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.

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.

Finished Salem. Sad, morbid, and existential.

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.