Short Stories – Page 2 – Southern Review of Books

Beth Gilstrap on Titles, Flash Fiction, and “Deadheading”

By: Bradley Sides October 5, 2021December 5, 2021

InterviewsDeadheading, Fiction, Short StoriesLeave a Comment

An interview with Beth Gilstrap about her new short story collection, “Deadheading and Other Stories.”

Ambiguous Meaning of Survival in “Afterparties”

By: Don J Rath September 22, 2021September 21, 2021

ReviewsAfterparties, Anthony Veasna So, Fiction, Short Stories1 Comment

The question of identity is central to each of the nine hard-hitting yet remarkably touching stories in Anthony Veasna So’s debut collection, “Afterparties.”

People are Beastly in “Filthy Animals”

By: Allison Manley August 16, 2021August 15, 2021

ReviewsBrandon Taylor, Fiction, Filthy Animals, Short StoriesLeave a Comment

Brandon Taylor’s short story collection, “Filthy Animals,” is set in the Midwest and the South with characters that are extra-aware of their hungers.

Missed Chances and What-Ifs in “Sorry for Your Trouble”

By: Christopher Linforth May 10, 2021July 12, 2021

ReviewsFiction, Richard Ford, Short Stories, Sorry for Your TroubleLeave a Comment

Richard Ford’s sixth book of short fiction, “Sorry for Your Trouble,” dazzles in his portrayal of later middle-age.

Stubborn Rigidity and Self-Reformation in “A Wall of Bright Dead Feathers”

By: Michel Sabbagh April 26, 2021July 12, 2021

ReviewsA Wall of Bright Dead Feathers, Babette Fraser Hale, Fiction, Short StoriesLeave a Comment

Babette Fraser Hale’s short story collection, “A Wall of Bright Dead Feathers,” is set in the countryside of central Texas.

“The Big Baby Crime Spree”: Quirky and Darkly Funny

By: Clifford Garstang March 15, 2021July 12, 2021

ReviewsDarrin Doyle, Fiction, Short Stories, The Big Baby Crime SpreeLeave a Comment

Darrin Doyle’s new story collection, “The Big Baby Crime Spree,” is filled with quirky, dislikeable, but not necessarily unlikeable, characters.

A Tale of Two Realities in “Working It Off in Labor County”

By: Michel Sabbagh February 15, 2021July 12, 2021

ReviewsFiction, Short Stories, Working It Off in Labor CountyLeave a Comment

Larry D. Thacker’s short story collection “Working It Off in Labor County” is tender in its depiction of rural American ennui and mordant in its portrayal of colorful go-getters in a patch of coal country.

Sticky-Sweet Summers in “So We Can Glow”

By: Allison Manley February 1, 2021July 6, 2021

ReviewsFiction, Leesa Cross-Smith, Short Stories, So We Can GlowLeave a Comment

Addictively readable, Leesa Cross-Smith’s short story collection “So We Can Glow” is the literary equivalent of someone biting their lip and looking up at you.

Wrestling with the Angel in “Hallelujah Station”

By: Rachael Greene January 29, 2021July 12, 2021

ReviewsFiction, Hallelujah Station and Other Stories, M. Randal O'Wain, Short StoriesLeave a Comment

M. Randal O’Wain’s “Hallelujah Station and Other Stories” play out across a range of Southern urban settings from Memphis to Asheville and feature a cast of modern misfits encompassing diverse voices.

Grief and Compassion in “The Collected Breece D’J Pancake”

By: Justin Evans January 25, 2021July 12, 2021

ReviewsBreece D'J Pancake, Fiction, Short Stories, The Collected Breece D'J PancakeLeave a Comment

“The Collected Breece D’J Pancake,” a new edition from The Library of America, contains the complete collection of stories along with story fragments, selected letters, and a new introduction by Jayne Anne Phillips.