McSweeney's Issue 51

McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #51

by Dave Eggers (Editor)

Issue 51 features eighteen brand-new stories so compelling that you'll read through the night and far into the next day, until your boss calls and warns you that you're on thin ice, buddy, and better get to the office right the {expletive} now―but we swear it's well worth it. There are high-stakes cock fights and incredibly ill-conceived murder plots, forays into booger-eating and wisdom from gruff old mermaids, church officials dressed as tortoises and ape urine-filled squirt guns, all under the same sumptuous hardcover roof, illustrated by Jesse Jacobs.

Plus: splendid new writing from Nadja Spiegelman, Claire Vaye Watkins, Etgar Keret, Mia McKenzie, Lawrence Weschler, Emma Hooper; a comic about one family's experience fighting the Detroit eviction machine; a photo essay that spans the length and width of the United States; an insider exclusive about censorship within the Myanmar Times by journalist RJ Vogt; and oh so much more.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

398 pages, Hardcover

Published December 12, 2017

About the author

Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is best known for his 2000 memoir, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, which became a bestseller and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Eggers is also the founder of several notable literary and philanthropic ventures, including the literary journal Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, the literacy project 826 Valencia, and the human rights nonprofit Voice of Witness. Additionally, he founded ScholarMatch, a program that connects donors with students needing funds for college tuition. His writing has appeared in numerous prestigious publications, including The New Yorker, Esquire, and The New York Times Magazine.

Reviews

[A-ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another decent issue. As normal with McSweeney's, there some good, some ok, and some bad. I accept it from them because I'm glad they take chances with what they print, even if it doesn't always work. There were actually one or two I couldn't even finish (which is rare; I usually just push through) Some highlights include:

"The Interview" (Nick Arvin) about a case of negligence gone horribly wrong.

Mia McKenzie's "Crazy" about trying to kill a "not" Golden Girl.

I liked the symbolism in Iacopo Barison's "Plus".

Etgar Keret's "Crumb Cake" had a nice use of an autistic narrator.

"The Summer Father" by Laura Adamczyk was an incredible look at how puberty puts a wedge between fathers and daughters. Simply amazing.

Michael Andreasen's "Rite of Baptism" was silly satire on religious rituals.

The award winning "Stay Brave My Hercules" by Ernie Wang was a well-deserving of its accolades. It's about a mascot at Disney World, among other things. Entertaining and touching.

[Paul Dembina · Rating 4 out of 5]

As is usual with a collection like this, it's a mixed bag. But the vast majority of the stories I liked, I have to admit to being partial to the house style of humorous stories.

[Brandon Forsyth · Rating 2 out of 5]

As 2019 started, I looked at my bedside table and was startled to discover that I had somehow accumulated four issues of McSweeney’s (2018’s entire run) waiting to be read. I usually love reading their short pieces, which always come from a diverse and intriguing collection of authors, but I had somehow fallen out of the habit of starting my day with a piece of short fiction.

I don’t know if my being out of practice is to blame, but I found this to be one of the worst collections in recent memory. Many of the stories are translated into English from another language, and some of them feel clunky. Additionally, so many of the pieces here are focused on miserable, bitter characters that the whole thing feels like one huge bummer. I’m all for some bleak fiction that gets at the heart of the human condition, but few of these depressing pieces felt like they had any real insight to me.

As always, there are at least a few stories here worth recommending: Mia McKenzie’s CRAZY and Ernie Wang’s STAY BRAVE MY HERCULES both have the sly wit I normally associate with McSweeney’s to them, and redeem an otherwise low point in the series.

[William Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually give anthologies 3 stars because the ratio of liked stories to not is about 50/50 and that's okay. But this one has a noticeably higher number of really good material.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read other literary journals before that I wasn’t super impressed with, I was pleasantly surprised by this issue of McSweeney’s. I’m a new subscriber, and while everything I read wasn’t my favorite, I feel like I found at least something to like in each of these pieces. Standouts for me were: “The Interview” (Nick Arvin), “Crazy” (Mia McKenzie), “The Summer Father” (Laura Adamczyk), “The Rite of Baptism” (Michael Andreasen), “This Everything” (Emma Hooper), and “Ordinary Circumstances” (Hadley Moore).

[derek allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just started to subscribing to McSweeney’s earlier this year ... this is the third volume I’ve read and am amazed how good they are. Like any journal not everything is a hit for me but again this quarter 2 stories blew me away: “The Interview” and “Cutting Horse”. Well worth the read and I’m sure you’d find some great stuff in here.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I’m finding that these journals go down easy. Really glad I started a subscription.

[Ostap Bender · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, a joy to read.

Highlights…

The letter to the editor from Niela Orr, on the implications of using three question marks in a row in emails or texts. Also, the one from Rajeev Balasubramanyam relating his apathy about voting in a rigged system to being forced to play rugby in school growing up.

‘The Interview’ by Nick Arvin, which has 8 young men show up for a job interview late in the day because of a scheduling mistake, and then get locked in the conference room while the secretary goes down to a bar during a snow storm to figure out what to do with them.

‘A Dispatch From Myanmar, What I Learned About Fake News in Southeast Asia’, nonfiction from RJ Vogt recounting his time working for the Myanmar Times during a period when the country shifted into a democracy. The manipulation of the press and oppression/fear-mongering of a minority group have such strong parallels to other political situations, including our own, and the line “I realized then that the truth doesn’t depend on who runs a country; it depends on who runs a country’s newspaper” was brilliant. My favorite piece from this edition.

‘Vanishing Point, a Mobius Atlas’, by Merrill Feitell, about wanderlust, coping with a dying father suffering from dementia, and demons in the family closet.

‘Cutting Horse’, by Latoya Watkins, about an African-American marriage in decline because of the difference in the husband and wife’s backgrounds and affluence. Fantastic voice in this one, and it speaks to how difficult it is to assimilate in a culture with racist elements.

‘Eviction, A Story From Detroit’, by Jeffrey Wilson and Armin Ozdic, a graphic short story about a couple losing the home that had been in his family for 65 years.

‘Stay Brave My Hercules’, by Ernie Wang, about a man who dispenses life advice dressed up as Hercules in Disneyland, while dealing with his own drama, his older partner being diagnosed with cancer.

There were a couple of clunkers, but they are the minority, and shall remain nameless.

[Daniel Palevski · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first experience with an issue of McSweeney's, although I'm well aware of their reputation for publishing great fiction based on all of the appearances of theirs I've seen listed in other books, publications and collections.

So many gems in here, but I'll touch on a few of my faves:

- the letter by Lawrence Weschler was great. Maybe I've been out of the loop, but I haven't read any great accounts of the recent solar eclipse experienced across our nation and this was a great one.

- 'Crazy' by Mia Mackenzie was a great read, definitely my favorite in the bunch. A good short story to me feels conversational to the point that you feel like you're really in the head of the narrator. This one did that best for me.

- the non-fiction piece 'A Dispatch From Myanmar' was a great first-hand account on the politics and reality in Myanmar over the past few years by RJ Vogt.

- 'Canibal the Real Deal' is worth mentioning because of the great payoff in the end. The story is a bit rocky to read, but the end is just so happy and sad at the same time it's so worth it.

The cover alone makes this such a great book to own and carry around. I didn't know any of the authers when I picked it up, but I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them in the future and I'll definitely be looking to pick up another McSweeney's down the road.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this issue of McSweeney's. Nothing in particular from this issue seemed to completely blow my mind, but I found that the majority of the work in here was high-quality. A lot of the stories in here touched a bit on the absurd/surreal while still managing to maintain some poignancy (I'm thinking of things like Nick Arvin's The Interview, Mia McKenzie's Crazy, and Nadja Spiegelman's Mermaids), which I dug. I was also impressed by Chris Dennis's This Is a Galaxy (a quintessential Detroit story, if there ever was one), Edgar Keret's Crumb Cake, and Emma Hooper's This Everything, all of which took me to worlds that I might not have otherwise traveled to.

All in all, this is a fine showing from McSweeney's.

[Jim Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent instalment of McSweeney's. I'm curious to read more from Ernie Wang, Latoya Watkins, Hadley Moore, and Xavier Navarro Aquino, who had some of the strongest pieces of fiction in this book, and who are all new to me. I also really enjoyed the reporting on journalism in Myanmar by RJ Vogt - it's nice to see non-fiction in McSweeney's again!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

a compact issue that covers a wide range of stories and styles. it was neat to have had the chance to read some armonia somers prior to the re-publication of her key novel, though i guess i didn't take advantage of it in time. i can't say that any particular story struck stronger than the others. the report from myanmar was really quite interesting, maybe that was my favorite piece.

[Colin Bischoff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories, but felt a bit long. I enjoyed Ernie Wang's "Stay Brave, My Hercules" and the last two stories, Hadley Moore's "Ordinary Circumstances" and Xavier Navarro Aquino's "Caníbal the Real Deal" were both pretty heartbreaking.

[Katie Stoyka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first McSweeney’s Quarterly and I’m not inclined to read others. Don’t get me wrong, there were some excellent pieces there but it was so damn depressing! I was hoping for some snarky humor but it was hard to find.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just wasn’t feeling this issue. Even the Etgar Keret felt off.

[Bonisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ordinary Circumstances by Hadley Moore is an A+++

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a solid collection. Several excellent stories.

[Caroline Wallis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting - some perfect bijou pieces and some I didn't understand at all, however well they were written.

[Gerard Van Elzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hadley Moore's story is amazing!

[judy-b. judy-b. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always something unusual in McSweeney's and this edition is a motley connection of beauty and poignancy that is slightly askew.

[Mills College Library]

Fiction M1755k 2017