Leya Hartman’s Reviews > The Best American Short Stories 1994 > Status Update

Finished Tony Earley’s “The Prophet from Jupiter.” The author describes it himself as a soup he doesn’t fully understand and it definitely was that. Hard to know the line between gibberish and brilliance. But the story did give me a feeling of depression, disgust, despair, grief, and community. I guess that’s something!

Stuart Dybek’s ‘We Didn’t’ was delightfully surprising. I thought I’d be reading about some teen’s sex debacles and then the story takes a left turn but never takes itself too seriously.

I give Alice Elliott Dark a standing ovation for “In the Gloaming.” Incredible writing about grief that cut to the core.

Finished Ann Cummins’ Where I Work; neurotic, random, potentially violent, and so short!

Finished Pipa’s Story by Lan Samantha Chang. Haunting, simple, violent, adolescent, historical. Beautiful.

Just finished the second story, Hammam, by Carol Anshaw and I was totally mesmerized and the ending hit me in the chest. This is why short stories are so powerful, every sentence Anshaw crafted gives you a specific and complex emotional experience.