Zero-Sum, the latest collection from Joyce Carol Oates, is a grab bag of goodies from various genres
This latest volume offers an energetic point of entry as well as a strong argument for Oates's continued relevance.
Agustina Bazterrica’s strange and uncomfortable short stories channel the ghost of Borges
There are pleasures aplenty to be found in Bazterrica's bitter and poisoned bouquet.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 31: “Nine Lives” by Ursula K. Le Guin
Le Guin had her pulse on the present and was able to anticipate where the human species was likely headed given its current trajectory.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 30: “Ancestral Links” by Yvonne Vera
The narrative highlights the danger ordinary citizens faced while attempting even routine business during wartime.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 29: “Clytie” by Eudora Welty
If Welty begins her tale as a moody Gothic throwback, by the conclusion she has injected a large dollop of ridiculousness.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 28: “The Last Kiss” by Maurice Level; Alys Eyre Macklin, trans.
Level was closely associated with Paris's notorious Théâtre du Grand-Guignol.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 27: “To Look Out the Window” by Orhan Pamuk; Maureen Freely, trans.
Throughout the story, lies and deception are common factors uniting the various characters.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 26: “Perfect Places” by Casey Plett
Plett is not content to let her story act as a didactic tale about cis intolerance.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 25: “Cheating at Canasta” by William Trevor
The true effects of grief cannot be diminished with platitudes, they must be respected and honoured.
31 Days of Stories 2023, Day 24: “Jumping Ship” by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Braithwaite's plot is tightly calibrated and it's not until the final third of the story that the crime even materializes.