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Cutting Edge: New Stories of Mystery and Crime by Women Writers
Joyce Carol Oates pulls out all the stops in this chilling female-centric noir collection featuring brand-new writing from Margaret Atwood, Aimee Bender, Edwidge Danticat, and more.
Joyce Carol Oates, a queenpin of the noir genre, has brought her keen and discerning eye to the curation of an outstanding anthology of brand-new top-shelf short stories (and poems by Margaret Atwood!). While bad men are not always the victims in these tales, they get their due often enough to satisfy readers who are sick and tired of the gendered status quo, or who just want to have a little bit of fun at the expense of a crumbling patriarchal society. This stylistically diverse collection will make you squirm in your seat, stay up at night, laugh out loud, and inevitably wish for more.
Featuring brand-new stories by: Joyce Carol Oates, Margaret Atwood (poems), Valerie Martin, Aimee Bender, Edwidge Danticat, Sheila Kohler, S.A. Solomon, S.J. Rozan, Lucy Taylor, Cassandra Khaw, Bernice L. McFadden, Jennifer Morales, Elizabeth McCracken, Livia Llewellyn, Lisa Lim, and Steph Cha.
From the introduction by Joyce Carol Oates:
“The particular strength of the female noir vision isn’t a recognizable style but rather a defiantly female, indeed feminist, perspective. Cutting Edge brings together a considerable range of twenty-first-century female voices, from sociological realism (Cha) to Grand Guignol surrealism (Oates); from erotic playfulness (Bender) to dark fairy-tale determinism (Khaw). Here is a brilliantly deadpan graphic story by Lisa Lim, and here are brilliantly executed poems by Margaret Atwood. Artwork by Laurel Hausler is striking and original, sinister and triumphant; Noir Dame (on the front cover) is the perfect image of a mysterious beauty, far more than merely skin-deep, and essentially unknowable.”
Cover and interior art by Laurel Hausler.
Joyce Carol Oates, a queenpin of the noir genre, has brought her keen and discerning eye to the curation of an outstanding anthology of brand-new top-shelf short stories (and poems by Margaret Atwood!). While bad men are not always the victims in these tales, they get their due often enough to satisfy readers who are sick and tired of the gendered status quo, or who just want to have a little bit of fun at the expense of a crumbling patriarchal society. This stylistically diverse collection will make you squirm in your seat, stay up at night, laugh out loud, and inevitably wish for more.
Featuring brand-new stories by: Joyce Carol Oates, Margaret Atwood (poems), Valerie Martin, Aimee Bender, Edwidge Danticat, Sheila Kohler, S.A. Solomon, S.J. Rozan, Lucy Taylor, Cassandra Khaw, Bernice L. McFadden, Jennifer Morales, Elizabeth McCracken, Livia Llewellyn, Lisa Lim, and Steph Cha.
From the introduction by Joyce Carol Oates:
“The particular strength of the female noir vision isn’t a recognizable style but rather a defiantly female, indeed feminist, perspective. Cutting Edge brings together a considerable range of twenty-first-century female voices, from sociological realism (Cha) to Grand Guignol surrealism (Oates); from erotic playfulness (Bender) to dark fairy-tale determinism (Khaw). Here is a brilliantly deadpan graphic story by Lisa Lim, and here are brilliantly executed poems by Margaret Atwood. Artwork by Laurel Hausler is striking and original, sinister and triumphant; Noir Dame (on the front cover) is the perfect image of a mysterious beauty, far more than merely skin-deep, and essentially unknowable.”
Cover and interior art by Laurel Hausler.
288 pages, Paperback
Published November 5, 2019
97 people are currently reading
689 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Carol Oates
854 books9,658 followersJoyce Carol Oates is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels Black Water (1992), What I Lived For (1994), and Blonde (2000), and her short story collections The Wheel of Love (1970) and Lovely, Dark, Deep: Stories (2014) were each finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. She has won many awards for her writing, including the National Book Award, for her novel Them (1969), two O. Henry Awards, the National Humanities Medal, and the Jerusalem Prize (2019).
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
Oates taught at Princeton University from 1978 to 2014, and is the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor Emerita in the Humanities with the Program in Creative Writing. From 2016 to 2020, she was a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught short fiction in the spring semesters. She now teaches at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Oates was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2016.
Pseudonyms: Rosamond Smith and Lauren Kelly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
September 3, 2020
"One of These Nights" by Livia Llewellyn is one of the best crime fiction or suspense stories I've read, this year or any other. No wonder it received an Edgar Award. This is a great story in an exceptionally good anthology edited by Joyce Carol Oates, who gets the subtle social habits of women like nobody's business. The range of subjects and styles is impressive, and all of the authors are at the top of their game, from Lucy Taylor to Steph Cha. Highly recommended.
February 16, 2020
I liked:
Miss Martin by Sheila Kohler
Il Grifone by Valerie Martin
OBF, Inc. by Bernice McFadden
Nothing else held my attention enough.
I'm not sure whether to add or subtract points for the terrifying cover art!
Miss Martin by Sheila Kohler
Il Grifone by Valerie Martin
OBF, Inc. by Bernice McFadden
Nothing else held my attention enough.
I'm not sure whether to add or subtract points for the terrifying cover art!
April 17, 2023
Leider widerlegt diese Sammlung sofort meine Behauptung von gestern: Die Geschichten sind offenbar extra für den Band geschrieben worden und trotzdem fast alle sehr gut.
May 4, 2020
This is a satisfying collection of noir-ish tales by women writers, edited by Joyce Carol Oates. Her choices span an entertaining range, with good changes of pace -- some stories are violent, some thought-provoking and disturbing; others are humerous, and some are just plain satisfying tales of vengeance.
April 2, 2020
This book caught my attention in a BookRiot article about noir fiction, despite the fact that I am not typically attracted to that genre. However, I am so happy that it did capture my attention enough to pick it up and read, because each and every piece in this book was incredible. I loved every story and every voice that came through. I was completely captivated and will definitely be looking into the works of each author so I can read more.
November 30, 2019
One of These Nights by Livia Llewellyn
“It’s time to get wet” in Tacoma young women, friends, and a father in car about to go to a pool.
The girls go for a swim, some friends just go too far and then there is the rivalry and stepping into adulthood, but they are still fifteen partaking in things that are just not right and fitting of an age of fifteen.
Contained within girls in a friendship, being favorites and new ones interloping, along with leadership and toxic rivalry and something else also you must read to discover.
The mentioned complexities and other terrible fates skillfully crafted noir tale drawing the reader along in this compelling flowing deadly tale.
I am sure Tacoma has seen better times.
Thief By Steph Cha
Mourners in Koreatown, a gathering after murder of a twenty-one year old.
The scene opens with the feast after the burial and a mother in the whirlwind of loss of her first born, one she tells, “she would have traded anyone for Isaac.”
Then there is talk of money, of all things a mother didn’t need that.
Family tragedy and drama with personal and social ramifications, something Steph Cha writes about so well recently this year with her debut novel, ‘Your House Will Pay.’
A History of the World in Five Objects by S.J. Rozan
In an apartment a women doing usual tasks but something still weighing heart and mind tender and traumatic past returning running its course with memories in the apartment. Empathic writing visceral with all right crafting and details with devastating effect, a short must-read.
“It was quite some time before she was able to touch a knife again, after that day.”
The Hunger by Lisa Lim
Avoiding drive-bys and then being butchered and found in suitcase. Lilly is not happy of this end. There is dark humor present and visible in this excerpt:
“So no. She wasn’t about to cry. Tears were for the weak. She had clothes to fold, mouths to feed, and a husband to bury. She didn’t have the luxury to mourn. So she smoked. And thought of food instead.”
Death and hunger in a unique telling.
Too Many Lunatics by Lucy Taylor
Terrible things a young women had to face and witness, with call of sanity and reason with all the terribleness weighing, what would it be, one act a claw hammer can do.
This one about abuse and protecting kin, two sisters one caring for another.
One in denial another an avenger wanting to protect and provide safety, the tale leaves one pondering facts, hallmarks of nicely done tale one that keeps you thinking, even if only for short time after.
An Early Specimen By Elizabeth McCracken
Interesting perception and words combined evoking the snapshot of the scene like this one:
“She remembered reading about another museum across the river, of wax anatomical models from the eighteenth century. Flayed women and lonely hearts, literal lonely hearts by themselves in glass cabinets, next to the lonely livers and lonely lungs.
A museum of waxworks would have to be kept cool, surely, even in the Old World.
Before she’d come to Italy, she’d been in the woods, but now she was in the jungle, the arms and legs of other people like vines that threatened to wrap around her.”
She may find a snippet of happiness, the tourist, in her wonderings and excursion into a museum.
Impala by S. A. Solomon
A women’s heart at battle with many things with men, male evils the most, and the legacy of her mother whose been seen as uneducated but was not in her light and weighs up and tells of her existence being dumped young and then having to fight through field of interloping things and one particular drive in an impala this tale takes you through.
Prose potent, and poetic.
“She hadn’t been asked to be born a girl. She would have preferred to be male. Not because she didn’t feel “female.” But because males were in charge.”
“The detectives said it looked like a gang symbol, and after all, she was the girlfriend of Panda, the “alleged” leader of the local clique of a notorious international criminal gang the authorities had a hard-on for.”
“It’s time to get wet” in Tacoma young women, friends, and a father in car about to go to a pool.
The girls go for a swim, some friends just go too far and then there is the rivalry and stepping into adulthood, but they are still fifteen partaking in things that are just not right and fitting of an age of fifteen.
Contained within girls in a friendship, being favorites and new ones interloping, along with leadership and toxic rivalry and something else also you must read to discover.
The mentioned complexities and other terrible fates skillfully crafted noir tale drawing the reader along in this compelling flowing deadly tale.
I am sure Tacoma has seen better times.
Thief By Steph Cha
Mourners in Koreatown, a gathering after murder of a twenty-one year old.
The scene opens with the feast after the burial and a mother in the whirlwind of loss of her first born, one she tells, “she would have traded anyone for Isaac.”
Then there is talk of money, of all things a mother didn’t need that.
Family tragedy and drama with personal and social ramifications, something Steph Cha writes about so well recently this year with her debut novel, ‘Your House Will Pay.’
A History of the World in Five Objects by S.J. Rozan
In an apartment a women doing usual tasks but something still weighing heart and mind tender and traumatic past returning running its course with memories in the apartment. Empathic writing visceral with all right crafting and details with devastating effect, a short must-read.
“It was quite some time before she was able to touch a knife again, after that day.”
The Hunger by Lisa Lim
Avoiding drive-bys and then being butchered and found in suitcase. Lilly is not happy of this end. There is dark humor present and visible in this excerpt:
“So no. She wasn’t about to cry. Tears were for the weak. She had clothes to fold, mouths to feed, and a husband to bury. She didn’t have the luxury to mourn. So she smoked. And thought of food instead.”
Death and hunger in a unique telling.
Too Many Lunatics by Lucy Taylor
Terrible things a young women had to face and witness, with call of sanity and reason with all the terribleness weighing, what would it be, one act a claw hammer can do.
This one about abuse and protecting kin, two sisters one caring for another.
One in denial another an avenger wanting to protect and provide safety, the tale leaves one pondering facts, hallmarks of nicely done tale one that keeps you thinking, even if only for short time after.
An Early Specimen By Elizabeth McCracken
Interesting perception and words combined evoking the snapshot of the scene like this one:
“She remembered reading about another museum across the river, of wax anatomical models from the eighteenth century. Flayed women and lonely hearts, literal lonely hearts by themselves in glass cabinets, next to the lonely livers and lonely lungs.
A museum of waxworks would have to be kept cool, surely, even in the Old World.
Before she’d come to Italy, she’d been in the woods, but now she was in the jungle, the arms and legs of other people like vines that threatened to wrap around her.”
She may find a snippet of happiness, the tourist, in her wonderings and excursion into a museum.
Impala by S. A. Solomon
A women’s heart at battle with many things with men, male evils the most, and the legacy of her mother whose been seen as uneducated but was not in her light and weighs up and tells of her existence being dumped young and then having to fight through field of interloping things and one particular drive in an impala this tale takes you through.
Prose potent, and poetic.
“She hadn’t been asked to be born a girl. She would have preferred to be male. Not because she didn’t feel “female.” But because males were in charge.”
“The detectives said it looked like a gang symbol, and after all, she was the girlfriend of Panda, the “alleged” leader of the local clique of a notorious international criminal gang the authorities had a hard-on for.”
December 8, 2019
This anthology of thriller and crime written by women will trigger reaction, good or bad. For myself, the most interesting part of the book is Joyce Carrol Oates’ introduction that lays the foundations for contemporary women authors’ “spin” on crimes that often lead in gruesome death.
These stories are ironic, macabre, twisted, angry, and in a strange way, humorous. The editor speaks truth that women don’t usually write in this trophe and even quotes the irony from Margaret Atwood: “In the old days, all werewolves were male”. One of my favorites in the book was Lisa Lin’s “The Hunger” about historical expectations in other cultures. One of my less favorite is the hook of sex-power-death that haunts “One of These Nights” by Livia Llewelyn. It was not an easy read however, it stuck with me.
I am glad to have found this at our library. As writing, it is marvelous. However, the foci, although expanding the lens of writing is kind of all over the place. 3/5
These stories are ironic, macabre, twisted, angry, and in a strange way, humorous. The editor speaks truth that women don’t usually write in this trophe and even quotes the irony from Margaret Atwood: “In the old days, all werewolves were male”. One of my favorites in the book was Lisa Lin’s “The Hunger” about historical expectations in other cultures. One of my less favorite is the hook of sex-power-death that haunts “One of These Nights” by Livia Llewelyn. It was not an easy read however, it stuck with me.
I am glad to have found this at our library. As writing, it is marvelous. However, the foci, although expanding the lens of writing is kind of all over the place. 3/5
August 14, 2022
Fourteen stories and six poems of the female noir genre. While some of the stories read like something thrown together to meet the criteria and a deadline, there are excellent stories by Elizabeth McCracken (“An Early Specimen”), Bernice L. McFadden (“OBF, Inc.), and Valerie Martin (“Il Grifone”).
All six of the poems submitted by Margaret Atwood are eerily entertaining and provocative. I especially enjoyed “Update on Werewolves”.
Joyce Carol Oates’ introduction is an enlightening essay on noir fiction and the historic and recently evolving role of the female roles in this genre. Atwood’s poetry seemed a perfectly succinct celebration of the changes noted by Oates.
All six of the poems submitted by Margaret Atwood are eerily entertaining and provocative. I especially enjoyed “Update on Werewolves”.
Joyce Carol Oates’ introduction is an enlightening essay on noir fiction and the historic and recently evolving role of the female roles in this genre. Atwood’s poetry seemed a perfectly succinct celebration of the changes noted by Oates.
April 7, 2020
This is a collection edited by Joyce Carol Oates and it shows. The collection is distinctly noir-tinged and the pieces focus largely on domestic situations or ones with a striking power imbalance. Oates has also assembled an impressive roster of authors here, from Edwidge Dandicat to Aimee Bender; there's no lack of talent on display.
There's an enormous variety to the pieces here. Most stories fit well into the crime genre, from Valerie Martin's Il Griffon, a classic noir about a young married woman living in an old apartment building in Rome; to Lisa Lim's bleak and unsettling illustrated domestic drama, The Hunger. There are also some pieces that sit outside traditional genre parameters, but fit beautifully with the themes of the collection, from Bernice McFadden's sharp-edged satire, OBF, Inc., to six poems by Margaret Atwood, to a creepily atmospheric story about a museum, An Early Specimen by Elizabeth McCracken.
This is a solid and well-conceived collection. Not a single author sent in a mediocre offering. But considering who was editing this collection, is that any surprise?
There's an enormous variety to the pieces here. Most stories fit well into the crime genre, from Valerie Martin's Il Griffon, a classic noir about a young married woman living in an old apartment building in Rome; to Lisa Lim's bleak and unsettling illustrated domestic drama, The Hunger. There are also some pieces that sit outside traditional genre parameters, but fit beautifully with the themes of the collection, from Bernice McFadden's sharp-edged satire, OBF, Inc., to six poems by Margaret Atwood, to a creepily atmospheric story about a museum, An Early Specimen by Elizabeth McCracken.
This is a solid and well-conceived collection. Not a single author sent in a mediocre offering. But considering who was editing this collection, is that any surprise?
December 23, 2019
I had mixed reactions to many of the stories but Joyce Carol Oates’ Tale, “Assassin” alone was worth the price of the book. As a writer, I really looked forward to this book as representing the best in women’s crime fiction. Sorry to say I liked a third of the stories.
Of these only Oates’ story sticks with me.
Of these only Oates’ story sticks with me.
January 10, 2020
Good, thought provoking stories
January 21, 2022
Ništa s ništa. "OBF" ću jedinu pamtiti po dobru. Kao koncept, nažalost, ne kao priču.
July 10, 2022
Começou bem, mas depois se arrasta demais, muito chato.
October 20, 2019
Editor Joyce Carol Oates presents fifteen short stories and a small collection of noir poems. Oates’ introduction is worth the price of the book because it is stunningly written, and a precise and concise description of the state of noir writing and an introduction to today’s noir written by women writers.
In her introduction, Oates points out that for too long noir has been male dominated both because it was the domain by men and because men are the heroes. Oates also points out that the times are changing and women are beginning to hold their own in the genre. She proves it with the stories she has chosen to present in this collection.
If you love noir, but are tired of the men winning all the time, then this book is for you. If you’ve ever wondered where the women writers are in this genre, this is the book for you because you’ll undoubtedly read writers you already know and learn about some you don’t know.
My thanks to Akashic Books and Edelweiss for an eARC.
In her introduction, Oates points out that for too long noir has been male dominated both because it was the domain by men and because men are the heroes. Oates also points out that the times are changing and women are beginning to hold their own in the genre. She proves it with the stories she has chosen to present in this collection.
If you love noir, but are tired of the men winning all the time, then this book is for you. If you’ve ever wondered where the women writers are in this genre, this is the book for you because you’ll undoubtedly read writers you already know and learn about some you don’t know.
My thanks to Akashic Books and Edelweiss for an eARC.
May 26, 2020
In 2018 an award called “The Staunch Book Prize” began, and it’s awarded to “ a novel in the thriller genre in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered.” Although there was lots of criticism surrounding it, it does raise an interesting point, which is the proliferation of violence against women in this particular genre. This common plot thread is why I jumped at the chance to read Cutting Edge, New Stories of Mystery and Crime by Women Writers, Edited by Joyce Carol Oates. What would an anthology of stories look like if only women were the agents of violence? Who would the victims be? As I suspected, the gender of the author doesn’t change the severity and type of crime, but there was definitely a tendency to give the violence a bigger purpose.
Oates’s introduction digs into the origins of the genre of noir and a female’s typical role in it, usually that of a dangerous seductress playing second fiddle to a troubled detective or other male protagonist. The stories included in this new collection flip that idea on its head as it centers on dangerous women with men as an afterthought, if they are included at all. The first story titled “One of These Nights” by Livia Llewellyn sets the dark and threatening tone for the entire book. It’s about some vengeful teenagers, threatened by a friend’s actions and the lengths they’ll go to punish her. But simmering below their malice is the suggestion of sexual abuse by a father figure, discoloring the whole narrative and complicating the intentions of each character. Shortly after that is a graphic story by Lisa Lim which explores violence within a multi-generational family, and as you’ll see in the picture below her purposefully crude drawings are terrifying.
The atmosphere of the entire collection is fraught with evil and dividing the sections are creepy images by artist Laurel Hausler, many of them having a very gothic feel to them. And although every single story may not end in death and despair (some are very introspective) most of them do raise this question of what is justified. Not exactly vigilantism, but many of the women featured are either taking their revenge, or acting out in response to an injustice done to them in the past, typically by men. So often in noir, men behave badly and don’t receive any repercussions; in this book the wrongs are being acknowledged and punished, which isn’t exactly a positive thing, but it does satisfy an imbalance that’s existed in this genre for generations.
I haven’t read much Joyce Carol Oates but I’m not surprised this collection is also so incredibly thoughtful because she has that reputation. There has been great care taken to represent all aspects of femininity; young women, older women, lesbians, women desperately in love with their male partners, women taking care of other women, it’s all in here, all ripe for destruction. The collection ends with some strange poems by Margaret Atwood and an unnerving story about a self-proclaimed assassin by Oates herself, capping off a wonderfully creepy set of stories with an equally upsetting ending. Although that may not appeal to some readers, people who like reading about the darker side of life will appreciate this anthology, and if nothing else, it will serve as an effective distraction because it’s impossible to not get sucked into these stories.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
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Oates’s introduction digs into the origins of the genre of noir and a female’s typical role in it, usually that of a dangerous seductress playing second fiddle to a troubled detective or other male protagonist. The stories included in this new collection flip that idea on its head as it centers on dangerous women with men as an afterthought, if they are included at all. The first story titled “One of These Nights” by Livia Llewellyn sets the dark and threatening tone for the entire book. It’s about some vengeful teenagers, threatened by a friend’s actions and the lengths they’ll go to punish her. But simmering below their malice is the suggestion of sexual abuse by a father figure, discoloring the whole narrative and complicating the intentions of each character. Shortly after that is a graphic story by Lisa Lim which explores violence within a multi-generational family, and as you’ll see in the picture below her purposefully crude drawings are terrifying.
The atmosphere of the entire collection is fraught with evil and dividing the sections are creepy images by artist Laurel Hausler, many of them having a very gothic feel to them. And although every single story may not end in death and despair (some are very introspective) most of them do raise this question of what is justified. Not exactly vigilantism, but many of the women featured are either taking their revenge, or acting out in response to an injustice done to them in the past, typically by men. So often in noir, men behave badly and don’t receive any repercussions; in this book the wrongs are being acknowledged and punished, which isn’t exactly a positive thing, but it does satisfy an imbalance that’s existed in this genre for generations.
I haven’t read much Joyce Carol Oates but I’m not surprised this collection is also so incredibly thoughtful because she has that reputation. There has been great care taken to represent all aspects of femininity; young women, older women, lesbians, women desperately in love with their male partners, women taking care of other women, it’s all in here, all ripe for destruction. The collection ends with some strange poems by Margaret Atwood and an unnerving story about a self-proclaimed assassin by Oates herself, capping off a wonderfully creepy set of stories with an equally upsetting ending. Although that may not appeal to some readers, people who like reading about the darker side of life will appreciate this anthology, and if nothing else, it will serve as an effective distraction because it’s impossible to not get sucked into these stories.
To read the rest of my reviews, please visit my blog:
https://ivereadthis.com/
Sign up for my newsletter here: https://ivereadthis.com/subscribe/
Or follow me on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ivereadthis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ivereadthisblog
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ivereadthis
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD6E...
November 18, 2019
3.5 stars
I had mixed feelings about this collection. Some of the stories were total stand-outs ( Assassin by Joyce Carol Oates, A History of the World in Five Objects by S. J. Rozan, and Too Many Lunatics by Lucy Taylor are the first ones to come to mind), but there were others I just didn't care for. Not that they weren't well-written, I just didn't connect with them the same way I did with the others. Overall a strong showing and one I would still recommend, even with my lack of enthusiasm over some of the offerings.
I had mixed feelings about this collection. Some of the stories were total stand-outs ( Assassin by Joyce Carol Oates, A History of the World in Five Objects by S. J. Rozan, and Too Many Lunatics by Lucy Taylor are the first ones to come to mind), but there were others I just didn't care for. Not that they weren't well-written, I just didn't connect with them the same way I did with the others. Overall a strong showing and one I would still recommend, even with my lack of enthusiasm over some of the offerings.
January 18, 2020
This collection of short stories was smart, dark, and gritty. Be aware that many of them deal with sexual assault or sexual abuse so you may want to avoid it if this is a trigger for you. While I didn't love every single story I felt that they worked together as a whole really well. My favourite by far was "OBF, Inc." by Bernice L. McFadden which will haunt me forever. I will never be able to see footage of a Trump rally without thinking of this story. I also really enjoyed "Thief" by Stef Cha which was emotional and touching, "Il Grifone" by Valerie Martin which was infuriating and had me cheering for the murderer, and "Miss Martin" by Sheila Kohler which surprised and delighted me. These stories were not comfortable reading but they were highly entertaining. I think there is likely a story in here for everyone with a black, murder-loving heart.
December 10, 2019
Cutting Edge: New Stories of Mystery and Crime by Women Writers
Joyce Carol Oates, Editor Akashic Books, Publisher
A review by Valerie J. Brooks, author of Revenge in 3 Parts
Women writers of crime, mystery, and noir have been kicking their male counterparts in the keister lately. Evidence of this is Akashic Books’ outstanding new anthology Cutting Edge. In the world of noir, Akashic wears the publishing crown of noir, from novels to over 100 noir anthologies set in cities around the world.
In this new anthology, authors Aimee Bender, Steph Cha, S.J. Rosen, Edwidge Danticat, and twelve others prove that women have the cutting edge over their male counterparts. Joyce Carol Oates who Akashic calls “a queen of the noir genre” puts her keen, dark eye to stories that skewer the gendered status quo of “femme-fatale.” No longer do women lure hapless men to their demise. Instead, these writers of femmes-noir, a subcategory of contemporary neo-noir, have a little fun at the expense of a crumbling patriarchal society.
The modern female noir and crime story covers a lot of ground. These stories with their strong sense of place and atmosphere kept me up late into the night and gave me thrills and chills.
Take for example my favorite story in the anthology, Aimee Bender’s “Firetown.” An erotic contemporary story is set in a Los Angles that is “crackling” after eleven months of wildfires. This story has the appeal of classic noir with its repartee and humor, its PI and beautiful client.
But the PI is female, owns an apricot-colored chair, and drinks whiskey, rocks, “to maintain image”; the beautiful client vapes and owns a cat; and other characters develop Etsy sites and drink pale ale. Never far away, however, are the fires, a physical and existential threat.
Another favorite is Bernice L. McFadden’s “OBF, Inc,” a terrifying contemporary tale set in office spaces that could be in any city. This is alternative current history where Black Lives Matter is a terrorist group and blacks are only allowed typewriters and analog phones. By the end of the story, you’ll learn what OBF stands for and why racism still burns hot in our current culture.
Whatever your taste in dark tales, you’ll find delicious ones in Cutting Edge. Steph Cha’s “Thief” is more crime than noir and Elizabeth McCracken’s “An Early Specimen” is more horror than crime. Justice, a favorite theme of mine, finds its way into Shelia Kohler’s “Miss Martin,” another story that raises the current curtain on dark days.
Round out this anthology with a Joyce Carol Oates story and Margaret Atwood poetry, and you have a gift to reread and read out loud. The cynical voices, themes, exemplary language, even the settings defy categories and would be comfortable in either literary or genre. To be scared, stimulated, transfixed, and entertained should be the motive of any writing. Cutting Edge is perfect reading for those with a taste for the nocturnal.
Authors included in the anthology:
Livia Llewellyn
S.J. Rozan
Lisa Lim
Lucy Taylor
Edwidge Danticat
Jennifer Morales
Elizabeth McCracken
Bernice L. McFadden
Aimee Bender
Steph Cha
S.A. Solomon
Cassandra Khaw
Valerie Martin
Sheila Kohler
Margaret Atwood
Joyce Carol Oates
Valerie J. Brooks writes and teaches noir fiction. Her debut novel and first in a series Revenge in 3 Parts turns the table on her male counterparts with her protagonist Angeline Porter who, after being disbarred, takes justice into her own hands. She lives near Eugene, Oregon with her husband Daniel and their Havanese pooch Stevie Nicks.
Joyce Carol Oates, Editor Akashic Books, Publisher
A review by Valerie J. Brooks, author of Revenge in 3 Parts
Women writers of crime, mystery, and noir have been kicking their male counterparts in the keister lately. Evidence of this is Akashic Books’ outstanding new anthology Cutting Edge. In the world of noir, Akashic wears the publishing crown of noir, from novels to over 100 noir anthologies set in cities around the world.
In this new anthology, authors Aimee Bender, Steph Cha, S.J. Rosen, Edwidge Danticat, and twelve others prove that women have the cutting edge over their male counterparts. Joyce Carol Oates who Akashic calls “a queen of the noir genre” puts her keen, dark eye to stories that skewer the gendered status quo of “femme-fatale.” No longer do women lure hapless men to their demise. Instead, these writers of femmes-noir, a subcategory of contemporary neo-noir, have a little fun at the expense of a crumbling patriarchal society.
The modern female noir and crime story covers a lot of ground. These stories with their strong sense of place and atmosphere kept me up late into the night and gave me thrills and chills.
“In noir, women’s place until fairly recently has been limited to two: muse, sexual object. The particular strength of the female noir vision isn’t a recognizable style but rather a defiantly female, indeed feminist, perspective.” —Joyce Carol Oates, introduction, Cutting Edge
Take for example my favorite story in the anthology, Aimee Bender’s “Firetown.” An erotic contemporary story is set in a Los Angles that is “crackling” after eleven months of wildfires. This story has the appeal of classic noir with its repartee and humor, its PI and beautiful client.
But the PI is female, owns an apricot-colored chair, and drinks whiskey, rocks, “to maintain image”; the beautiful client vapes and owns a cat; and other characters develop Etsy sites and drink pale ale. Never far away, however, are the fires, a physical and existential threat.
Another favorite is Bernice L. McFadden’s “OBF, Inc,” a terrifying contemporary tale set in office spaces that could be in any city. This is alternative current history where Black Lives Matter is a terrorist group and blacks are only allowed typewriters and analog phones. By the end of the story, you’ll learn what OBF stands for and why racism still burns hot in our current culture.
Whatever your taste in dark tales, you’ll find delicious ones in Cutting Edge. Steph Cha’s “Thief” is more crime than noir and Elizabeth McCracken’s “An Early Specimen” is more horror than crime. Justice, a favorite theme of mine, finds its way into Shelia Kohler’s “Miss Martin,” another story that raises the current curtain on dark days.
Round out this anthology with a Joyce Carol Oates story and Margaret Atwood poetry, and you have a gift to reread and read out loud. The cynical voices, themes, exemplary language, even the settings defy categories and would be comfortable in either literary or genre. To be scared, stimulated, transfixed, and entertained should be the motive of any writing. Cutting Edge is perfect reading for those with a taste for the nocturnal.
Authors included in the anthology:
Livia Llewellyn
S.J. Rozan
Lisa Lim
Lucy Taylor
Edwidge Danticat
Jennifer Morales
Elizabeth McCracken
Bernice L. McFadden
Aimee Bender
Steph Cha
S.A. Solomon
Cassandra Khaw
Valerie Martin
Sheila Kohler
Margaret Atwood
Joyce Carol Oates
Valerie J. Brooks writes and teaches noir fiction. Her debut novel and first in a series Revenge in 3 Parts turns the table on her male counterparts with her protagonist Angeline Porter who, after being disbarred, takes justice into her own hands. She lives near Eugene, Oregon with her husband Daniel and their Havanese pooch Stevie Nicks.
March 19, 2022
I picked this book up because I am yet to read any Joyce Carol Oates and thought this would be a good way in.
I couldn't be happier that I stumbled on this amazing collection for such a random reason
Cutting Edge is a collection of noir stories by women.
The work of the authors included is as diverse as they are, writers from many cultural backgrounds are represented.
There are traditional short stories, cartoon based, telephone voice message transcripts, poems, and tales told in short flash backs.
So first if you don't know what to expect of a noir story, Joyce Carol Oates says in her inroduction;
" It has been noted that noir isn't a specific subject matter but rather a sort of (dark) music, a sensitivity, a tone, an atmosphere."
She also says;
" In noir, women's place until fairly recently has been limited to two, muse, sexual object."
To illustrate this, she quotes Edgar Allan Poe, who said;
" The death of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetic topic in the world."
In our world of 2022 where violence against women is still so prevelant I think we would view his comment with a different lense.
To get into the content then, wow.
The first section ' Their Bodies, Our Selves' is excellent.
'One of these Nights' by Livia Llewellyn is about the darkness that lies within. It unexpectedly uses two 15 year old girls as the villans, potentially encouraged to their behaviour through an incestuous/grooming Father. It sets the tone for the whole collection.
A History of the World in Five Objects - S.J Rozan
A classic twist story, you read it thinking the daughter is the victim of her abusive father, with new bits of information filtering in up to the conclusion.
The Hunger - Lisa Lim
Is told via text and cartoon images. An Asian American woman trapped in an arranged marriage loses her husband in a dark act, and reflects on the multigenerational home she finds herself trapped in.
Too Many idiots- Lucy Taylor
This feels like the classic good sister bad sister story, with escalating violence and a shocking conclusion. This is a tale of families gone wrong, addiction and incest.
Please Translate - Edwidge Danitcat
A young child is abducted and his frantic mother sends message after message to her Haitian husband in an attempt to get him back. The format only increases the sense of panic and tension.
There are 3 parts to this book.
I won't include notes on all 16 but for me the real standout was in part two 'A Doom of Ones's Own'
OBF, Inc by Bernice L. McFadden
How to write about this without spoiling it?
A young black man finds himself out of work and so responds to an intriguing email inviting him to come to an interview. The results are shocking.
For me this story felt very much like an episode of Black Mirror, in a good way. It asks questions of the reader around the sometimes unexpected friendships of people you might at first assume are racist.
I enjoyed the poetry of Margaret Atwood in part 3 ' Manslaying' particularly 'Update on Werewolves' and Joyce Carol Oates own short story Assasin was excellent.
I also have to note the beautiful artwork used to mark each section by Laurel Hausler.
For me this has to be 5 stars because of the range and quality of the collection.
I couldn't be happier that I stumbled on this amazing collection for such a random reason
Cutting Edge is a collection of noir stories by women.
The work of the authors included is as diverse as they are, writers from many cultural backgrounds are represented.
There are traditional short stories, cartoon based, telephone voice message transcripts, poems, and tales told in short flash backs.
So first if you don't know what to expect of a noir story, Joyce Carol Oates says in her inroduction;
" It has been noted that noir isn't a specific subject matter but rather a sort of (dark) music, a sensitivity, a tone, an atmosphere."
She also says;
" In noir, women's place until fairly recently has been limited to two, muse, sexual object."
To illustrate this, she quotes Edgar Allan Poe, who said;
" The death of a beautiful woman is unquestionably the most poetic topic in the world."
In our world of 2022 where violence against women is still so prevelant I think we would view his comment with a different lense.
To get into the content then, wow.
The first section ' Their Bodies, Our Selves' is excellent.
'One of these Nights' by Livia Llewellyn is about the darkness that lies within. It unexpectedly uses two 15 year old girls as the villans, potentially encouraged to their behaviour through an incestuous/grooming Father. It sets the tone for the whole collection.
A History of the World in Five Objects - S.J Rozan
A classic twist story, you read it thinking the daughter is the victim of her abusive father, with new bits of information filtering in up to the conclusion.
The Hunger - Lisa Lim
Is told via text and cartoon images. An Asian American woman trapped in an arranged marriage loses her husband in a dark act, and reflects on the multigenerational home she finds herself trapped in.
Too Many idiots- Lucy Taylor
This feels like the classic good sister bad sister story, with escalating violence and a shocking conclusion. This is a tale of families gone wrong, addiction and incest.
Please Translate - Edwidge Danitcat
A young child is abducted and his frantic mother sends message after message to her Haitian husband in an attempt to get him back. The format only increases the sense of panic and tension.
There are 3 parts to this book.
I won't include notes on all 16 but for me the real standout was in part two 'A Doom of Ones's Own'
OBF, Inc by Bernice L. McFadden
How to write about this without spoiling it?
A young black man finds himself out of work and so responds to an intriguing email inviting him to come to an interview. The results are shocking.
For me this story felt very much like an episode of Black Mirror, in a good way. It asks questions of the reader around the sometimes unexpected friendships of people you might at first assume are racist.
I enjoyed the poetry of Margaret Atwood in part 3 ' Manslaying' particularly 'Update on Werewolves' and Joyce Carol Oates own short story Assasin was excellent.
I also have to note the beautiful artwork used to mark each section by Laurel Hausler.
For me this has to be 5 stars because of the range and quality of the collection.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 21, 2019
CUTTING EDGE: NEW STORIES OF MYSTERY AND CRIME BY WOMEN WRITERS is a noir anthology edited by Joyce Carol Oates. It is a new offering by Akashic Books and has a similar format to its very popular and excellent Noir series. CUTTING EDGE differs in that it tells its ‘stories’ with a “defiantly female, indeed feminist, perspective”.
“Is there a distinctive female noir? Is there, as some have argued, a distinctive female voice, differing essentially from the male voice?” (p.5)
CUTTING EDGE answers that question with (I think) a resounding Yes.
CUTTING EDGE includes a Table of Contents; an Introduction by the editor, Joyce Carol Oates; an About the Contributors Section (which is very interesting).
The anthology is divided into III parts - - - Their Bodies, Ourselves - A Doom of One’s Own - Manslaying. There are 16 stories. One ‘story’ consists of 6 poems by Margaret Atwood.
Contributors include: Livia Llewellyn, S.J. Rozan, Lisa Lim, Lucy Taylor, Edwidge Danticat, Jennifer Morales, Elizabeth McCracken, Bernice L. McFadden, Aimee Bender, Steph Cha, S.A. Solomon, Cassandra Khaw, Valerie Martin, Shelia Kohler, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates.
(Note: Lisa Lim is also the illustrator of her story.)
The writing is mesmerizing. It is true noir with an intended female perspective. I was on the edge of my seat reading each story. Some of my own descriptions would include: suspenseful, realistic, terrifying, cruel, sinister, devious, squirm in my seat worthiness, comeuppances, revenge, hysteria, definitely cringe-worthy, scary, disgusting, murder, decapitation, truly evil, chilling, sad, revolting.
Some of my mumbled comments include: “Get ‘Em!”, “This is sickening to read”, “Death always made her hungry”, I can’t really blame Claudia for the murders. Does that make me a murderer and a deranged lunatic, too?”, “ Why does this sh** always happen in trailer parks?”, “I can see Andrew’s soul leaving his body”, “I couldn’t/wouldn’t be that forgiving”, “Wow”, “Hard Life”, “ So pertinent”, “What are we talking about here? - Mermaids?, Fantasy?, Medieval torture?” “I am shivering and there is a fire in the heat stove”.
I didn’t have a favorite story, although “One of these nights” was especially chilling and cold-blooded. They were all noir at its grittiest.
My favorite poem was ‘Update on Werewolves’.
Thank you to Akashic Books for providing me with an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of this book.
“Is there a distinctive female noir? Is there, as some have argued, a distinctive female voice, differing essentially from the male voice?” (p.5)
CUTTING EDGE answers that question with (I think) a resounding Yes.
CUTTING EDGE includes a Table of Contents; an Introduction by the editor, Joyce Carol Oates; an About the Contributors Section (which is very interesting).
The anthology is divided into III parts - - - Their Bodies, Ourselves - A Doom of One’s Own - Manslaying. There are 16 stories. One ‘story’ consists of 6 poems by Margaret Atwood.
Contributors include: Livia Llewellyn, S.J. Rozan, Lisa Lim, Lucy Taylor, Edwidge Danticat, Jennifer Morales, Elizabeth McCracken, Bernice L. McFadden, Aimee Bender, Steph Cha, S.A. Solomon, Cassandra Khaw, Valerie Martin, Shelia Kohler, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates.
(Note: Lisa Lim is also the illustrator of her story.)
The writing is mesmerizing. It is true noir with an intended female perspective. I was on the edge of my seat reading each story. Some of my own descriptions would include: suspenseful, realistic, terrifying, cruel, sinister, devious, squirm in my seat worthiness, comeuppances, revenge, hysteria, definitely cringe-worthy, scary, disgusting, murder, decapitation, truly evil, chilling, sad, revolting.
Some of my mumbled comments include: “Get ‘Em!”, “This is sickening to read”, “Death always made her hungry”, I can’t really blame Claudia for the murders. Does that make me a murderer and a deranged lunatic, too?”, “ Why does this sh** always happen in trailer parks?”, “I can see Andrew’s soul leaving his body”, “I couldn’t/wouldn’t be that forgiving”, “Wow”, “Hard Life”, “ So pertinent”, “What are we talking about here? - Mermaids?, Fantasy?, Medieval torture?” “I am shivering and there is a fire in the heat stove”.
I didn’t have a favorite story, although “One of these nights” was especially chilling and cold-blooded. They were all noir at its grittiest.
My favorite poem was ‘Update on Werewolves’.
Thank you to Akashic Books for providing me with an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of this book.
July 19, 2020
“Cutting Edge: New Stories of Mystery and Crime by Women Writers” packs a lot into 234 pages and 16 short stories and tries to show how female voices and characters have evolved. For years, as editor Joyce Carol Oates notes in the introduction, women in noir seldom transcended femme fatale stereotypes. Here, they dish out as much violence as they experience.
The first three novels, in particular, show us a strong group of abuse survivors and the various side effects that those atrocities engender. “One of the Nights” by Livia Llewellyn shows pedophilia victims that develop sadism of their own. It took a second read for me to fully grasp what happened and understand why it won the Edgar for the best short story this year.
The tales have many forms, including a comic, a collection of voice mails, and “Six Poems” by Margaret Atwood of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Expect murder, abuse, revenge, and evil. “OBF, Inc.,” the best of the bunch by a mile, adds some much-needed social commentary to the mix. The other stories bring the noir, but here my jaw dropped to the floor for the first time.
One finds a great deal of psychology here as we see the different antecedents that drive a person down a violent path. You do not have to agree with someone’s actions to understand them. In that way, we have the connective tissue among stories that would have existed entirely on their own but work together to celebrate the accomplishments of female mystery writers.
Few have mentioned this novel despite the heavy-hitting authors featured (Atwood, Danticat, Cha), which causes me to recommend it more emphatically. It amazes me how much detail the writers provide in 20 pages or less. The introduction says it all as we watch the characters in awe. Sometimes, you will admire them for standing up for themselves while others will shock you.
The first three novels, in particular, show us a strong group of abuse survivors and the various side effects that those atrocities engender. “One of the Nights” by Livia Llewellyn shows pedophilia victims that develop sadism of their own. It took a second read for me to fully grasp what happened and understand why it won the Edgar for the best short story this year.
The tales have many forms, including a comic, a collection of voice mails, and “Six Poems” by Margaret Atwood of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Expect murder, abuse, revenge, and evil. “OBF, Inc.,” the best of the bunch by a mile, adds some much-needed social commentary to the mix. The other stories bring the noir, but here my jaw dropped to the floor for the first time.
One finds a great deal of psychology here as we see the different antecedents that drive a person down a violent path. You do not have to agree with someone’s actions to understand them. In that way, we have the connective tissue among stories that would have existed entirely on their own but work together to celebrate the accomplishments of female mystery writers.
Few have mentioned this novel despite the heavy-hitting authors featured (Atwood, Danticat, Cha), which causes me to recommend it more emphatically. It amazes me how much detail the writers provide in 20 pages or less. The introduction says it all as we watch the characters in awe. Sometimes, you will admire them for standing up for themselves while others will shock you.
July 13, 2024
It was okay; I was expecting more mystery, but it's mainly crime.
Lisa Lim's "The Hunger" was an interesting addition; I think I would have preferred it to be in the middle of this collection to sort of break up the stories. The beginning was just murder murder murder, so I preferred the later stories as the anthology progressed. I can see how murder can be "empowering" but... having to read stories with similar endings in a row made me think all the stories were going to be this way. However, I am very much reminded of how grateful I should be to have grown up in a safe and loving environment.
I enjoyed Bernice McFadden's "OBF, Inc.," Aimee Bender's "Firetown," Steph Cha's "Thief," Cassandra Khaw's "Mothers, We Dream," and Sheila Kohler's "Miss Martin" the most. Personally, I feel like Bender's story fit my expectations the most! I was feeling kind of meh through this collection until I got to McFadden's story, which I think was the turning point for me! Kohler's story gave off a darker Matilda vibe. Cha's story was filled with all the emotions. Khaw's story became one of my favorites after I got to the ending ;)
Also intriguing were Elizabeth McCracken's "An Early Specimen," Valerie Martin's "Il Grifone" and Joyce Oates' "Assassin." They were written well :) just not as fun to read as my favorites!
Lisa Lim's "The Hunger" was an interesting addition; I think I would have preferred it to be in the middle of this collection to sort of break up the stories. The beginning was just murder murder murder, so I preferred the later stories as the anthology progressed. I can see how murder can be "empowering" but... having to read stories with similar endings in a row made me think all the stories were going to be this way. However, I am very much reminded of how grateful I should be to have grown up in a safe and loving environment.
I enjoyed Bernice McFadden's "OBF, Inc.," Aimee Bender's "Firetown," Steph Cha's "Thief," Cassandra Khaw's "Mothers, We Dream," and Sheila Kohler's "Miss Martin" the most. Personally, I feel like Bender's story fit my expectations the most! I was feeling kind of meh through this collection until I got to McFadden's story, which I think was the turning point for me! Kohler's story gave off a darker Matilda vibe. Cha's story was filled with all the emotions. Khaw's story became one of my favorites after I got to the ending ;)
Also intriguing were Elizabeth McCracken's "An Early Specimen," Valerie Martin's "Il Grifone" and Joyce Oates' "Assassin." They were written well :) just not as fun to read as my favorites!
December 31, 2019
Years ago, I subscribed to Conjunctions for a few years. It's by Bard College, a quarterly book of literature. I finally canceled due to two problems. First, there was a lot of poetry, and it's a rare day I like what passes for poetry. The second is that ever issue had something by Joyce Carol Oates. She must sponsor it. Her writing got very old.
When I saw this collection in the new books section of the library, I almost didn't check it out because of that background. I wish I hadn't. The stories were all experimental drivel. From mediocre to terrible. The only thing keeping it from one star is that the basic writing of sentences was pretty good. In fact, the only thing left in my mind after reading it was a wonderful sentence fragment that is explained more fully in Aimee Bender's mediocre story :"Firetown." In place, it's a wonderful sentence: "I was wearing my best suit, apricot-colored in tribute to my chair." It's an absolutely wonderful little call-back.
When I saw this collection in the new books section of the library, I almost didn't check it out because of that background. I wish I hadn't. The stories were all experimental drivel. From mediocre to terrible. The only thing keeping it from one star is that the basic writing of sentences was pretty good. In fact, the only thing left in my mind after reading it was a wonderful sentence fragment that is explained more fully in Aimee Bender's mediocre story :"Firetown." In place, it's a wonderful sentence: "I was wearing my best suit, apricot-colored in tribute to my chair." It's an absolutely wonderful little call-back.
June 24, 2022
3,75
This anthology gave me all the gritty yet elegant noir I could have asked for. Bite sized short stories. These were some of my favourites:
One of these nights by Livia Llewellyn
Toxic friendships, adult minor relationships, drowning- dive in the deep end.
Thief by Steph Cha
A mothers grief and a shameful betrayal by a cousin wanting to stay alive, at and after a funeral for a Korean American gang member.
A history of the world in five objects by s.j. Rozan
Really unsettling story about domestic violence.
The hunger by Lisa lim
Rytmic and beautifully sculpted about how death always makes my crave fast food.
Please translate by Edwidge Danticat
Absolute and complete devastation.
OBF Inc by Bernice L McFadden
A bizarre take on the ‘I’m not racist, my best friend is black’ defence. Really interesting, I only wished it was longer.
Firetown by Aimee Bender
A queer modern day detective story, where every character is oozing of sexual tension.
This anthology gave me all the gritty yet elegant noir I could have asked for. Bite sized short stories. These were some of my favourites:
One of these nights by Livia Llewellyn
Toxic friendships, adult minor relationships, drowning- dive in the deep end.
Thief by Steph Cha
A mothers grief and a shameful betrayal by a cousin wanting to stay alive, at and after a funeral for a Korean American gang member.
A history of the world in five objects by s.j. Rozan
Really unsettling story about domestic violence.
The hunger by Lisa lim
Rytmic and beautifully sculpted about how death always makes my crave fast food.
Please translate by Edwidge Danticat
Absolute and complete devastation.
OBF Inc by Bernice L McFadden
A bizarre take on the ‘I’m not racist, my best friend is black’ defence. Really interesting, I only wished it was longer.
Firetown by Aimee Bender
A queer modern day detective story, where every character is oozing of sexual tension.
February 11, 2022
Short stories. They sound so simple and yet are perhaps the most difficult to write well. And, of course, they offer, in book form, difficulty to the reader. With a novel one needs to spend a certain number of pages getting into the character or plotline, letting the hook set, so to speak. Then one goes off merrily for hundreds of pages, all secure in the cradle the author has wrought.
Ah, but the book of short stories. One gets settled into a set of circumstances and form and, blooie!, it is over. Time to meet new friends and a new world: Reset.
Thus it is here, and the entries are delightfully lined up. Stories of mystery and crime---a great variety. The theme used to justify the collection is that each story is by a female writer, which is good enough for me and better than some excuses I have seen for gathering short stories into one volume.
Recommended.
Ah, but the book of short stories. One gets settled into a set of circumstances and form and, blooie!, it is over. Time to meet new friends and a new world: Reset.
Thus it is here, and the entries are delightfully lined up. Stories of mystery and crime---a great variety. The theme used to justify the collection is that each story is by a female writer, which is good enough for me and better than some excuses I have seen for gathering short stories into one volume.
Recommended.
September 27, 2022
This is a solid 4-star book, there are stories some will gravitate towards being higher or lower. My top three 5 star stories
1. One of These Nights: Livia Llewellyn - had some great depictions of how a car can be like a person and spiteful teens.
2. OBF Inc: Bernice L. McFadden - I was shaken by the end, like holy hell, this could be a real political tactic that is used.
3. Mothers, We Dream: Cassandra Khaw - a new and terrifying take on mermaids.
Honorable mentions 4-Star: The Hunger, The Boy Without a Bike, Il Grifone, and Miss Martin.
Although I wanted more horror out of this book, I would see the first section has a bit of gore compared to the rest. Overall, a great addition to my fall reads.
1. One of These Nights: Livia Llewellyn - had some great depictions of how a car can be like a person and spiteful teens.
2. OBF Inc: Bernice L. McFadden - I was shaken by the end, like holy hell, this could be a real political tactic that is used.
3. Mothers, We Dream: Cassandra Khaw - a new and terrifying take on mermaids.
Honorable mentions 4-Star: The Hunger, The Boy Without a Bike, Il Grifone, and Miss Martin.
Although I wanted more horror out of this book, I would see the first section has a bit of gore compared to the rest. Overall, a great addition to my fall reads.
September 10, 2025
it's quite rare for me to actually enjoy or even be able to tolerate all of the short stories in an anthology (even if the stories are all by one author) but i really liked pretty much all of these! not a huge fan of the Atwood poems, but what can you do, she's allowed a few missteps anyway. these are all short and sweet and soaked with blood and you never have time to get bored by a weaker story dragging on because they're all just the right length. OBF, Inc and Miss Martin and Il Grifone were the clear standouts for me. Firetown by Aimee Bender was also wonderful, with deliciously sharp prose; it was like if Honey Don't! was actually good. and i learned several new words (smalti, portone, gorget, shoggoth, desuetude)!
January 27, 2021
I read this anthology hoping to find mystery stories, but this definitely went more in the crime direction. Maybe it's just that I'm not really a reader of crime fiction, but even though these stories were well-written, I didn't necessarily enjoy reading them--not that I think I was really supposed to, necessarily. Three stories did stick out to me as being quite excellent, though: "Please Translate" by Edwidge Danticat (which was easily my favorite in the collection), "OBF, Inc." by Bernice McFadden, and "Il Grifone" by Valerie Martin. This was a good exercise in reading outside my usual genres, although, again, there were only a few stories that are going to stick with me.
December 3, 2019
I'm a little iffy sometimes on short stories, if they don't capture my attention from the get-go they can be sort of painful to get through. Luckily, almost all of these were well-written and engaging. There were definitely some stand-outs here: the Oates piece of course, and I liked Miss Martin and Too Many Lunatics as well. But nothing here was bad, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's a fan of mysteries or creepy stories. Additionally, Oates' intro at the beginning of the book is extremely good.
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