As the semester grinds forward, and assigned readings accumulate, short stories are the perfect way to enjoy reading for fun without having to commit to finishing a lengthy narrative. They provoke, intrigue, frighten, and introduce and resolve issues in just a few pages, but short stories, perhaps because they're so succinct, have a way of making their mark on readers.
A collection of short stories that recently stuck with me was released earlier this year by Amor Towles, who also wrote The Lincoln Highway and A Gentleman in Moscow (which is a show now, yippee!). This collection, entitled Table for Two: Fictions, includes six short stories set in New York and a novella set in glamorous Old Hollywood. The novella follows a character developed in Towles' earlier work, Rules of Civility, so if like me, you can't get enough of the badass Evelyn Ross, there's more of her story out there. This is a character who has a solution and an outfit for everything, and watching her brilliant, strategic mind solve the problems at hand simply doesn't get old-- especially as she comes to the aid of a rising star threatened with blackmail.
The characters are vibrant, with distinct neuroses and idiosyncrasies bringing them to life. I found myself wondering what the stories expressed about relationships, and how they can foster isolation and deceit as often as connection.
I also found myself wishing the stories were longer, particularly in the case of poor, sweet Pushkin, a Russian peasant who moves to New York City at the insistence of his powerhouse wife. The vivid writing inspires quite a level of empathy, and if you read this book, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
And if you're a voracious short-story-enjoyer, I'd love to recommend the painful, poignant work of Lucia Berlin or the haunting, disgusting, fabulous Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung.
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