The O. Henry Prize Stories 2018

by Laura Furman (Editor)

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2018 contains twenty prize-winning stories chosen from thousands published in literary magazines over the previous year. The winning stories come from a mix of established writers and emerging voices, and are uniformly breathtaking. They are accompanied by essays from the eminent jurors on their favorites, observations from the winning writers on what inspired their stories, and an extensive resource list of magazines that publish short fiction.

The Tomb of Wrestling, Jo Ann Beard, Tin House
Counterblast, Marjorie Celona, The Southern Review
Nayla, Youmna Chlala, Prairie Schooner
Lucky Dragon, Viet Dinh, Ploughshares
Stop 'n' Go, Michael Parker, New England Review
Past Perfect Continuous, Dounia Choukri, Chicago Quarterly Review
Inversion of Marcia, Thomas Bolt, n+1
Nights in Logar, Jamil Jan Kochai, A Public Space
How We Eat, Mark Jude Poirier, Epoch
Deaf and Blind, Lara Vapnyar, The New Yorker
Why Were They Throwing Bricks?, Jenny Zhang, n+1
An Amount of Discretion, Lauren Alwan, The Southern Review
Queen Elizabeth, Brad Felver, One Story
The Stamp Collector, Dave King, Fence
More or Less Like a Man, Michael Powers, The Threepenny Review
The Earth, Thy Great Exchequer, Ready Lies, Jo Lloyd, Zoetrope
Up Here, Tristan Hughes, Ploughshares
The Houses That Are Left Behind, Brenda Walker, The Kenyon Review
We Keep Them Anyway, Stephanie A. Vega, The Threepenny Review
Solstice, Anne Enright, The New Yorker

Prize Jury for 2018: Fiona McFarlane, Ottessa Moshfegh, Elizabeth Tallent

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Literary Fiction, Read For School

432 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2018

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

[John Barrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding collection, only two of the stories weren't hits for me, and there were many I'll return to, especially "How We Eat" and "The Inversion of Marcia."

Kudos to the editors for their keen eye.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The O. Henry Prize Stories 2018” edited by Laura Furman features 20 prize-winning stories selected from thousands that appeared in literary magazines over the past year. Winners reflect a breathtaking mix of established and new voices. This anthology also includes juror essays, feedback from winners on what inspired their stories, and a detailed list of magazines that publish short fiction. Highly recommended!

Prize Jury for 2018:  Fiona McFarlane, Ottessa Moshfegh, Elizabeth Tallent

Pub Date 04 Sep 2018

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#TheO.HenryPrizeStories2018 #NetGalley

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading collection of O'Henry stories for years. As in past years, Laura Furman is the editor. For the 2018 edition, Fiona McFarlane, Otssa Moshfegh, an Elizabeth Tallent served as jurors and each submitted an essay on their favorite story.

Two of the jurors selected 'The Tomb of Wrestling' by Jo Ann Beard as their favorite story and I found it one of the best as well. The first line of the story is "She struck her attacker in the head with a shovel a small one that she normally kept in the trunk of her car for moving things off the highway." Despite this sentence portending violence, the story is primarily about the protagonist's life and how it has evolved to the present. The reader gets to know about her marriages, her pets, and her inner life.

'Counterblast' by Marjorie Celona was selected by the third juror as her favorite. In this story, Edie is consumed by her overwhelming love for her baby despite being married to Barry, narcissistic man. Edie loves to nurse her baby and I was struck with one scene where she and her husband go to his father's funeral and the Edie is embarrassed to let her sister-in-law know she is still nursing her two year old. As the marriage dissolves, the Edie tells her Barry that she is sorry that she loves their child so intensely. Barry tells her that it feels like she is having an affair and she doesn't deny it.

'Lucky Dragon' by Viet Dinh explores the horrific impact of nuclear fall-out on the sailors of a Japanese ship. Each deals with the effects on their emotional and physical selves in a different manner.

I was impressed by 'How We Eat' by Mark Jude Poirier. Brenda is a mother to two girls and she forbids them calling her 'mom'. Brenda takes her daughters from one thrift store to another and has them go through pockets for change so they will have enough money to eat. Sadly, money isn't the only thing they find in pockets.

Other stories I enjoyed deal with the havoc wreaked by grief, and the difficult dynamics that step-families face.

The difficulty I have with the O'Henry series is that each author, as well as Ms. Furman, provide interpretations of the stories. This is in edition to the essays written by the jurors about their favorite story in the collection. I would prefer to make my own interpretations and not be led by someone else's. Every year I have the same problem. If you can leave this issue aside, this is a very good collection of short stories.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a strong edition, with some interesting stories -- though nothing that really wowed my experienced and cynical self. The selections represent a diverse array of authors, cultures, and non-American locations. A number of themes and plots seem to repeat, such as World War II fallout, old relationships remembered, and visitors with second or third degree relationships to the main character. I particularly-liked stories marked with an asterisk (11 of 20) in brief summaries below, which you shouldn't read if you like to go in blind, but which don't give away too much. There are definitely some sad stories in here, and a number dealing with death and violence-related trauma. None of the stories were bad in my opinion.

4.3 Stars










Notes and Tiny Summaries and Excerpts and Such



**1) 'The Tomb of Wrestling' -- Jo Ann Beard
- Two life histories collide, intrusively, violently (a violent and desperate encounter which could be triggering) -- while weaving in and out of time, reality, meaning, personal history, and so forth. The natural world also flits through the story, lands here and there, and complicates views on violence. Great writing. Possibly the best story in the book, and the story selected by 2 of the 3 authorial judges. A selected excerpt (13-14):

When Joan was with her first husband, they liked to get high, eat candy, and challenge each other to competitive games -- say, jumping over the sofa from a standstill, pitching dirt clods onto a tin roof, or holding afternoon-long wrestling bouts in the tableless dining room of their farmhouse. This was during a time when her husband wore patched overalls with no shirt, and Joan wore cutoffs and a famous halter top made from two bandana handkerchiefs tied together; they had a willow tree that looked like a big hula skirt, a collie dog, and a blue bong. Life was fresh and new, and they were learning everything: that dill pickles were actually small cucumbers, that oregano started out as a leaf, that going back to the land meant you should remove your top if somebody needed a hanky.

She and that husband were so perfectly matched in spirit and sensibility that they were like littermates, tripping each other, rolling around, hopping on each other's backs, getting rug burns. Sometimes, depending on the quality and quantity of the dope, they forgot themselves during their wrestling matches -- Joan yanking on vulnerable areas and scratching, him clamping her head under his arm, poking a finger up her nostrils. Then they struggled in earnest, tugging and swearing, worrying the dog, until finally Joan's husband got fed up and pinned her. Just like that. Pressed to the floor and straddled, her wrists manacled in one of his hands.

It was always shocking, that utter helplessness, as though she were one of her own childhood dolls being laid to rest after a session of playing. When that happened, just for a moment fear would bloom inside Joan, dark and frantic, uncontainable, at the sight of her husband rising above her, foreshortened and monumental, like a tree growing out of her chest.

*2) 'Counterblast' -- Marjorie Celona
- a woman with a one year old and a handsome husband goes to Cincinnati for her father-in-law's funeral. Her future divorce is flashed to, as well as her struggles with anxiety, motherhood, and marriage. Her love for her baby girl is intense, and creates a "counterblast' of rage for all the other things" (59). Selected by 1 of the 3 judges as their favourite. 'The O. Henry Prize' series does seem to put the 'best' two stories first and second in the book, and these probably are the best two stories in my opinion as well.

*3) 'Nayla' -- Youmna Chala
- A nice story. The main character meets Nayla, her brother's new girlfriend (a young widow), and they become fast friends, spending the summer cooking and sleeping in the same bed.

*4) 'Lucky Dragon' -- Viet Dinh
- A Japanese man is exposed to the post-WWII Bikini Atoll nuclear bomb test-drop, suffering horrible skin-peeling results. He also reflects on WWII experiences, and living in shame at having surrendered in war. He gradually morphs into a dragon-lizard. A bit odd conclusion, but kind of a nod to pop culture and other things perhaps?

*5) 'Stop-N-Go' -- Parker
- Profile of an old rural farmer/WWII vet, who doesn't care where you need to be in traffic. Very short. Almost funny.

6) 'Past Perfect Continuous' -- Choukri
- About a German woman, her grandparents, parents, WWII (more WWII), and her Black Sheep aunt, around the fall of the Berlin Wall.

7) 'Inversion of Marcia' -- Bolt
- Teen girls travel to Italy with their parents and the main character's sister, Marcia, spends a lot of time with their babysitter, Alicia. A bit awkward, 'tells' too much, logic problems. LGBTQ, sexual harassment, interspersed with bits of philosophy and Roman history.

8) 'Nights in Logar' -- Kochai
- Confusing quest for a dog by a group of boys in Afghanistan, with many unknown terms. Interesting though.

*9) 'How we Eat' -- Poirier
- 1992. At-risk youth dig through thrift store clothing pockets with their horrible mom.

*10) 'Deaf and Blind' -- Vapnyar
- Russia. Fertility treatments, divorce, single motherhood, relationships, absent father, love... A semi-autobiographical story where the main character (a young girl)'s mother's friend's lover comes to visit (who is deaf and blind). Good story.

*11) 'Why Were they Throwing Bricks' -- Zhang
- A complicated story of inter-generational trauma and a manipulative but inspiring Chinese grandma, as well as the complexity and moral regrets of childhood.

12) 'An Amount of Discretion' -- Laura Alwan
- Main character is a widowed artist, second wife of a more famous artist. His only son, from a previous marriage, comes to visit (lots of visits in this book too!). Kind of a boring style, main character too. Things unsaid, paintings ungiven...

*13) 'Queen Elizabeth' -- Brad Felver
- A spoiled New England PHD student from a wealthy family falls in love with a working class mid-western man. Trauma tears them apart.Their child dies of a brain tumour, their relationship falls apart, and many years later they finally see each other again.

14) 'The Stamp Collector' -- Dave King
- The main character's ex-boyfriend has a car accident with his mom, years after the main char had won the lottery and taken him to Europe. Good, but missing something. Alcoholism, perfect moments and lost love.

15) 'More or Less Like a Man' -- Michael Powers
- Starts on a six hour flight from New York to San Francisco, and talks about the awkwardness of airplane conversation.

16) 'The Earth, thy Great Exchequer, Ready Lies' -- Jo Lloyd
- Historical fiction with a slow start, pretentious, off-putting style -- picks up steam though (ha)!

He listens. He hears Cassandra's breath, her creaking harness. The primitive croaking of a moorland bird that has never apprehended music. Water seeping from every surface, oozing and dripping and trickling, and a gurgling like the laughter of small children setting nutshells to sail and watching them bob and founder. Grasses sighing, and beetles and worms crawling among the stems and burrowing down between them. Roots pushing into the thin soil and sliding around pebbles and rocks and seams and veins, knotting them in place, hoarding them, hiding them.

*17) 'Up Here' -- Tristan Hughes
- A man (failed Author), unfamiliar with guns and forests, promises to shoot his lover's (National Park Interpreter) dog while adapting to her wild Canadian life. Great story, ending a bit awkward, uses (brackets) a lot, like me.

*18) 'The Houses that are Left Behind' -- Brenda Walker
- An Australian look at past lives lived in houses and apartments, crossover between current and former tenants, and much more. Great concept, and something I've pondered myself. A bit unfocused.

19) 'We Keep them Anyway' -- Stephanie Vega
- A woman writes letters from the dead in Paraguay. Souvenirs, material objects, the value of objects and people...

20) 'Solstice' -- Anne Enright
- A short slice of life tale of Dublin during Winter Solstice and "the first glimmerings of hope" (author). A man lost his mother earlier in the year and it will be his first Christmas without her.

...This was the part of the journey that he loved best: the streetlamps gave way to the idea of countryside, and there was a song on the radio as the road opened up ahead. The music made him feel like he could keep driving forever. It was a love song, or a sad song. It reminded him of a time in his life, some town he was in, he could not say where. The loss of that place made him unsure of this one. Or indifferent -- as though he could clip an oncoming car and it wouldn't matter. And he didn't know what he was thinking, until a truck bellied past, sucking the air from the side of the car. It gave him a fright. He checked all the mirrors and shifted in hi seat, set his hands more deliberately on the steering wheel...

[Donna Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is guaranteed to be good, and I was thrilled when I received a review copy, thanks to Net Galley and Doubleday. Those that enjoy strong fiction should buy it and read it, even if you have to pay full jacket price. This year’s edition holds 20 prize winning stories along with a bit of judging commentary at the end. This book is now for sale.

The first story in any short story collection is bound to be good, and so I knew that Joanne Beard’s Tin House would be strong, and it is, in a dark, surreal way. I wouldn’t read it at bedtime lest it enter my dreams, but it’s memorable, original, and gritty. I also enjoy Brad Felver’s Queen Elizabeth, and Past Perfect Continuous, by Dounia Choukri. My favorite of all of them, the one that made me laugh out loud, is Why Were They Throwing Bricks, by Jenny Zhang, a story that features a cagey, manipulative Chinese grandmother and the grandchildren whose lives she enters, leaves and reenters. Zhang appears to have mostly published poetry up to this point, but I hope she writes more fiction, because I want to read it.

The only aspect of any short story that I don’t enjoy is the open-ended sort that conclude with no real resolution. This screamingly frustrating inclination is minimal here, showing at the ends of a just a couple of the featured stories.

Short stories are terrific to leave, once you’ve finished them, in your guest room, because people that stay with you briefly can read a story or more without the frustration of having to either leave an incomplete novel behind or beg to borrow it, not knowing when they can return it. If you need an excuse to get this excellent collection for yourself, there it is.

Highly recommended.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best collection, and I never go into an anthology expecting to love every story. I DNF five of the stories and the remaining 15 were either outstanding or just one or two stars. This is my first O. Henry collection and my expectations exceeded the reality. My favorite story which was 10 ⭐️s (!!!) was “Queen Elizabeth” by Brad Felver. It’s awesomeness has prompted me to buy his debut collection, “The Dogs of Detroit.” Disappointed. On to a different book...

[Upasana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

A good "literary fiction" in short story form has the unique ability to bring out human emotions and desires and frailties in short quick bursts that are whole worlds of their own. This collection is full of such gems.
One of my favorite parts about the collection is the huge range of backgrounds of the writers and consequently where there stories are set. There's stories about war victims, Chinese immigrants in the USA, fortune tellers, refugees, Russian lovers , Pakistani shepherds and everything in-between.
There are a few which fail to hit the spot, but overall quite a beautiful collection.

[Bull · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the short story form, so I'm a bit prejudice about any collection. This one, in a word, is marvelous.

Now, I'm trying to decide which story is my favorite. All are worthy. They were so different from each other, too. Three are in the running.

One - The Inversion of Marcia - centers around a family vacation in Italy seen through the eyes of a keenly observant pre-teen girl. I'm an old man but was impressed by how well the author drew his narrator. At least, she seemed authentic to me.

Another - Why Were They Throwing Bricks - is a story told by a grown grandchild reflecting on her Chinese grandmother's impact on the family. The story is developed so well that what would have been a surprise at the beginning ends on an inevitably sad note. Powerful stuff.

The last - The Tomb of Wrestling - starts with "She struck her attacker in the head with a shovel, a small one that she normally kept in the truck of her car for moving things off the highway." The story was the hands-down favorite of the jurors as well. Normally, this kind of story wouldn't appeal to me. In fact, I would avoid it, but this one's structure, rhythm, and obvious central question -- asked but not answered -- is so unique.

There are a couple more that really got go me as well ... a couple torn apart by the death of a child, another one where a city-bred man promises to shoot his country-rustic girlfriend's sick old dog. That last one still has me wondering what was meant as a metaphor and what was not. Of course, all stories are metaphors, right?

I'm going to keep the book a few months before I donate it to my local library's resell shop. It deserves a second reading to absorb such wonderfully delicious writing. I'm betting that it gets even better on the second read.

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

What disappointed me most was the lack of ambition in many of the stories. Quiet, I suppose you'd call them. There were two notable exceptions for me: the Jo Lloyd gothic-like tale of the mining baron and his small party of horsemen plodding through the inhospitable Welsh (?) landscape, and the Stephanie Vega story about the psychic letter-writer in Paraguay. Maybe just a coincidence they were both set overseas, but it wasn't simple exotica that appealed, it was imagination and powerful writing.

Speaking of which, the other two top-notch stories were emotionally powerful. The poorly titled, evocative Tristan Hughes story of the man called upon to shoot his girlfriend's ageing dog, and the awesome and also poorly titled Queen Elizabeth, a love story with a clumsy first line that subsequently never missteps, painting indelible images economically and building the narrative in spirited leaps of time that had me briskly turning the page with anticipation.

Those four stories made the anthology worthwhile, but barely, given that there are some 20-odd stories in the collection. It seemed the editors place more weight upon technical writing skill and style as opposed to considering the reader's (or at least, this reader's) experience.

[Christopher Keating · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is an anthology of what the judges deem to be the best short stories of the year - 2018 in this case. If these were the best, I sure would hate to see the worst. This collection was so bad that not only do I not recommend it, but I won't be reading any other year editions. The best I can tell, the judges selected these stories because they were technically well written, which is vastly different than being a good story. In general, the stories were the former and not the latter. Many of the 'stories' weren't even really stories as much as they were narratives with no point and apparently ending when the author got tired of writing. What is really disappointing is that O. Henry specialized in whimsical, uplifting stories while most of the stories in this book were depressing, focusing on the worst parts of life. An example would be the narrative of the man who had to take his girlfriend's sick and ageing dog out into the woods to shoot it. I have a habit of always finishing a book once I start it. In this case, I couldn't wait to finish and am now relieved that I am. I can put this bad experience behind me and move on.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The O. Henry Prize Stories, 2018” edited by Laura Furman

I love reading short story collections and every so often I like to pick up an anthology to get a wide range of authors, narratives, and styles. The O. Henry Prize Stories is one of my favorite anthology series for writing in general and 2018 was a really solid year. All of the stories I found good to excellent, but “The Tomb of Wrestling,” “Counterblast,” “Lucky Dragon,” and “Queen Elizabeth” were particular standouts. I did feel like there was a lull in the middle of the collection, with most of the strongest stories at the front end, but the last 4 stories were a solid conclusion.

Overall a good read. Not the best collection ever, but still chock full of great entries.

[lonner · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are the best stories we can find? God help us.

There were two gems - “Lucky Dragon” by Viet Dinh and “How We Eat” by by Mark Jude Poirier and a few others were decent, but generally these were vapid, self-conscious, bland stories of the sort that are churned out in the academic fiction factories. Nothing ever happened in most of these stories. Random, boring characters wandering around self-obsessed with their own neuroses and obsessions. Yuck.

Edit: okay okay there is one more story and it’s hiding at the end and it’s absolutely superb. “Solstice” by Anne Enright. But mystery of mysteries, what’s it doing at the end? The O’Henry anthology is alphabetical and she should be somewhere in the middle-ish. Wait, of course, never mind. It’s Anne Enright after all. 😊

[Tory · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Tomb of Wrestling," Jo Ann Beard: 5 stars. Scarily gorgeous, perfectly wrought. First sentence: "She struck her attacker in the head with a shovel, a small one that she normally kept in the trunk of her car for moving things off the highway."

"Past Perfect Continuous," Dounia Choukri. Loved this: "'Stars are the perfect landmarks,' she said. 'They never change, but every time we look at them, we see them with different eyes. We can measure the distances we've traveled inside ourselves. Isn't that wonderful?'"

"Queen Elizabeth," Brad Felver: Overstory-esque; melancholy; beautiful. 4 stars.

Just about everything else, sadly, was unremarkable to me.

[William Mego · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the stories here are wonderful, and frankly Jo Ann Beard’s, which opens the collection, might be the best short story. You read that right: the best. Ever. It’s hard to discuss it other than to say how perfect in every way it is. I look forward to reading all of her other writing.

There are a number of other stories worth your time, ranging from excellent to very good, and as you might imagine, some others that left me very cold.

And no, I didn’t read this book in a day, despite the dates on goodreads...

[Kathy Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection contains a wide variety of stories, my personal favorites were “why were they throwing bricks” and “Queen Elizabeth”. However the first story “The tomb of Wrestling” is one that fascinated and whose images are impossible to put aside.

I consider this series — the O. Henry Prize Stories, to be one of the highest quality of short stories consistently. Well worth the time and highly recommended.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun. I had experienced many fun, exciting moments in the lifetimes set upon the pages of all these wonderful authors, I felt so good about the quality of this years entrees, well done! From being a part of a group of men looking to make a killing in the 'new world' with ores like silver and copper to being lost looking for one's car in Dublin and not having a clue where to look, I enjoyed each word of each story this year.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

High quality stories abound in this anthology. Only a couple duds for me, and several superb selections that will stick with me for some time.

Seek out these favorites:

The Tomb of Wrestling - Jo Ann Beard
Counterblast - Marjorie Celona
Stop ‘n’ Go - Michael Parker
Inversion of Marcia - Thomas Bolt (my favorite of the set)
How We Eat - Mark Jude Poirier
Queen Elizabeth - Brad Felver
Up Here - Tristan Hughes
Solstice - Anne Enright

Can’t wait for the 2019 collection.

[Kirsty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ordinarily, I love varied short story collections like this, where I have the ability to discover new authors, and read incredibly different tales. Sadly, however, I found these stories to be largely disappointing. I read the first few pages of each, and not a single one grabbed me. Not at all what I expected, if I'm honest.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong selection. Two of the three judges chose the first story as their favorite, Jo Ann Beard's "The Tomb of Wrestling," as their favorite, and it certainly was strange, stunning, and ingenious. My other favorites included:

"Inversion of Marcia" by Thomas Bolt
"Why Were They Throwing Bricks" by Jenny Zhang
"Queen Elizabeth" by Brad Felver

[Rashaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first time reading The O. Henry Prize short story collection. I had no real expectations beyond reading what I hope would be different authors from a range of different literary magazines. It was! Otherwise, some of these stories were really impactful while others weren't interesting at all.

[Jim Manis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What used to be a collection of U.S. short stories has become a collection of short stories written in English. This has happened with that other annual, Best American Short Stories. As a result, the stories are different. I find it difficult to put my finger on the change. One of sensibilities perhaps? I like the idea of it, but I'm still not sure I'm all that pleased with the delivery.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always hard to give a star rating to a book like this because there is so much variety. Some I liked more than others, but I enjoyed most of these stories. My personal favorites were Queen Elizabeth and The Stamp Collector.

[Kris Morrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good solid collection of provocative stories with different settings and themes. I especially appreciated the dedication to Gina Berriault whose short story "Stone Boy" is still one of my favorites.

[Scott Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories are consistently strong but the three standouts are the following:

The Tomb of Wrestling
Counterblast
The Earth, Thy Great Exchequer, Ready Lies

They will stand with the best short stories I have read.

[Ron Perron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Twenty short stories, twenty authors, twenty different styles and settings. None of these stories would make it into my English class. Only one author inspired me to look into further reading. Still I like changing it up and reading short prose from time to time so I didn't hate the experience.

[Melissa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The mix of stories in this collection is hard to described since they are all different. Some had me laughing, one had my bawling. I skipped one. It was a bonus to read notes from the authors and judges.

[Ethan Cramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites:
- Stop 'n' Go, Michael Parker, New England Review
- Deaf and Blind, Lara Vapnyar, The New Yorker
- Queen Elizabeth, Brad Felver, One Story
- The Earth, Thy Great Exchequer, Ready Lies, Jo Lloyd, Zoetrope

[Neal Nordstrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

several really good short stories ... the art is alive and well.

[Al Kratz · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far my favorite of this series since I’ve been reading it every year since 2013.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. These stories were very hit or miss for me. I’ve definitely liked past O’Henry collections better.