Short Story – …on the B.L.

French Quarter Fiction edited by Joshua Clark

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth A Read Definitely
Length 384
Quick Review A love letter to an iconic city created through an anthology of stories by great authors.

20191119_210701-01 — Reading French Quarter Fiction edited by Joshua Clark in Jackson Square in the French Quarter in New Orleans. | Dress | Scarf | Boots | Beret

20191119_210427-01 — Reading French Quarter Fiction edited by Joshua Clark in Jackson Square in the French Quarter.

20191119_210807-01 — Reading French Quarter Fiction edited by Joshua Clark in Jackson Square in the French Quarter in New Orleans. | Dress | Scarf | Boots | Beret

French Quarter Fiction is one of those anthologies: it has something for everyone. (Unless you hate short stories, then it doesn’t have anything for you.) As much as I love reading anthologies, I hate reviewing them because there is too much to say. It’s impossible to focus on style because it changes from story to story with the authors. No one wants to read a detailed literary analysis of every short story in an anthology; most people don’t want to read a literary analysis ever. The messages and themes and character development and everything else shifts just as much. Instead, I like to focus on the fact it’s done well or not.

New Orleans is a vibrant and unique city; I don’t think one story or one author has been able to capture the essence of this iconic place. It means different things to different people. The one thing it does for everyone is evoke feeling; whether they love it or hate it, there are emotions associated with New Orleans. In my opinion, an anthology does a better job at capturing the spirit of the French Quarter because there is a spirit in those streets.

Joshua Clark does an excellent job choosing stories by well known and highly acclaimed authors to lesser known. The stories range from heart breaking to hilarious.

The French Quarter and alcohol are synonymous. You can walk around with a drink in your hand in the Quarter. You should because everyone does. New Orleans wouldn’t be New Orleans without alcohol being a part of the story. The stories begin with a map so you can orient yourself. French Quarter Fiction is divided up into sections. Each section is started with an iconic drink name, the history, and a recipe. I don’t drink, but you should read this with a drink in your hand. It won’t make it better because it’s already good, but it will give you an authentic New Orleans experience from your couch.

I seriously suggest picking up French Quarter Fiction if you love New Orleans or have an interest in the city.

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Title: French Quarter Fiction
Edited By: Joshua Clark
Publisher: Fall River Press (Light of New Orleans Publishing, LLC)
Copyright: 2010
ISBN: 9781435123953

Books, Fiction

You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

November 6, 2019November 6, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Yes
Length 256
Quick Review A collection of short stories chronicling and eviscerating characters navigating everyday problems of the modern era and socioeconomic status, gender, and love.

You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld | Dress | Earrings | Basket | Watch | Flower Crown

You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld in a basket of flowers.

Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my favorite authors; I have several of her novels sitting on my bookshelves – only one is unread. I came upon her writing in The New Yorker a few years ago, and I have been a huge fan ever since. In my opinion, she is one of the best contemporary writers. There is no hesitation in her stories to put words to thoughts, emotions, and judgements just about everyone can identify with. Her short story collection, You Think It, I’ll Say It, is no different.

I was familiar with one of the stories in the book because The Prairie Wife had previously been published in The New Yorker, but that didn’t stop me from reading it again.

Every story is told from the first person perspective. Sittenfeld has the ability to really bring the reader into the mindset of the character in that moment of their lives without having to spell everything or give an overwhelming amount of backstory. There is a rare artistry in the way she portrays each person with their own way of speaking, thinking, and processing the situations they find themselves in. Every story and character is a critique on the modern world and society; in one way or another, there is an essence of You Think It, I’ll Say It.

Sittenfeld tackles the subjects of marriage, emotional infidelity, class, education, gender roles, sex, finances, and so much more. Each story creates a picture of what living in today’s world looks like and our unique ability to silently watch and judge the entire world’s actions from the comfort of our own homes.

Relationships are at the center of You Think It, I’ll Say It, whether they are romantic or platonic relationships. Relationships are at the center of being human. Sittenfeld has no problem completely eviscerating her characters, their choices, and their motivations. It’s entertaining to read, but is entirely all too relatable.

I really loved reading this collection of short stories. They’re beautifully told. Perfect for the moments you don’t have time to emotionally invest yourself in a novel, but you want something engaging and thought provoking. You Think It, I’ll Say It has everything I want in fiction.

Memorable Quotes
“It’s not that she’s unaware that she’s an elitist asshole. She’s aware! She’s just powerless not to be one.”
“It turned out that simply by celebrating this particular birthday, I’d crossed some border of nonconformity, and while I still could – can – turn around, retrace my steps, and assume citizenship in the nation of wedlock, the expectation seems to be that I won’t.”

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Title: You Think It, I’ll Say It
Author: Curtis Sittenfeld
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780525508700

Books, Fiction

Sabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

July 2, 2019June 28, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Yes
Length 224
Quick Review A collection of stories centering around latina women of indigenious descent and their lives as women, mothers, sisters, friends, and as people in the American West.

Reading Sabrina & Corina in Galveston, Texas | Bikini Top | Bikini Bottom

Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine at the beach in Galveston, Texas.

Kali Fajardo-Anstine writes a beautiful and haunting collection of stories in her debut book Sabrina & Corina. Each story is a snapshot into the life of latina-indigenious women in the American West.

The stories are complicated and deeply laced with heartache and perseverance. There is strength in the women Fajardo-Anstine creates, and a fearlessness in the stories she tells. The women live in different times and under different circumstances, but they are all a testament to the scars of their homeland and the truth of being a woman and a minority in an inhospitable land.

I truly love the way the stories ebb and flow in Sabrina & Corina. Fajardo-Anstine brings voices to a population often left out of the narrative. The world is in dire need of stories about latina-indigenous women.

Sabrina & Corina is absolutely enveloping. I read it in a day because I couldn’t put it down. There are so many things about the stories I can relate to as a woman, and so many things I can’t relate to because I do not share the characters ethnic background. Nonetheless, it is impossible to not feel deeply while reading the stories.

Memorable Quotes
“I was ashamed of myself that I still wanted her close to me, even after everything she had done.”
“”Dead people,” he said, “are like white people. They can’t dance.””

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Title: Sabrina & Corina
Author: Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Publisher: One World
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9780525511298

Books, Fiction

Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang

May 11, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Maybe
Length 256
Quick Review A collection of short stories exploring family, love, and identity for a generation of Chinese.

Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang | Cherry Shoes

Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang is a collection of incredibly moving short stories oscillating between depressing, funny, tragic, and cringy.

There is a lot going on in this little book. The short stories in Home Remedies are divided up into three sections: Family, Love, Time and Space. The first story does a great job setting the tone of the book. It’s serious and pulls the reader into the book. There is no way you can put the book down once you start reading.

One of the most impactful scenes in the entire book is a scene on page 89. It made me angry, uncomfortable, and feeling a little gross. Good writers don’t shy away from the tough topics, and Wang dove right into the difficult stuff throughout all of Home Remedies. There is never a moment she doesn’t shy away from the human topics. Life is complex and difficult, and Wang captures these moments in her short stories. It focuses on a generation of people in China and Chinese immigrants.

Wang bridges a gap. Giving a voice and story to people who have had very little representation in the Western world. Wang helps define people as human and not by their culture, skin color, or place of birth. Things may be different on the surface, but deep down humans all have similar desires, feelings, and experiences.

Wang’s debut book, Home Remedies, will be available May 14, 2019, and it’s going to make an impression.

Memorable Quotes
“Love could be a burden, too.”
“She was keenly aware of time lines, expiration dates of food, the shelf life of flowering plants, and the appropriateness of behavior at any given age.”

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Title: Home Remedies
Author: Xuan Juliana Wang
Publisher: Hogarth
Copyright: 2019
ISBN: 9781984822741

Books, Fiction

How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs

October 5, 2018March 29, 2019 RaeAnna

Worth a Read Yes
Length 256
Quick Review In How to Love a Jamaican, Alexia Arthurs compiles a book full of resonating short stories. I can’t stop thinking about the various characters and stories she tells.

Reading *How to Love a Jamaican* by Alexia Arthurs.

Alexia Arthurs was born and raised in Jamaica before emigrating to New York with her family at 12. These experiences are highlighted in her collection of short stories How to Love a Jamaican, which was published earlier this year. I was drawn to her stories because she attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and I’m from Iowa. I always root for people who have a connection to Iowa. Although, I have no idea if she liked her time in Iowa or not.

She starts of her book with a bang. Immediately she captured my attention. Even though I’m not black or Jamaican, I can completely identify with the story about friendship and college. It is incredibly relatable. I was taken by the sentiment: “I don’t know why more love stories aren’t written about platonic intimacy.” Boom. Feels were hit. I had to finish the book in one sitting; I was so captivated by her words.

Jamaica, immigration, and family are almost characters in their own right as they wind their way through How to Love a Jamaican. Each story fleshes out their entities more and more fully. Jamaica is ever present in the story and the characters minds, which extends to the reader.

Arthurs has a fabulous voice in these stories. It is personal and warm. Even when the topic is racism or immigration, there is always a warmth to her tone. This warmth, I can only assume, stems from a deep affection and desire to help effect change. There is a certain amount of nostalgia within the collection.

The stories are told from various perspectives. Depending on the story, the narrator is male or female. In some stories, there is a first person or third person point-of-view. It was done really well.

Two things I loved most about the stories are a constant search for belonging as well as a tension between the younger and older, or “country,” generations. They are very much part of the human experience. I believe everyone feels alone or out of place in the world. The feeling that the older generation just doesn’t get it is human. We all have grandparents or aunts or parents or friends’ parents who are out of touch with the norm of today.

There are so many things I loved reading in How to Love a Jamaican. It’s so exciting to read an author from a culture, which is probably known more for their bobsled team, than almost anything else. I just get excited when women of color win. This book is for sure a win. It was so good.

One story really hit home for me. The Ghost of Jia Yi is set in Iowa. (Yay Iowa.) It was eery. In the story, a college-aged woman is killed in Iowa. One of her classmates, the protagonist, ruminates on it. This was eery because two young women in college were murdered in Iowa over the past two months. One woman was murdered in my hometown. Very sad.

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Memorable Quotes
“I don’t know why more love stories aren’t written about platonic intimacy.”
“Iowa isn’t the kind of place Jamaicans talk about when they talk about America.”

Title: How to Love a Jamaican
Author: Alexia Arthurs
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9781524799205

Books, Fiction

Interpreter of Maladies

August 10, 2017 RaeAnna

Read Yes
Length 198
Quick Review A collection of eight short stories exploring the meaning of disappointment and unfulfilled expectations.

I had never read anything by Jhumpa Lahiri, so I was excited to experience her writing for the first time. She did not disappoint. Lahiri explores the meaning of disappointment and the feeling of unfulfilled expectations. In most of the stories, the hopes and expectations of the characters are met in a drastically different way than they hope; driving home the message that life gives us what we want, it may not be how we want. Lahiri shows the build up, the enjoyment of living in a world filled with expectation, the realisation, and the mourning period when the inevitability of life is so painfully tangible.

The following eight short stories are in the order they appear in the book. They are each around twenty pages in length, give or take a few.

A Temporary Matter
Shukumar and Shoba were both born in the US. They are of Indian heritage; unlike Shoba, Shukumar does not have childhood memories of visits to India. They are going through a difficult time in their marriage after the stillbirth of their first child because the pain has become a barrier dividing them instead of bringing them together. They reconnect during an hourly power outtage every night for a week.

When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine
A young girl and her family open their home to Mr. Pirzada, a Bengali man working on his degree in the US while separated from his family. The girl is torn between feeling like an outsider in her own home and excitement for having a new person visit every evening. She is also beginning to understand the difference between her family’s culture and that of the one she is surrounded by.

Interpreter of Maladies
Mr. Kapasi is a driver for tourists on the weekend, but during the week he works as an interpreter for a doctor.. He is driving a young family and developes a small crush on the wife. As they begin to talk, he realizes she is just as flawed as everyone else in the world and not a perfect creature.

Sexy
A young, career woman, Miranda, began an affair with an older married, Indian man, Dev, as she listens to her coworker, Laxmi, console a cousin whose husband is having an affair. To keep her affair alive, she spends money on a beautiful dress and lingerie hoping to wear it for Dev one day. Miranda ends up babysitting for the son of Laxmi’s cousin, who is aware of the affair his father had. Through an afternoon spent with a young boy, she becomes aware of the consequences her situation can have.

Mrs. Sen’s
Mrs. Sen watches Eliot after school, as she is trying to learn how to drive a car. Mrs. Sen is learning to drive and function in a new society. Mrs. Sen hates being far away from her home in India where she has whole fish and independence without a car. She has everything her family believes the could want like a rainbow of saris and a professional husband, but she misses the comfort of home.

This Blessed House
Twinkle and Sanjeev are newly weds in a house. Sanjeev isn’t sure he loves his wife but he’s irritated by her love of finding and keeping the Christian items left throughout the house by the previous owners. At their housewarming everyone is dazzled by Twinkle, and Sanjeev realizes he enjoys the status of his new, beautiful, young, charming wife.

The Treatment of Bibi Haldar
Bibi Haldar was plagued by an illness no one could diagnose or fix – which was probably epilepsy. She dreamt of having a husband to take care of. It was her only hope, and she couldn’t stop talking about it. After a particular episode, she was prescribed marriage to ease her symptoms, but no one would take her on as a wife because of her reputation as a lune. After a difficult few months of seclusion she was found pregnant. She never married, but, instead, had a son who she cared for without being plighted by another episode.

The Third and Final Continent
He was born in India, studied in London, and worked in Cambridge at MIT. His wife Mala joined him in the US having been married for six weeks but only spending five days together. They were strangers at the beginning of their journey, but looking back on their life in Cambridge they can’t imagine not knowing each other.

Memorable Quotes
““I only spoil children who are incapable of spoiling.””
“… life, I realized, was being lived in Dacca first.”
“It means loving someone you don’t know.”
“He did not know if he loved her.”
“ She wanted to be spoken for, protected, placed on her path in life.”

Title: Interpreter of Maladies
Author: Jhumpa Lahiri
Publisher: Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Copyright: 1999
ISBN: 9780395927205