Best New American Voices 2009

Best New American Voices

by Mary Gaitskill (Editor), John Kulka (Series Editor), Natalie Danford (Series Editor)

Critically acclaimed novelist and short-story writer Mary Gaitskill continues the tradition of identifying the best young writers on the cusp of their careers in this year’s volume of Best New American Voices. Here are stories culled from hundreds of nominations submitted by writing programs such as the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Johns Hopkins and from summer conferences such as Sewanee and Bread Loaf. Joshua Ferris, Julie Orringer, Adam Johnson, William Gay, Lauren Groff, Rattawut Lapcharoensap, Maile Meloy, Amanda Davis, and John Murray are just some of the acclaimed authors whose early work has appeared in this series since its launch in 2000. Discover for yourself the dazzling variety of great fiction being produced in the top writers' workships--with a complete list of contact information included--and hear the best new American voices here first.

Genres: Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction

343 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 2008

About the author

Mary Gaitskill is an American author of essays, short stories and novels. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Esquire, The Best American Short Stories (1993 and 2006), and The O. Henry Prize Stories (1998). She married writer Peter Trachtenberg in 2001. As of 2005, she lived in New York City; Gaitskill has previously lived in Toronto, San Francisco, and Marin County, CA, as well as attending the University of Michigan where she earned her B.A. and won a Hopwood Award. Gaitskill has recounted (in her essay "Revelation") becoming a born-again Christian at age 21 but lapsing after six months.

Reviews

[Caleb Tankersley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in order to get a better understanding of what is expected/revered at MFA programs, from which all the stories in the collection are derived. Upon finishing the last page, I was struck with hope from this book, although, if you read only the ending story, you might not feel the same. Some of these stories, especially "Salvation Army" and "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice," were especially astounding. After reading these stories, I had to put the book down and just lay back and think for awhile. Brilliant work.

But, to my great surprise, the styles of these works were not too terribly far from my own, albeit perhaps a bit more refined. I was even more surprised to find some stories, namely "Little Stone, Little Pistols, Little Clash," and "The Still Point," went beyond bad and, dare I say, sucked.(apologies to the authors, who I'm sure are great writers, but maybe just not my kind.)

There were also a great number of stories that, how shall I put this, milked whatever vain or fainting wisp of a multicultural or international experience these writers had. I found this somewhat pathetic. Nam Le actually addressed this in his story, in a very frank and ashamed manner. He basically admits to the hypocrisy and exploitation of the idea, which I felt commendable. I would, perhaps, blame the editor more for this than anything else. Perhaps it's not a problem at all, and I'm only a bitter WASP. At least I get to be gay, but that's hardly story-worthy. It's been exploited to death.

Anyways, the overall quality of the collection was astounding. Even if I didn't like the story, the talent of each and every writer in this collection cannot be refuted. It's worth checking out. I hope I can make it into one of these, someday.

[Dena Afrasiabi · Rating 4 out of 5]

These sorts of collections are often a mixed bag, but I was blown away by a lot of these stories, especially "Wintering," "Salvation Army" "Look Ma, I'm breathing," "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice," and "The Still Point." As someone who writes what would be categorized as "immigrant fiction," I was especially taken with the honesty of the Nam Le story. Anyone who has been in a writing workshop (or ten) has probably heard the words "what exactly is at stake here?" to the point that it's become like nails on a chalkboard to hear someone ask that, but his story (and to some extent "Salvation Army") infuses new blood into that question and makes it meaningful by reminding you that for the people whose lives become the subjects of the immigrant stories that bore his mfa student characters so much, the stakes are not only too real but often too high. It's a poignant reminder that stories ultimately matter because the people who live and carry them matter even more, not because the writer won a bunch of fancy shmancy awards by telling them through his or her fancy shmancy prose.

Also "Little Stones, Little Pistols, Little Clash," would ordinarily be too clever for my taste, but it won me over with its weirdness and its playful mockery of the music biz. I see it as an exuberant meditation (if meditation can be exuberant) on language and its often absurd effects on the way we experience life and each other. Also I would select this line for an anthology of funniest American analogies about sex: but the way I see it, she continued, sex isn't that different from asking your waitress for more coffee and trying not to sound like an a-hole when you do it."

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really sure whether to give this collection 3 or 4 stars. The series in general is phenomenal--I always enjoy them--but there were a few stories in this collection I couldn't get into. However, I was delighted to see Lydia Peele, who writes wonderful short fictions, included in this volume, along with the amazing "Wintering" by Anastasia Kolendo. I also loved "Love for Miss Dottie" and "Little Stones, Little Pistols, Little Clash." Unusual, funny, moving narration on both. If you enjoy literary fiction, check out the series, it's well worth it.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty forgettable collection of mostly average to below average stories. "Salvation Army" was far and away the highlight of the anthology. "Statehood", "Welcome Home", and "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice" were also quite good.

[Joeji · Rating 2 out of 5]

When one sees the title "Best New American Voices" of a series of short stories from emerging authors, one would then have to next ponder what the collection of stories says about the state of "American Literature" in writing programs. I've read 2008 & 2009 and they echo each other in content and style, where most of the stories seem to be satire of confessional literature, where people give up their secrets, have painful episodes, and generally feel betrayed, lose hope, etc. etc. Most characters in these stories are pained by a death. In this way, Suzanne Rivecca's story, "Look Ma, I'm Breathing" seems to be the centerpiece, as it chronicles a young woman, with issues, who then writes about it in a confessional memoir. One is left to think, "if the major fixation of emerging authors is a different genre of literature, why did they get into the game in the first place?" Some of these stories feel like A Million Little Pieces but are shelved as fiction.

There are bright spots in this collection. "Wintering" by Anatasia Kolendo and "Statehood" by Juan Gonzalez are both wonderful stories and written in a style that is original and not polished like some of the others. "Wintering" skirts away from characters feeling sorry for themselves in a way that echoes the pained characters in a Gogol story. "Statehood" is written in second person, and done very well, a story running on interesting details, a montage of life in San Juan, of a young man's growing up. Mehdi Tavana Okasi's story, "Salvation Army" presents a young Iranian ex-pat who struggles to intone her values on her disrespectful children. The moral center of this story is genuine.

I am wondering if it's a coincidence that the stories I liked the most are from authors who were not born in America, and 2 1/2 of them don't even take place there/here. What's wrong with the Americans who were born here? Why are their stories infinitely duller? Nam Le (also born outside of the US) seems to call out this reason in "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice" when his characters talk about how hot ethnic lit is at the moment. His story of a student who has Iowa Writer's Workshop deadlines and ultimately uses his father's Vietnam War story as the centerpiece, is sometimes well pulled off and sometimes sounds like a student who had a story deadline and who wanted to be able to use his father's story without being shelved as ethnic lit. He even makes a crack about in ethnic lit you can use funny food names, and then the next story "The Fantome of Fatma" takes place in Mali(?) and then proceeds to use funny food names.

The story that stands above all others is Jacob Rubin's "Little Stones, Little Pistols, Little Clash." It is about a band that finds the perfect word to put into their songs, which sublimates their way into fame and finally downfall. The style is unique, the content is fresh, and frankly, it's the most entertaining and laugh out loud funny. Characters move about in this insane world without having to justify it. You hope that the new voices of American fiction in the writing programs can emerge with uniqueness of this quality, rather than hash over the same old same old: a story about a person who has lost someone who finds pain everywhere who lets it out in small violent ways and ultimately feels terrible and sorry for themselves and then ends it with a long paragraph or sentence followed by a short one that self-consciously stylizes.

You know what that's like. An ending like this.

[Andy Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories written my new authors, mainly culled from different university writing programs. As in any collection of different authors there are going to be a couple of stories that aren't going to appeal, but all in all the collection was great.

My favorite was "Mules" about a middle aged couple who try to smuggle medical supplies/drugs to a friend's medical clinic in an unnamed African country controlled by a military oligarchy. The suspense of the mission is broken by the husband's reflections about his thirty something son who is professionally successful but disdainful of his parent's idealism

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have only read LOOK MA, I'M BREATHING, that's what the 3 stars are for. I began with this one since the author was a Stegner Fellow, but I wasn't that impressed. Maybe I was expecting more given the Stegner fact. I did think the description of the "Look Ma, I'm Breathing" genre was funny, but the story didn't connect with me. It didn't leave a lasting impression. I hope the other stories from this year are stronger because I've encountered some really strong stories through the years of this series.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

The future of the American Short Story is not bright. In this collection of emerging writers, most fellows or in writing programs, the stories all felt heavily plotted and predictable. Definitely skip it!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only a few of these really knocked me over the head. Made me feel a bit better about the fact that I will probably never graduate from an MFA writing program...

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very enjoyable collection of short stories. Of course, it's always fun to read something written by a friend - Will Boast.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these MFA students really make me think after reading their stories... others I am just like "what!? moving on!" Oh well, I trust Mary Gaitskill to know what good writing is.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate an anthology. Some stories were stronger than others. On a whole, I'd recommend checking it out.