Jhumpa Lahiri has been one of the most celebrated writers in the English language since her 1999 debut, Interpreter of Maladies. After moving to Italy in 2012 she’s continued to write fresh and inventive fiction in Italian as well. Roman Stories is a collection of short fiction that was originally published in Italian and translated… Continue reading Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
Category: Story Collections
If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
Jonathan Escoffery’s debut story collection, If I Survive You, is an exercise in reframing the mythos surrounding cultural identity. The interconnected stories revolve around Trelawny, the introspective and bookish son of Jamaican immigrants, who lives with his family in Miami. Trelawny’s father is a construction worker, and his older brother Delano follows in his footsteps,… Continue reading If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery
Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor
Brandon Taylor revisits the world of young people in academic settings struggling to keep it together while fracturing internally in his sophomore effort, the short fiction collection, Filthy Animals. Lionel, who appears in five of the eleven stories in this collection, somewhat resembles Wallace, the protagonist from Taylor’s debut novel, Real Life. Both are black… Continue reading Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Maríana Enriquez
Maríana Enriquez’s story collection, The Dangers of Smoking in Bed, published in Argentina in 2009 but translated into English in 2020, leans into the macabre and imbues the horror genre with cultural specificity. Most of the stories are set in or around Buenos Aires, and many involve both spiritual phenomenon like local folklore and Afro-Brazilian… Continue reading The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Maríana Enriquez
Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz
Dantiel W. Moniz’s debut story collection Milk Blood Heat is the rare debut the strikes a perfect note with every story, all of which coalesce to an elemental and stunning symphony. The stories mostly center around black women and girls living in the Jacksonville area, and many stories integrate the three title images of milk,… Continue reading Milk Blood Heat by Dantiel W. Moniz
Inheritors by Asako Serizawa
The Inheritors, award-winning fiction writer Asako Serizawa’s debut story collection, trains its eye both toward the past and the future to shed light on the present. The stories follow the history of one Japanese family, beginning in 1868 and spanning into the 2030’s. The family tree begins with Masayuki and Taeko, whose descendants cross continents—living… Continue reading Inheritors by Asako Serizawa
Lot by Bryan Washington
Purchase a copy for yourself here! “Houston is molting. The city sheds all over the concrete”, writes Bryan Washington in his award-winning story collection, Lot, an exploration of one of America’s most fascinating metropolises and the characters that inhabit it. Around half of the stories in the collection are told from the perspective of Nicolás,… Continue reading Lot by Bryan Washington
Verge by Lidia Yuknavitch
Purchase a copy for yourself here! Verge is the first story collection from Lidia Yuknavitch, author of the memoir The Chronology of Water, and the novels The Small Backs of Children, Dora, and most recently, The Book of Joan. The collection is made up of strange stories about characters living on the margins of society,… Continue reading Verge by Lidia Yuknavitch
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Purchase a copy for yourself here! Bernadine Evaristo’s eighth work of fiction, Girl, Woman, Other, earned her the Booker Prize for Fiction in 2019, marking the first instance in which the prize has ever been awarded to a black woman. The novel centers on the experiences of twelve black women in Britain, all of whom… Continue reading Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Salt Slow by Julia Armfield
Purchase a copy for yourself here! Salt Slow is the debut story collection from Julia Armfield, one that blends nature and magical realism with dazzling results. The stories are chiefly concerned with the bodies of young women, and explore both autonomy and human connection. Amongst Armfield’s collection of curiosities is a woman whose girlfriend returns… Continue reading Salt Slow by Julia Armfield