This post "gave" me that great A+ story to read. So thank you!
Although I am Jewish, that family's Jewish journey was not personally familiar to me, which perhaps made it all the more fascinating. Our familial records of the old country stretch back to pre-1880. My grandchildren are the fifth generation to be born in America. On Friday we had a Jewish baby-naming ceremony for our six month old granddaughter. The story made me think how precious that continuity is.
Thanks David. It's a great story. Glad you enjoyed it. I was thinking of you a bit as I read it tbh. That whole world was so solid for so long. Bezmozgis may be slightly overreacting to the Columbia encampments but it does feel like something irreparable may have happened to that perspective.
His portrayal of the daughter rang true . I know of a number of parent/child schisms as a result of Gaza. My kids are not radicalized and generally wary of anyone who feels too strongly either way.
To be clear, I didn’t see you IN the story, just thought it was something you might like and relate to! Hard to hear about the parent/child schisms over Gaza. I don’t think I know of any myself but I do know how divisive it can be for families.
I like this idea a lot. Normally I wouldn't bother with short stories but you led me to go and read Starnone's, an author I'm familiar with. I really enjoyed his story, which feels very, very Italian to me, similar to authors like Alberto Moravia and Elsa Morante. They also have stories about young children, told from their point of view. One thing to mention, which might add a bit of meaning to Starnone's tale and the question of truth/falsehood in storytelling, is that Starnone is widely considered to be Elena Ferrante. Ferrante is a pseudonym for anyone who doesn't know.
Yeah, I saw that after I read the story and decided not to mention it. Based on this very limited sample, I'm inclined to disbelieve it. Ferrante is much straight realism. This story is coming from a similar world but is more Fabulist.
I assume we'll find out at some point, but who knows? I wouldn't mind if it remained a mystery. Another thing against Starnone, at least to me, is that he's published over 20 novels under his own name. So if you add that to Ferrante's bibliography, it's staggering. How can someone write so much...
I agree more with you than N.K. The short story is dead until it isn't. Critique goes a long way to resuscitating interest in short stories. Please continue!
This celebration of the short story’s quiet power is a much-needed antidote to our attention-starved era. You perfectly capture how the form’s constraints—those ‘glimpses through a keyhole’—become its greatest strength, proving that emotional resonance needs no sprawling canvas. A love letter to literature’s most underrated act of precision.
Just finished "From, To" today. That's quite a story. Relevant. Clear. Refreshing. I absolutely love your "punching up" grades. And great stories in small journals need some love (or at least attention) too!
This post "gave" me that great A+ story to read. So thank you!
Although I am Jewish, that family's Jewish journey was not personally familiar to me, which perhaps made it all the more fascinating. Our familial records of the old country stretch back to pre-1880. My grandchildren are the fifth generation to be born in America. On Friday we had a Jewish baby-naming ceremony for our six month old granddaughter. The story made me think how precious that continuity is.
I hope this becomes a monthly feature.
Thanks David. It's a great story. Glad you enjoyed it. I was thinking of you a bit as I read it tbh. That whole world was so solid for so long. Bezmozgis may be slightly overreacting to the Columbia encampments but it does feel like something irreparable may have happened to that perspective.
His portrayal of the daughter rang true . I know of a number of parent/child schisms as a result of Gaza. My kids are not radicalized and generally wary of anyone who feels too strongly either way.
To be clear, I didn’t see you IN the story, just thought it was something you might like and relate to! Hard to hear about the parent/child schisms over Gaza. I don’t think I know of any myself but I do know how divisive it can be for families.
I like this idea a lot. Normally I wouldn't bother with short stories but you led me to go and read Starnone's, an author I'm familiar with. I really enjoyed his story, which feels very, very Italian to me, similar to authors like Alberto Moravia and Elsa Morante. They also have stories about young children, told from their point of view. One thing to mention, which might add a bit of meaning to Starnone's tale and the question of truth/falsehood in storytelling, is that Starnone is widely considered to be Elena Ferrante. Ferrante is a pseudonym for anyone who doesn't know.
Yeah, I saw that after I read the story and decided not to mention it. Based on this very limited sample, I'm inclined to disbelieve it. Ferrante is much straight realism. This story is coming from a similar world but is more Fabulist.
I assume we'll find out at some point, but who knows? I wouldn't mind if it remained a mystery. Another thing against Starnone, at least to me, is that he's published over 20 novels under his own name. So if you add that to Ferrante's bibliography, it's staggering. How can someone write so much...
A fabulous idea!
Thanks!
Nice takes. Good idea to review short stories.
Appreciate it Guy! As far as I can tell, this hasn't really been done, which is surprising. They're much easier to read (and opine on) than novels!
Love this idea.
Thanks!
I agree more with you than N.K. The short story is dead until it isn't. Critique goes a long way to resuscitating interest in short stories. Please continue!
Appreciate it Camila!
Thanks for this.
Thank you!
Necessary. Thank you
Thank you!
this is the kind of post i didn’t know i needed, thank you!
This celebration of the short story’s quiet power is a much-needed antidote to our attention-starved era. You perfectly capture how the form’s constraints—those ‘glimpses through a keyhole’—become its greatest strength, proving that emotional resonance needs no sprawling canvas. A love letter to literature’s most underrated act of precision.
really like this format
Just finished "From, To" today. That's quite a story. Relevant. Clear. Refreshing. I absolutely love your "punching up" grades. And great stories in small journals need some love (or at least attention) too!
This is marvelous. Incredibly refreshing to see actually honest reviews (and energizing to read the blistering ones!!)
This makes me really want to read that Joshua Cohen story!
See if you feel the same way after you've read it!
I’m so glad you’re doing this! Thank you. I hope you keep going.
Thank you Susan!
I wonder if there's a grade below F-minus. Could we find out? Please review my story, "A House of her Own."
https://open.substack.com/pub/ronstewart1/p/a-house-of-her-own?r=1edy6n&utm_medium=ios
Lol! Will check out.