Short stories received numerous awards and accolades in 2009. It seems everyone was reading them, except me. I prefer novels over short stories mainly because novels tend to have greater character development and, overall, more satisfying resolutions. However, when Eastern Washington University Press contacted me to review an award-winning short story collection, I thought it would be a great opportunity to see for myself what the buzz over short stories was all about.
Forgetting English by Midge Raymond is a collection of eight, unrelated short stories united by a common theme—self-discovery. Each main character is a woman, at a crossroad in her life, who has chosen to leave home. The stories focus on the motives behind why these ordinary Americans decide to travel to foreign lands (including Tonga, Japan, and Antarctica) and the consequential changes that occur due to their extra-ordinary environment. Why is it, that once outside our comfort zones, we are able to make discoveries about ourselves?
Forgetting English is an entertaining collection of remarkably insightful stories. It was unlike any other volume I’ve read before. The characters were well-developed and memorable. The endings were both satisfying and thought-provoking. After finishing this short story collection, I wanted to read more like it. I would recommend this book to all readers—even those who say they don’t like short stories.
An excerpt from my favorite story, The Ecstatic Cry, was read by the author on Writers Out Loud: Literature for the Ear. To listen, click here.
Forgetting English by Midge Raymond is a collection of eight, unrelated short stories united by a common theme—self-discovery. Each main character is a woman, at a crossroad in her life, who has chosen to leave home. The stories focus on the motives behind why these ordinary Americans decide to travel to foreign lands (including Tonga, Japan, and Antarctica) and the consequential changes that occur due to their extra-ordinary environment. Why is it, that once outside our comfort zones, we are able to make discoveries about ourselves?Forgetting English is an entertaining collection of remarkably insightful stories. It was unlike any other volume I’ve read before. The characters were well-developed and memorable. The endings were both satisfying and thought-provoking. After finishing this short story collection, I wanted to read more like it. I would recommend this book to all readers—even those who say they don’t like short stories.
An excerpt from my favorite story, The Ecstatic Cry, was read by the author on Writers Out Loud: Literature for the Ear. To listen, click here.
2 comments:
Like you, I do not enjoy short stories for the same reason. But in this book they all have a common theme. I think this would make it more like a novel, perhaps with chapters (short stories) being designated to each character. This is a great idea! GL
I never really gave short stories a chance. I've always looked at them as an incomplete story since each is independent of the other. However, after reading novels I feel like I would desire the short stories. Join me in April when we "Spring into Short Stories" on Catch That Book Radio.
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