McSweeney's Issue 18

McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern #18

by Dave Eggers (Editor)

Even beyond Edmund White's youthful hustler, Joyce Carol Oates's fatherly killer, and Roddy Doyle's Rwandan refugee, Issue 18 will not stay at home.
Bears, clouds, assassinations, and demons lurk in a high-concept labyrinth of stories.

And for those who have decided that the written word is simply too static a medium for their active lifestyle, we'll be inserting the first issue of a new DVD magazine, called Wholphin, which includes films by Spike Jonze, David O. Russell, Miranda July, and the National Clean Up, Paint Up, Fix Up Bureau.

Contributing writers: Alan Ackman, Chris Adrian, Roddy Doyle, Rachel Haley Himmelhaber, Adam Levin, Joe Meno, Philipp Meyer, Yannick Murphy, Joyce Carol Oates, Daniel Orozco, Nelly Reifler, Deb Olin Unferth, Lawrence Weschler, Edmund White.
Maze specialist: Jason Shiga

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literature, Anthologies, Essays, Literary Fiction

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 15, 2005

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

[Constance Siobhán]

If you have, through some terrible oversight or tragic turn of events, never considered getting a subscription to McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, may I heartily suggest to you this very moment that it is more than a merely good idea, and that it is in fact (and not merely in verisimilitude) one of the best ideas you could ever have, -- even if you are suffering from yaws, which, rumor has it along the grapevine (as whispered in the avocado tree [as suggested amongst the flute-like staffs {staves? I did say "flute-like", after all} of the bamboo forest]), it may very well cure outright and with more efficacy than the mineral rich holy water of the Virgin of Whatsitsplace (which I think must be in Germany... so far from the tropics).

Every number of McSweeney's Q.C. is a paragon of creative, inventive, and intemperately gung-ho publishing. You will blush at the sight of it, knowing that they were as unashamed as the Whore of Babylon in their lusty publishing endeavor. You will be aroused by the tactile manifestations of their ardor. The words of those writers whose works within are without considerable flaws -- which is to say all who are published therein -- will woo you and wow you with their wisdom and winsomeness! And although it is here ascribed to the inimitable Dave Eggers, all credit is ultimately due to the Writing World's Elohim, who so love us that they commit to us -- on a quarterly basis, be now reminded -- the archetypal impressions and numinous creations of their very hearts and minds, which surely are daily kissed by the sun and succored by the pure dew of eternity (even when they are dark and disturbing).

Hie thee, I say, to McSweeney's and forthwith obtain for yourself and your literate progeny this timeless treasure! There's no need to thank me; in this effort my altruism is amply rewarded simply by your doing yourself this favor. Etc.

[Matthew Wheatley]

Some five star stories in here, though!

[Nicole]

The two standouts were Roddy Doyle's story and Edmund White's memoir.

[Deepthi]

Despite the fatiguing effect of the ever-present "we" and present tense used in most things McSweeney, I still enjoy reading the shorts. This collection, which came with the delightful Wolphin #1 (check out "The Delicious" PLEASE), is the usual assortment of eccentric and poetic prose with the occasional reference to NPR programming (it's an incestuous group, no?) in the mix.

Here's a quick rundown with my preferences:

"The Stepfather" by Chris Adrian
Sort of an adult Lemony Snicket story. Kept my attention, but didn't ultimately seem to say much, but seemed to think it did.

"Somoza's Dream" by Danial Orozco
Right off the bat, I could see endless waves of the present tense ahead, so I skipped it. Sorry! Maybe I'll come back and read it some day.

"New Boy" by Roddy Doyle
One of the standouts, no question. Roddy Doyle is such a sweetie, he's like the literary equivalent of Danny Boyle (hey, they rhyme!) in his love of human emotion and really good music. This story spans just a morning, but an epic journey for a young African student in Ireland.

"One Day This Will All Be Yours" by Philipp Meyer
Read if you feel like hating your family all over again.

"No Cry of Distress in Our Streets" by Alan Ackman
Skimmed it for the most part -- there were a lot of demons involved, but the main characters were dull, and no juicy descriptions of demons to alleviate the prose. Disappointing.

"Hot Pink" by Adam Levin
The best story in the collection, really quite brilliant. I LOVE the voice, so distinct and smart and real. I'd love to see it supplant Updike's "A & P" in intro lit anthologies and classes--fitting since Levin himself teaches. Possibly the best ending to a story ever. I can't wait to read Levin's first novel.

"My Hustlers" by Edmund White
Wow, is this for real? You know it is for many people in many guises. Fascinating and uplifting and downtrodden and utterly disturbing. Reminds me of Oscar Wilde the famously vulnerable figure, not the brilliant playwright.

"Happiness Reminders" by Rachel Haley Himmelheber
Don't like stories where the figures are all named for archetypes, not real people. I didn't really understand the point of the naming scheme in this story.

"In a Bear's Eye" by Yannick Murphy
Short, sweet, with good flow and pretty prose. I like the tight, simple arc that pulls the story together.

"Bad Habits" by Joyce Carol Oates
See "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" for a MUCH better short story by JCO about serial killers and the Midwest.

"The Railway Nurse" by Nelly Reifler
This one certainly took a turn I really wasn't expecting. Very nice, suitably creepy.

"People are Becoming Clouds" by Joe Meno
I like the metaphor here, and the patina of tired melancholy over the main character. At the end, I really did feel the connection to real people that the surreal element was trying to push--an impressive achievement.

"Deb Olin Unferth" by Deb Olin Unferth
Pointless gimmick. Skimmed it.

"We Join Spokes Together in a Wheel" by Lawrence Weschler
Got bored, gave up. Maybe it turned out good.

[Matt Lennert]

DFW!

[Clark]

This was my first McSweeney's and I thought it was a great place to start. There were some wonderful standouts like Chris Adrian's "The Stepfather" (a smartly written satire of the Bush presidency), Adam Levin's "Hot Pink", Joe Meno's "People are becoming clouds" and Joyce Carol Oates's "Bad Habits". Edmund White's "My Hustlers" was a real low point as it confused descriptions of an alternative sexual lifestyle with interesting story and Alan Ackerman's "No Cry of Distress in Our Streets" was almost completely incomprehensible. Other than those two, though, I was pretty impressed by most of the stories. An excellent collection.

[Laura]

I enjoyed most of the stories, even if few of them really entranced me. I enjoyed Oates' story; but I love her. I think I'd like to read a Roddy Doyle book, after the taste we got in his short, New Boy. I also thought that Hot Pink by Adam Levin was really cool, a touch of Burgess in the colloquial prose. The final stand out to me was Yannick Murphy... I will be looking for her novels. I love that McSweeney's mails me stuff I may never have thought to read previous to their packages. :)

[Rosey]

I really enjoyed the first story in this collection. There were a couple others here and there I could get into. Some I found utterly pointless. What are ya gonna do? You can't please everyone. Nonetheless, I've never been able to get into Joyce Carol Oates' short stories before, and I actually liked her story in here, so maybe I'll try a novel and see what all the hype is about... Overall, it is an okay collection... maybe I'm just not into stories that go essentially nowhere.

[nicole]

took me FOREVER to finish. i got stuck on adam levin's hot pink, which then wound up being my favorites. i stammered and stalled my way through the second half, eyeing my copy of the corrections (which i am holding on to for the next reading drought). i loved joe meno's story about the wife who turns into a cloud. it made me think of all the things i loved about the boy detctive fails, which i read exactly this time last year. if i didn't have so many other books on deck, i'd re-read it.

[Kiersten]

This one has some good stories in it. I particularly remember one that I think was called "Hot Pink" or something like that. It was just about some guys walking around a city, it might have been Chicago. I remember someone carrying a bag of oranges. I obviously don't remember it "particularly" well, like I said. It was a good story, whatever it was called.

[Jessica]

Although I enjoyed many of the stories in this issue, overall I did not find this crop as wonderful as other McSweeney's pieces I have read. I liked "The Stepfather" by Chris Adrien, "New Boy" by Roddy Doyle, "My Hustlers" by Edmund White, "Happiness Reminders" by Rachel Haley Himmelheber, and "People Are Becoming Clouds" by Joe Meno.

[Jesse]

The usual mix of inventive and wearisome. Though it maybe devalued Egan's "The General" as a beautifully satirical story about the later career about a third world dictator, I dug Daniel Orozco's "Somoza's Dream." Joe Meno's "People Are Becoming Clouds" seems like it'll stick, too. Others, who knows?

[Kirsten]

Happiness Reminders by Rachel Himmelheber
The rest...not so much. These issues are kind of like pop-rocks - infectious, and they're exciting the first whirl-around, but inevitably get boring when the novelty is gone. At first, I really wanted a full subscription, but I think I might satiate myself by buying occasional issues that feature writers I already know I like.

[Lynne Wright]

"And did I kiss her then? Did Nancy Christamesta close her eyes and tilt her head back, away from the moon? Did she open her mouth? Did she open it just a little, just enough so I could feel her breath on my chin before she would kiss me and then did I finally kiss her?

Fuck you."

I LOVE YOU, MCSWEENEY's!!

[D'Anne]

Every issue of McSweeney's takes me forever to get though - in a good way. This was not the best issue, I'm afraid. A handful of good stories, even more okay stories. Nothing really sucked per se, but nothing made me want to shout it from the highest hill.

[Maggie]

Great collections of short stories...this is the mcsweeney's issue that grabbed me...two stories, people are becoming clouds and deb olin unferth...first one is tender with great imagery and deb olin unferth just makes you feel good about yourself and makes me laugh...

[Izetta Autumn]

What a fantastic gathering of short stories - inventive, creative, and truly lovely writing. In a publishing world full of not so very good writing, and accented with less than innovative or interesting plots, McSweeney's Issue 18 highlights some fo the very best talent.

[Nate D]

Some really excellent short fiction here, particularly Chris Adrian's "The Stepfather", "Hot Pink", "My Hustlers", and "Bad Habits". "The Railroad Nurse" tantalized with a nice twist and loss of context, but barely did anything with its excellent setup.

[Jennifer]

Definitely one of the better McSweeney's, there were no duds in this one. Usually there are one or two stories in these collections that I will read two pages of and then skip, but I really enjoyed everything in this one.

[Sarah]

I like this issue a lot. It had some really good stuff and some really weird stuff. I think some of the weird stuff was written so the author could feel smarter than the reader. They failed, but it was still entertaining.

[Sean]

This one looks to have been on my shelf for close to five years. Really, McSweeney's used to be good. This one is terrible. They seem to select stories based on how pretentious, affected and fake the voices of the writers are. I couldn't even finish half of these.

[Dennis]

Great Publisher!!

Must Read - 1
Meaningful - 1

[Claire]

Loved loved loved "People Are Becoming Clouds" and "Hot Pink." Can't reccomend them enough. The rest were alright.

[Traci]

Purchased in my McSweeney's Having A Book Sale Extravaganza, which only served to remind me I have no time to read books. Hooray for short stories!

[Erin]

No surprise - stories run the gamut from strong to "wha-ha?".

[Lee]

Hm, done reading this...I want to make note of the highlights but I don't have the book with me; to-do later.

[Yuliya]

so far happiness reminders and my hustlers i liked the most... maybe bc both of them are about gay issues?

[Mike]

This is a great issue. I found three new authors I like plus the three or four stories I loved by authors I already knew.

[Karen Shea]

This book quietly centered around dad issues, but if it was marketed as such it would seem contrived, which it's not.

[Steve]

I'm a pretty big fan of most anything McSweeney's related but this collection of stories seemed a bit flat compared to others in the series.