Mariner The Best American Short Stories 2023

I enjoy the stories with themes that resonated with me, and I equally enjoy the stories about subjects I haven't experienced in this collection of short stories. "Peking Duck" is a story about the Chinese immigrant experience. I have many Chinese family members, so I could resonate with the theme of this story. I love the references to Chinese food in this story. I also like the theme of a Chinese immigrant trying to learn English. "My Brother William" is a story about the relationship between an older brother and his younger sister. I love the passion both siblings have for their jobs. The theme of a sibling relationship makes me want to strengthen the bond I have with my own sister. "Camp Emeline" is about a camp for kids with disabilities, that is established by a family after the death of a disabled family member. "Camp Emeline" is a beautiful story about creating opportunities for disabled people. I strive for this goal in my job. "Grand Mal" is a story about the stressful events in a woman's life that result in her having a grand mal seizure. "The Company of Others" is about a woman who feels insecure and unhappy in her marriage and in motherhood. I have never been married, but I have an empathy for this female character. "The Mine" is a story about how dangerous working in a gold mine can be. I love these three stories because these stories delve into subjects I haven't experienced. I love all the stories in this book.

I've read The Best American Short Stories since the 1980s. My mother gave them to me every holiday, and they were a charished gift. My son has taken up the mantle since her passing, and this year's collection is arguably the best. The diversity of voices and perspectives feels organic—there's no forced inclusion here. I started with Lauren Groff's masterpiece, but soon turned toward the beginning of the book. I felt a kinship with Cherline Brazile's characters' struggling friendship. I wept with Taryn Bowe's young protagonist. The bouncing timeline of Da-Lin's story was thrilling, her genius character utterly original. I only wish there were more stories. Congratulations to Min Jin Lee and Heidi Pitlor. This is a brilliant collection.

Most of the writing in this volume was nothing like classic short stories written by Hemingway, Welty, Faulkner, etc. The editor’s choices leaned toward immersing the reader in a jolting experience, an unfamiliar point of view, insight, not perfection. A few pieces made no attempt at offering closure, several were too dark for my sensibilities, a couple felt as if they had not been fully developed (or could have benefited from a more thoughtful title), but most took you deep into cultural experiences that were highly personal & unfamiliar. The submission from Manuel Muñoz & Kosiso Ugwueze stood out as gems, especially the latter. Both were powerfully told tales readers will not be able to forget.

I always purchase The Best American Short Stories anthology with some hope that this year’s selection will break the 75% rule: more than three quarters of the stories will be good. Unfortunately, this year’s volume, edited by Min Jin Lee, fails the test. A lot of these stories are definitely of the moment, important politically. But when you read “dialogue” like “Worse...like our lives are going to gradually disappear from us, rather than the other way around, and this vanishing of our lives will feel to us stranger than death, than dying, than the disappearance of our brothers, uncles, fathers, that we will be alive, able to see and hear the world, but we will lack all understanding of how to operate within it.” it’s a valid concept but hard to imagine someone saying that conversationally to another. In other spots, the writing is downright awkward: “accruing small cuts all over my hands, as if I were grappling with the mouth of a rabid dog.” Others are well-enough written but cover quite familiar territory: a plaint from a philandering author, a portrait of the Jewish equivalent of Johnny-on-the-spot (see instead Malamud, Roth, and Singer), the dysfunctional sibling, et cetera. That the stories represent a diversity of voices is admirable, but it doesn’t help the sense of representation that so many of these stories come from places like The New Yorker and Paris Review: 6 out of 20, in fact, not to mention premier journals like Kenyon Review, New England Review, Sewanee Review, and The Gettysburg Review. These are excellent publications, but did no one look at the superabundance of other places? What’s particularly disappointing is that this volume presumably showcases the best of the year. Seriously?

This is a very good book. It demonstrate writing perfectly in my opinion. I got an "A".