Short Stories Book Reviews

An intense collection of characters in emotional tumult, Loves and Entanglements by Lewis Bogaty demonstrates the author’s sensitivity to the human condition, and the impossible choices we are so often forced to make.

These thirteen quick-moving vignettes vary in time period, subject matter, writing style, and tone, but are tied together by enticing human drama – desire, disappointment, heartbreak, and possibility. Some tales end with a sudden twist, others with a single powerful line that leaves the emotional weight hanging thick, without resolution, yet still somehow satisfying. Manipulating readers’ expectations and emotions with ease, this collection is a masterclass in […]

Compelling and compassionate, mysterious and melancholy, Soft & Rage by Myka Silber is an extraordinary set of short stories. Surefootedly spanning a dazzling array of genres and styles, the collection feels fused together by its beautiful writing, clear-eyed point of view, and profound concern with the human condition.

Although it treats many different themes and ideas, at its heart Soft & Rage is, above all else, a deep meditation on grief and loss. Viewed through the variety of lenses afforded by the range of story types, Silber comes at the issue from many different angles and is able to explore […]

Ten talented writers contribute a creative storm of stories in response to a single question in the macabre and compelling collection, What Happened to Annabell? With a fascinating hook for these tales – an original writing prompt that is both straightforward and inherently intriguing – it is easy to be pulled into this entertaining and expertly curated collection.

After seeing a headstone from more than a century ago, bearing a female name that lacked a death date, a curious writing prompt was composed, imagining the fate of such a woman. The variety of clever and dark takes on the concept […]