The Best American Short Stories 1997

by Annie Proulx (Editor), Katrina Kenison (Series Editor), Eaton Hamilton (Contributor)

The preeminent short fiction series since 1915, The Best American Short Stories is the only annual that offers the finest works chosen by a distinguished best-selling guest editor. This year, E. Annie Proulx's selection includes dazzling stories by Tobias Wolff, Donald Hall, Cynthia Ozick, Robert Stone, Junot Diaz, and T. C. Boyle as well as an array of stunning new talent. In her introduction, Proulx writes that beyond their strength and vigor, these stories achieve "a certain intangible feel for the depth of human experience, not uncommonly expressed through a kind of dry humor." As ever, this year's volume surprises and rewards.

100 Distinguished Stories Citations, including How to Have Heart Disease (Without Really Trying), Jane Eaton Hamilton

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, American, Collections

400 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 1997

About the author

Edna Annie Proulx (Chinese:安妮 普鲁) is an American journalist and author. Her second novel, The Shipping News (1993), won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for fiction in 1994. Her short story "Brokeback Mountain" was adapted as an Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe Award-winning major motion picture released in 2005. Brokeback Mountain received massive critical acclaim and went on to be nominated for a leading eight Academy Awards, winning three of them. (However, the movie did not win Best Picture, a situation with which Proulx made public her disappointment.) She won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for her first novel, Postcards.

She has written most of her stories and books simply as Annie Proulx, but has also used the names E. Annie Proulx and E.A. Proulx.

Reviews

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

It ended on a very high note with Tim Gautreux’s funny and sad and keenly observed “Little Frogs in a Ditch,” but too many of these stories sunk under the weight of their authors’ pretensions for me to get really excited about them.

I read 2/3 of these stories way back when, in 2002, and the rest over the last couple of months. It seems like this edition’s editor, E. Annie Proulx, and I have slightly different taste.

[Lisa Barton]

This is not what I am reading. The computer suggested this one for me.
My beach read last week was "US magazine"... Anyone wanna know the name of the married man whom Jessica Simpson is currently dating? I now have all the answers. Using Shanil's rating system I would give the latest addition of US magazine a strong "1". What can I say - my literary selections are not always the most intellectually stimulating. Must be the pregnancy brain.

[Ronald Wise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of twenty-one short stories printed in North American magazines in 1996. For the first time stories printed electronically in e-magazines were also considered, though none of them were selected for this year’s collection of the best.

There were three disappointments in this anthology – ones that made me think I had missed something, as they didn’t seem like good short stories, let alone of “the best”. But that didn’t detract from the enjoyment of this volume which was otherwise packed with some good storytelling.

Eight of these stories were impressively powerful: “Under the Pitons” by Robert Stone; “Save My Child!” by Cynthia Ozick; “From Willow Temple” by Donald Hall; “Killing Babies” by T. Coraghessan Boyle; “Air Mail” by Jeffrey Eugenides; “Soon” by Pam Durban; “Search Bay” by Alyson Hagy; and “Little Frogs in a Ditch” by Tim Gautreaux.

[Mike Blyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The overall tone of collection seemed heavy and somber, with little variation. Maybe I should have read only one or two stories at a time.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My few encounters with Proulx's fiction have mostly left me cold, but as readers, we appear to be very much on the same page. Lots of winners this time around. My favorites, in rough order of preference:
Jeffrey Eugenides - "Air Mail"
Robert Stone - "Under the Pitons"
Junot Diaz - "Fiesta, 1980"
Jonathan Franzen - "Chez Lambert"
Cynthia Ozick - "Save My Child!"
Tobias Wolff - "Powder"

And some honorable mentions:
Tim Gautreaux - "Little Frogs in a Ditch"
Pam Durban - "Soon"
Lydia Davis - "St. Martin"
Ha Jin - "Saboteur"

[niceu_a · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of its wistful and melancholic mood, I was not in good spirits while reading this book. Nevertheless, I think this is a good selection of remarkable stories.

My favorites are:
Ha Jin - “Saboteur” (more Asian than American...)
Tim Gautreaux – “Little Frogs in a Ditch”
Junot Diaz - "Fiesta, 1980"
Karen E. Bender – Eternal Love”
Robert Stone - "Under the Pitons"
Michael Byers – “Shipmates Down Under”
June Spence - “Missing Women”
Cynthia Ozick – “Save My Child!”
Jeffrey Eugenides - "Air Mail"
T. Coraghessan Boyle – “Killing Babies”

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noteworthy/memorable:

Under the Pitons by Robert Stone is possibly the best short story I've ever read. Stone has said that he learned not to throw the conflict in the plot in too early or too late, but in this work he weaves it in masterfully until, like the characters, paranoia sets in and you don't know where the true threat is until it's too late. The emotion is palpable, as is the pessimistic and wry despair of the main character, whose ultimate resignation to his fate smacks of the black humor which comes of events too stark and terrible to be fathomed rationally. Whew.

Killing Babies is also a worthwhile look into a flawed character interacting with a flawed world.

Honorable mentions:

Eternal Love, 'Fiesta, 1980', Missing Women

Take-home message:

Apart from a couple gems, this year was just average.

[SmarterLilac · Rating 5 out of 5]

My all-time favorite Best American Short Stories collection. From the shocking 'Killing Babies,' the heartwrenching 'Powder,' to the etheral 'Missing Women,' these stories are masterful. This was one of the books that got me interested in short fiction again (but reading and composing) after a half decade of not caring.

[Jenneffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each of these collections is so different from the other due to the guest editor. I just discovered this, but maybe it's already known in the literary world...The 1998 edition with Garrison Keillor as editor sets a much different tone than this 1997 edited by Annie Proulx...so far I like them both

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only read Robert Stone’s UNDER THE PITONS, upon recommendation from my mom. Can understand why she liked it - just such an awful scenario with stoned, paranoid drug dealers causing their own demise in the Carribbean. But I didn’t enjoy it. ⅖.

[Chip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than average, and average is usually pretty good. TC Boyle, Leonard Michaels, Ha Jin were my favorites from this issue.

[Dave Kaatz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Robert Stone, T. C. Boyle, Tim Gatreaux, Karen Bender stories. If you like short fiction, highly recommended.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to read for pleasure while I'm studying. I love short stories. I don't have the time to commit to novels so I can pick this up when I have a little time to spare.

[Pete Iseppi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid collection of short stories. Worthwhile.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosh, I found most of these stories boring at the time, but maybe I'd like them better as an adult.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most memorable:
"Saboteur," Ha Jin
"Chez Lambert," Jonathan Franzen