid of death was spot-on.

A Single Deliberate Thing by Zebbie Watson- 3.5 stars
This book just wants to keep me crying tonight! Wow this one struck close to home because it’s about horses and I have horses. The writing and story weren’t fantastic, but the attention to detail was stunning.

The Crabapple Tree by Robert Coover- 4 stars*
Weird, morbid, and open to interpretation, which is what I think made it work.

Winter, 1965 by Frederic Tuten- 3.5 stars
This was a nice story. It develops a really rich inner turmoil of one character, which was interesting, but really lacked a circumstance or deeper meaning to make it outstanding. Still evidence of a talented writer here.

They Were Awake by Rebecca Evanhoe- 5 Stars*
I loved this! It was so atmospheric and real to imagine, but there was almost this unfathomable depth to it that I want to reread and reread again in order to fully be able to digest it. It's genius and folded into a lighthearted story.

Slumming by Ottessa Moshfegh- DNF
I didn’t like the tone or subject of this piece. It seemed like it was shaming the lower class, and it was about drug addiction, so I skipped it.

Happiness by Ron Carlson- DNF*
This was a book about a road trip but there was so much unnecessary detail and I got bored.

I highly recommend this collection! SO many great ones.

[Jay C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been working my way through this one for a few years too. Read the last few stories this week. Favorites were Geetha Iyer’s “The Mongerji Letters” (blogged about by me at https://bibliophilica.wordpress.com/2... ) Safety by Lydia Fitzpatrick (also covered on my blog https://bibliophilica.wordpress.com/2... ) “The Crabapple Tree” by Robert Coover (also featured on my blog https://bibliophilica.wordpress.com/2...) and, the most memorable story was Asako Serizawa’s “Heart-rending “Train to Harbin” which, sadly, I never posted about on my blog. Maybe someday...

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, and minus a few duds, this is a fantastic collection of short stories. It features several of the best short stories I've ever read, including a story that manages to make baseball fascinating -- a heroic accomplishment by itself.

4.7 Stars








Rough notes and comments on my favourite selections


'Irises' by Elizabeth Genovise

- This is definitely one of the best short stories I've ever laid eyes on. The writing is top notch, the delivery gently-volleyed and insightful.

- Page 6: About discovering your true passion, and not being afraid to embrace it, gamble on it, build the fire as high as you can. Have I done this? Have you?
- Damning, powerful, touching -- such life!
- Page 8: Very romantic
- Page 9: Addiction to the possibility of loss -- the artist/rebel/vagrant/warrior (?) life
- Page 12: Loving her, loving their dream -- so beautiful

Excerpt (First Page) [Hidden to avoid spoilage]:

"I am eight weeks in the womb and my life is forfeit. It is the first week of October in Chicago; for my mother, wandering the city alone, I am not yet a daughter but rather a subtle shift in the taste and color of her world, unfurling at the edges of her consciousness as the autumn does just before it erupts into deep reds and yellows. She is meeting her lover at the train station at seven o'clock tonight and planning to follow him across the country to a commune in Oregon, where she will change her name and, if all goes well, elude her husband as well as the panic that has been rising in her since her first year of marriage."

'Narrator' - Elizabeth Tallent

- Tallented (...) writing, though hard to follow the thread at times. Witty and observant.

- A woman is in love with a famous author, or at least in love with his narrative character. He is an older, more experienced man -- it is his world, he now narrates her story after she gets sucked into his life.
- Page 39 [Quote]: "...I understood that delight, which had always seemed to belong among the harmless emotions, could in fact cut deep. It could cut you away from your old life, once you'd really felt it."
- Page 43 [Quote]: "He had his coffee shop, and when he was done working, that's where he liked to go -- at least, before me he had gone there. Time spent with me, in bed or talking, interfered with the coffee shop, and with research in the university library and his circuit of bookstores and Saturday games of pick-up basketball, but for several weeks I was unaware that he, who liked everything just so, had altered his routines for my sake."
- Page 45: Quote on the realizations and elusiveness of great sex
- Page 49: Piggy!




'Bonus Baby' -- Joe Donnelly

[Hidden because it's definitely best to go into this one blind!]

- Amazing introduction. It took me a second to realize this was about...baseball!
- Nice description of a pitcher pitching
- Nice, somewhat mythologizing look at baseball, at fictional biography and the play-by-play of an MLB game in one
- The story of a pitcher, growing up in small-town mid-west America, and his father.
- For example, pages 68-69 really highlight the PRECISION required to pitch, the TENSION, the PRESSURE, the FOCUS, the mind games and the science of baseball.
- The best baseball story I've ever read, that's for sure




'Divergence' -- David H. Lynn

- Bicycles! First paragraph -- bicycles, road versus tourer and it's a classics prof!

- Page 80: The main char has a bicycle accident due to a groundhog on his first day on the trail. A brain injury and the fragility of life arrives.
- Biking along ahead of everyone on his new, faster bike may foreshadow/reflect the ending -- where, unable to feel emotions linked to past memories (probably because of brain damage) he leaves the hospital, running away on a new 'path'.
- In the end, is the ending and indeed, the whole story a little lame? All this gravitas from a groundhog?




'A Simple Composition' -- Shruti Swamy

- A 16 year old girl sleeps with her much-older music teacher (who teaches the, new to me, 'veena'). Rape-ish, a bit unclear...

- Then, now married, she sleeps with her husband's professor/boss at a German university
- Pages 104-105: A procession of masks before her on parade, masks of delight 'like an agony' represent the Veena teacher, who was married and used her; the professor, who was brilliant but not good; and perhaps her husband, who is going crazy...
- The ending is actually similar to 'Divergence'




'Storm Windows' -- Charles Haverty

- Reflections on childhood, family, a son's relation to his father, death and regret. Words unsaid. Kind of a little tour and exposition on family.
- The normal dramas of middle-class American life
- GOOD



'Train to Harbin' -- Asako Serizawa

- Long-winded, wordy tour of a Japanese doctor at Harbin/Pinfang, performing grotesque and horrific bacteriological experiments on the Chinese around WWII.
- Fwewf! Dark and sad.



'Exit Zero' -- Marie-Helene Bertino

- A woman's father dies, and she inherits a unicorn
- The writing is a bit cliché perhaps, but it's a cute story.



'Cigarettes' -- Sam Savage
- Two pages long. Tight, packed and good enough.



'Temples' -- Adrienne Celt

- Page 178: One of a number of stories featuring recently-deceased relatives and bizarre acknowledgement of dead skin remnants.
- The story of 'Aunt' Marjorie, a Polish-American immigrant who converted to Mormonism
- Marjorie loves cake
- The narrator is possibly an autistic girl
- A charming and odd story



'Safety' -- Lydia Fitzpatrick

- A tense, gripping story where... school shooting with elementary kids in gym class and the middle-school brother of one of the kids is the shooter.



'Bounty' -- Diane Cook

- Waterworld!

- An eccentric rich person lives in his mansion on high while the world drowns around him... great! I wanted more!
- Zombie apocalypse fans may like this little ditty



'A Single Deliberate Thing' -- Zebbie Watson

- Rural teen love and horses in a dry summer



'The Crabapple Tree' -- Robert Coover

- A kind of rural legend tale of town gossip and weird, possibly supernatural folk



'Winter, 1965' -- Frederic Tuten

- A welfare caseworker and unpublished author fails to get published and makes his rounds
- An excellent 'meta' piece on a lonely, struggling writer in 1965. A very different 1965 than some had lived.
- No internet, just the thin phone lines and address labels which provide tenuous holds and chances in a warmer world for the protagonist



'They Were Awake' -- Rebecca Evanhoe

- Some ladies have a potluck and talk about their strange and disturbing dreams, exciting imaginations and bonding further in the process



'Slumming' -- Ottessa Moshfegh

- A high school English teacher has a summer home in a poor community, where she is rich by comparison...

- She 'dabbles' in local street meth and heroin while there
- She has a slumming-it lover, Clark, a local community college teacher
- Frank, uncaring, and honest
Page 276 [Quote] -- FWEWF:

""Whom do I pay?" I said to the gaggle of women sitting on the front steps. They all had the same flat, long brown hair, the same pinched eyes, bulbous mouths, and throats like frogs. Their bodies were so fat, their breasts hung and rested on their knees. They pointed to the matriarch, a huge woman sitting on a piano bench in the shade of a large oak. Her left eye was swollen shut, bruised yellow, black and blue. I gave her the money. Her hand was tiny and plump, like a doll's, fingernails painted bright red. She stuffed the bills I gave her in the pocket of her worn cotton housedress, pulled a sucker from her mouth, and smiled, showing me -- not without some hostility -- a lone bottom row of teeth rotted down to stubs, like a baby's teeth. She was probably around my age, but she looked like a woman with a hundred years of suffering behind her -- no love, no transformations, no joy, just junk food and bad television, ugly, mean-spirited men creaking in and out of stuffy rooms to take advantage of her womb and impassive heft. One of her obese offspring would soon overtake her throne, I imagined, and preside over the family's abject state of existence, the beating hearts of these young women pointlessness personified. You'd think that, sitting there, oozing slowly toward death with every breath, they'd all go out of their minds. But no -- they were too dumb for insanity. "Rich bitch," I imagined the mother to be thinking as she plunked her sucker back into her mouth. I lugged the lamp up the street, thinking of her flesh spreading around her as she lay down on her bed. What would it feel like, I wondered, to let myself go?"

'Happiness' -- Ron Carlson

- Strangely simple and pleasant. The whole story just creeps along the cusp of lame and hokey but somehow manages to simply be totally happy and positive. A father, his two grown sons, and his brother head to the old cabin to do some late-season fishing one more time. They have a wonderful time and nothing really goes wrong. I guess the conflict centres on aging and change !

[Kenny Chaffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2016

Not as strong a set of stories as last year in my opinion. Still I would recommend it certainly as a snapshot of the short story world. Here are a few comments on the stories I enjoyed.

One of the best I thought was the opening story “Irises” by Elizabeth Genovise (from Cimarron Review). It explores a mother-daughter relationship, the question of abortion and life itself. A very intriguing opening from a fetus perspective that is facing being aborted. It goes on to explore the big questions of what is important in life, love, art, family and gardening.

This is followed by “The Mongerji Letters” by Geetha Lyer (from Orion) which is an incredible fantastical story told in the form of a one-sided postal correspondence. Oceans and Polar Bears and move pour out of envelopes which also allow children and pets to enter and explore other worlds. Amazing story!

“Storm Windows” by Charles Haverty (from One Story) explores family relationships again, this time a father and son and what it means to be a man or something like that.

“Exit Zero” by Marie-Helene Bertino (from Epoch) is wild ride with a unicorn which has been left to the narrator by her estranged father.

“Temples” by Adrienne Celt (from Epoch as well) was interesting for it’s religious perspective on the temples we build of bodies and lives and death and cakes! And for a line that took me by surprise despite it’s pedestrian nature - “...as a god of light.”

The strongest story here is “Safety” by Lydia Fitzpatrick (also from One Story) which sprang from memories of school days and school shootings which have become far too common. The author says it began as the opening line - “In the gym, the children are stretching in rows.”

“Bounty” by Diane Cook (from Harper’s) is a bizarre take on a flooding world (possibly from melting of polar caps/global warming?), about haves and have-nots and the things we need most.

I disagreed with the jurors on their favorites with the exception of “Irises” the opening story. But hey, that’s okay, variety, diversity, ecology makes the world go round and you may very well disagree with my selections. It’s all good and so is this Anthology. Buy it, Read it!

[Humberto V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another incredible short story collection that I utterly enjoyed. I will talk briefly about every short story so you can get a taste of this book as a whole. But, in the end, most of the stories were strong and fascinating to read.

Irises - 4 stars: An interesting and unique form of storytelling that was brilliantly executed. We follow the story of a woman who is about to have an abortion and it's told from the fetus's pov. It was gorgeously written and thought-provoking; it had engaging discussions about art, love, and the passing of time. Haunting and unique. A bit preachy at times, but the execution was so good.

The Mongeri Letters - 2 stars: I didn't feel anything in particular about this story. It had a fairytale vibe with a hidden message that I couldn't quite figure out. The concept of traveling through envelopes was intriguing, but it wasn't engaging enough to give it a higher rating. However, the writing was clean and vivid with imagery, and that's the only thing that I'm going to take away from this.

Narrator - 4.5 stars: An introspective and well-crafted story about a writer in love. The writing was captivating and smart, it's sort of meta, which makes it more fascinating. But, at its root, is a story about an idealization of someone you admire and how, if you pursue meeting your "idol", it can backfire quickly. The writing was beautiful with multiple memorable lines that left me in awe. Probably my favorite from the whole collection tbh.

Bonus Baby - 3 stars: This one is about baseball and it was okay. Although the character describes a lot of the game that he is playing, and how passionate he is about it, it is not the central theme of the story. In a way, it's about passion for doing something that you love and how it can affect your life, in a good or bad way. Not bad but it wasn't impressive.

Divergence - 3 stars: This one follows a guy who, after an accident, wakes up from a two-week coma and his perception of reality changes radically. Honestly, the story was average; it could have taken a different turn but it ended up bland. The writing was great but the story didn't resonate with me in any way.

A Simple Composition - 3 stars: A story of a woman and her weird relationship with her piano teacher. The writing was pretty and lovely, it had a tender tone that managed to showcase serious themes without wearing it down. Sadly, not a favorite.

Storm Windows - 3.5 stars: A delicate look into the life of a family and their complicated relationship. It shed some light on masculinity and other topics as well. The writing was sheer with description and symbolism. Very good but not a story I would think about often.

Train to Harbin - 3 stars: A story about human experimentation. It is hard to read because of its gruesome descriptions of chemical testing and other cruel experiments on people. This one managed to make my stomach turn and the ending was so sad.

Dismemberment - 3.5 stars: A story about a man who loses his right hand and is coping with his loss and trying to regain control of his life. This was so good and touching, it showcased a distinctive type of grief that is rarely shown in literature: the loss of a human limb and adjusting your whole life all over again. It was thought-provoking and the metaphors and similies were top-notch.

Exit Zero - 3.5 stars: A story about a woman who recently lost her father and inherits a unicorn from his farm. This one was a light-hearted and funny look into the unexpected things that come up in your life and how to deal with them; it also shows a distant relationship between a father and daughter and how it can affect your psyche.

Cigarretes - 2.5 stars: A story about two smokers. It was too short to even have an opinion about, but it was atmospheric and kind of cinematic.

Temples - 3.5 stars: A girl tells the story of spending time with her aunt before her aunt's passing. The story is interesting, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. The narration is engaging and I appreciate the shift between the main character and "the girl". The story also covers difficult topics, such as eating disorders, which adds to its solemn tone. Overall, it's a strange read.

Safety - 4.5 stars: A story about a school shooting. This one literally put me on the edge of my seat while reading it. It was horrifying and scary. The author knew how to develop this amazing tension that kept you glued to the story. It was haunting and eerie, as well as smart and moving. This is my second favorite from the collection.

Bounty - 4.5 stars: A story with an apocalyptic setting about a man who is hiding in a house trying to survive when a new guest comes into his life and complicates things. This one was unexpectedly touching and it made me sentimental at the end. It talks about loneliness, companionship, and survival and how, when we feel in danger, must have to deal with decisions that could cost our lives. Incredible. Probably my third favorite.

A Single Deliberate Thing - 3 stars: A story about a girl who lives on a farm and her love for horses. This one was cute and it had a mellow but melancholic undertone that made it special. Lovely writing as well. (Side note: closure by taylor swift is literately the soundtrack of this story).

The Crabapple Tree - 2 stars: Not sure what this one was about, it was weird, creepy but forgettable.

Winter, 1965 - DNF: I'm not a fan of historical fiction and I found the story too long and wasn't invested in it, like at all. It was pretty atmospheric though.

They Were Awake - 3 stars: A story about a group of women having a potluck and gossiping about life. It was entertaining to read and felt very real. It was like being transported into these conversations and learning about all these women's thoughts and opinions about their dreams. I feel like there were some things sprinkled into the story but I guess I have to read it again to pick up on every single one. Really good.

Slumming - 3.5 stars: I already read this story many times before in Ottessa Moshfegh's short-story collection so I'm not gonna talk about it that much. It talks about addiction and class, and the author uses this sardonic voice that is so enrooted in her style that it is refreshing to read and digest.

Happiness - DNF: Another one that took me too long to read and dragged a lot with so many details that were not important to the story. Did not connect with the writing or the characters in the story.


Overall, a very good collection that you should check out if you're interested in getting more into short stories.

[Semra E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me through a LOT of sleepless nights and morning/ evening commutes into work. Each story is distinctly different in not only their writing style, but their subjects, tone, emotions and details. I was taken on short journey's as a fly on the wall in all of the stories, and for some I desperately wanted to cling on more, or get out of there immediately. There is no debate, these writers were cherry picked for a reason in their story-telling skills. The choice of transition in the subjects and pace/tone of the book is done with a very distinct eye. I absolutely recommend reading this book for ANYONE, but especially those who have ADD (or self prescribed ADD), which really means anyone with a short attention span that's distracted by all of the gadgets we play with & work on.

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an alright collection of short stories. There were some that were excellent and some that were horrible, and a lot in between. It took me just over two months to finish this book because there were several stories that just completely turned me off from it, and made it difficult to go back. I also thought the order of the stories was possible a bad choice - in the first have of the book, there were several stories that centered around infidelity. The second half of the book had none. That was also part of what took me so long - I hate reading about infidelity and it was hard for me to pick up the book again when so many stories had centered entirely around that. The last half of the book went much faster for me.

Irises 5 stars
This story had a very interesting perspective (that of the child, but telling the story from when it was a fetus). It could have been preachy, but wasn't. I enjoyed the story and the imagery that was presented.

The Mongerji Letters 2 stars
Too much magical realism for me, and a short story isn't the ideal place for that. It was very confusing. When I finished the story I still kind of felt like... okay... well... that was weird.

Narrator 1 star
I suppose the story had merit in that it tried to show that idolizing a person you have never met only sets you up for failure and unrealistic expectations, but it just fell flat for me. The main character made so many impulsive and reckless decisions and didn't seem to understand herself or have any semblance of an idea of what she wanted. It was wildly irritating.

Bonus Baby 4 stars
An interesting read. I enjoyed it, even though I don't particularly enjoy sports.

Divergence 3 stars
Eh, it was fine.

A Simple Composition 1 stars
Again, I hated the main character. She had no idea what she wanted and made stupid and reckless decisions over and over again because of that.

Storm Windows 3 stars
It was fine.

Train to Harbin 5 stars
This story was so haunting. The author withheld the critical information until it was almost too late. As the reader, I began to suspect the worst and was horrified to find out I was right. I was even more horrified when I did follow up research and found out that the events depicting in this short story were true. It has continued to come back to me in the weeks since I read it. I think it takes great talent to provide so much historical information in such a haunting and morbidly fascinating way.

Dismemberment 3 stars
It was fine.

Exit Zero 4 stars
I'm not entirely sure I liked this story, per se, but I think it did the magical realism well. It explained just enough to not leave me entirely confused (I'm looking at you, Mongerji Letters).

Cigarettes 5 stars
Excellent very short story. Good characterization and use of atmosphere.

Temples 3 stars
HERE IS THE THING. This story is about a Mormon woman. The author obviously did a great deal of research about Mormons, but I'm not sure they actually sat down and talked to one. There were just a few inconsistencies that immediately made the story inauthentic. For example, Mormons do not go worship with their congregation on Sundays in the temple. They have separate church buildings for that. Mormons also take the Sabbath fairly seriously, so a devout Mormon woman would not go purchase a cake every Sunday. A less devout Mormon wouldn't have a problem with it, but the author tried to paint the aunt as a very religious Mormon woman. The whole story rang false to me because of these fallacies.

Safety 5 stars
It was a very difficult read because of the subject matter, but it was masterfully done.

Bounty 4 stars
It was weird, but it was compelling. I didn't like the main character, but the choices they made made sense to me because I understood their ultimate goal.

A Single Deliberate Thing 3 stars
It was fine.

The Crabapple Tree 5 stars
Probably my favorite of the anthology. So delightfully weird and creepy.

Winter, 1965 3 stars
It was fine.

Slumming 4 stars
Well, the main character sucked, but that's the point, I think. She thinks she so much better than the people around her, but they are helpful and kind where she is a bitter old woman who refused to help those who are hurt and just likes to get high. So. There's that, I guess. The author did a good job of writing into such a clueless and selfish psyche.

Happiness 3 stars
I expected a little more from Ron Carlson. But it was fine.

[Books Beyond The Story · Rating 5 out of 5]

overall 4* but for this story it's 5*
I am rather excited for this next short story review. I bought this book in January when I went to New York and I have waited for the right moment to start reviewing the stories! ‘The O.Henry Prize Stories 2016′. There are 22 (or more if you count the extra bits and pieces) short stories but for this review, I have chosen the very first story in the book. ‘Irises’ by Elizabeth Genovise is a captivating read with an unusual take on a ‘love story’. The story is told by the unborn foetus still in the womb. It follows the story of her mother and her lover fleeing from their former life to new pastures. But, will they decide to keep the unborn child? It was unusual as although the story was so short, the characters were so imaginative I felt like I had read a full-length novel rather than just 12 pages.
Guessing her impending fate, the foetus tells the story from a ‘birds-eye’ view. They see her mother, her hopes, dreams, pain and reasons for leaving her husband. They describe Joaquin, not as a knight in shining armour, but the yin to the mothers yang. The music to the dance. The man she fell in love with… The fetus tells the story of how they met, how they came to be, which is incredibly romantic. The poetic way in which the story is told makes it so outstanding. An innovative and interesting take on narrating a story. Definitely not ‘sickly-sweet’ at all.
I don’t want to spoil the end so like my other short story reviews, it will be a bit shorter. Brilliant if you only have a few mins to take a look! Equally, this is also what is a bonus about this story. It’s short but a ‘deep thinker’. I like books which make you surpass a level of thought into a more meaningful place. I did a little research on bits and bobs on the title of the book which led me to the goddess Iris. The title becomes clearer at the end of the novel but I did find it interesting to look up some symbolism… ‘communication’, ‘the messenger’, and ‘defined by their role in life’ are themes which the fetus represents. There were lots of myths and legends about irises which also peaked my curiosity.
I could be reading more into this than there is but I feel as if this short story, as a plot and a way of writing, is truly remarkable. Praise for the author, I was really surprised that such a short story could be so thought-provoking. The style of writing is effortlessly beautiful; poetic, graceful and elegant. There are so many themes and relationships in the story and I could spend hours analysing them but it may spoil the plot so I won’t! 😉 So much drama and emotion expressed in only 12 short pages… amazing.
I would recommend to anyone who loves reading short stories, wants to explore more deeper symbols in books and loves the themes of love, loss and tragedy.
Hope you enjoyed this review! Happy reading! Lx

[Noah Alvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection was alright. Some stories were brilliant and some were horrible. Most of them were just ok. Something common I noticed in this collection; I felt like a lot of them just took too long to get into, or I was waiting for the story to take off and when I finished it I was left stranded. I really don’t understand how some of these stories were considered the best of the year.

Irises - I would’ve liked this story better if it didn’t read like a reflection and if I didn’t know the mother’s plan from the start. Felt like it relied too much on metaphors.

The Mongjeri Letters - A really cool and interesting story that had me hooked.

Narrator - How did this story get selected? No action or dialogue to get the reader engaged. Feels like an unorganized stream of thoughts. Prose is sporadic and confusing.

Bonus Baby - Not a fan of baseball but I thought this was a great piece. Really solid and straightforward writing.

Divergence - I like the author’s description and the dark (almost humorous) vibe of the story.

Storm Windows - A little tough for me to say what exactly the message is here but a great read. One of the stronger stories in the collection.

Train to Harbin - The form of this story and the scholastic tone of the author don’t mix well. Says “You see,” too many times. This reads more like a history paper.

Dismemberment - Wendell Berry for the win. This kind of prose reminds me of a modern day DH Lawrence. Great story.

Exit Zero - My favorite story. Perfect amount of exposition. Quirky and entertaining. Just great writing.

Cigarettes - Decent.

Temples - Well written but not a great story for me.

Safety - Good narration but very melodramatic.

Bounty - Usually not a fan of sci-fi but I enjoyed this one. No info dump to slow you down and a great paced story.

A Single Deliberate Thing - Just bland.

The Crabapple Tree - Cool dark humor vibe here but kind of a bland story.

Winter, 1965 - Liked the noir of this story at first but it felt like that’s all the author was trying to do. Cool story about the everyday life of an unpublished author. Decent but not great.

They Were Awake - Good story. Not great.

Slumming - This story felt like a novel that the author tried to cram down into a short story. Would have worked great as the former but too long wasted talking about a character that’s kind of irrelevant. Too long to get into.

Happiness - Disappointing. Felt like all this story did was talk about what they ate and how much coffee they drank. There is a good story deep under the surface but the author failed to reach it and wasted time.

[Carlos Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a hot minute since the last time I read an anthology. This one, for some reason, spoke to me. Some of the stories were absolutely splendid. Others were just OK. A few were "meh." And a select few soared. My favorite of the bunch was "Irises" by Elizabeth Genovise. That story sang. I also thoroughly enjoyed "Bonus Baby" by Joe Donnelly. "Exit Zero," by Marie-Helene Bertino, is fantastical and funny. "Safety," by Lydia Fitzpatrick, is sweet and scary. "Winter, 1965," "Slumming," and "Happiness" are massive homeruns. Those mesmerizing stories were written by Frederic Tuten, Ottessa Moshfegh and Ron Carlson, respectively. This was a good collection of stories, proving that the art form of short fiction is alive and well. That is all.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! Now I can't say I liked every story for there were two I didn't like at all. But there were so many stories that I loved. One is the first story in the book "Iris." It's such a good story, with interesting characters, and a great plot. Check it out, and find out which stories you enjoy most.

[Stephen Dorneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little heavy on the surreal/magic realism, but otherwise another solid edition of this perennial favorite. Although I don't agree with the judges on what the three best stories in this collection were (really, yet another story about a writer?), I'm certain any lover of short stories will find plenty to enjoy here.

[Cybercrone · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, stories have to be about something.

These, as with most of the prize winners of any literary prize, seem to be lovely writing going nowhere. No point to the stories at all.

Obviously some people like that. It's not for me.

I'll try to remember that before I choose books.

[Jeremiah Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hit and miss.

[In · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collections of short stories are always a great adventure especially when traveling. I love O'Henry prize collections.

[David Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great collection. A few gems in these pages for sure.

[Kristine Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are losing patience with the book, skip to the last story and read it. It is stunning, first for its breathtaking descriptions and then... well, no spoiler here. Go read it.

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful variety of stories and introduced writers new to me.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5. Love short fiction.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always great. This was a particularly good year.

[Abra Catabra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stories in this collection are better than others. Range from two or three stars to four.

[Cecilia Lo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exquisite selection of poignant, sublime short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Dorian Thornley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love the O. Henry collections. But the 2016 edition didn’t do it for me.

[Heba Rahman · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Mr.Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Irises," Elizabeth Genovise - 5/5
"The Mongerji Letters," Geetha Iyer - 3/5
"Narrator," Elizabeth Tallent - 4/5
"Bonus Baby," Joe Donnelly - 3/5
"Divergence," David H. Lynn - 5/5
"A Simple Composition," Shruti Swamy - 2/5
"Storm Windows," Charles Haverty - 2/5
"Train to Harbin," Asako Serizawa - 4/5
"Dismemberment," Wendell Berry - 2/5
"Exit Zero," Marie-Helene Bertino - 2/5
"Cigarettes," Sam Savage - 3/5
"Temples," Adrienne Celt - 1/5
"Safety," Lydia Fitzpatrick - 5/5
"Bounty," Diane Cook - 4/5
"A Single Deliberate Thing," Zebbie Watson 2/5
"The Crabapple Tree," Robert Coover 3/5
"Winter 1965," Frederic Tuten 4/5
"They Were Awake," Rebecca Evanhoe 3/5
"Slumming," Ottessa Moshfegh 2/5
"Happiness," Ron Carlson 2/5

[Alberteinsteinmaloney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spectacular collection of short fiction. My significant other gave me a copy of this book for my birthday with the idea that we could read and discuss each story - one at a time. Of course, once I picked the collection up, I could not put it down so I've read the whole book and he's halfway through one story. I remember doing the same thing in English Lit classes in high school. I'd read the whole book of stories the night of the first reading assignment. This collection had the same wide ranging glee for me. Each story, some more successfully than others, was a unique adventure and the collection as a whole showcased such immense talent!

I particularly loved Happiness (Ron Carlson), which was the ultimate enjoyment of the simple pleasures, experienced through the senses; Exit Zero (Marie-Helene Bertino), which was particularly emotional for me in light of my mom's recent death ("Despite her best efforts, she has pieced together an image of her father's life: He lived on an impeccable cup-de-sac in an organized house, eating diet dinners, shaving regularly, exercising his bi and triceps with products ordered from television, and ignoring advice from doctors and zookeepers, with a drawer of old photos and a flatulent, possibly Jewish unicorn."); Slumming (Ottessa Moshfegh), which was wonderfully weird and horrifying; A Single Deliberate Thing (Zebbie Watson), tears; The Mongerji Letters (Geetha Iyer), which was spectacularly imaginative and charming and wistful without weakness; and Bonus Baby (Joe Donnelly), the only short story about baseball I have ever enjoyed (or frankly, bothered to read). I could keep going ... Safety (Lydia Fitzpatrick), and Bounty (Diane Cook) require mention -- both are haunting and extraordinary.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collection this year was phenomenal! I've read the O. Henry Prize Stories and the Best American Short Stories for many years. I first read Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain) and Junot Diaz (This is How You Lose Her) through anthologies like this. They're important breakout points for many new writers. With all the big dramas in the world - the US elections, Brexit, Syria, etc., my ability to focus on a larger work was lacking, and short stories allow me to get a taste of escape without the commitment of a bigger novel, so I was thrilled to see the Prize Stories hit the shelves in the middle of the chaos of world events. I have always enjoyed a handful of stories in these anthologies in the past. There wasn't a "bad" story in the bunch. Perhaps the bar set by first story, "Irises," by Elizabeth Genovise has something to do with that. It's been a long time since I'd read a story that grabbed my attention quite the same way. It was followed one after the other by more stellar works. Highly recommend!

[Facundo Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories I liked:
-The Mongerji Letters: A fantastic tale in epistolary format dealing with descriptions that are a bit too real...
- Divergence: A story of an accident that touches upon the question of whether anything remains constant in the continuum of awareness that is our life.
- Safety: What I liked about this one is that it deals with a current issue in America: school shootings.
- Bounty: I don't think the author intended it this way, but I read it as an ecological dystopia.
-Train to Harbin: A harrowing historical tale of human experimentation during WWII.
-Storm Windows: This was my favourite one. It's a story about loss in stages and a series of ''rehearsals'' to preemptively come to terms with it.

Stylistically, I liked the taut prose of ''Irises''and the more ornate one of ''A Single Deliberate Thing'' best.