This edition was edited by Lauren Groff, whose personal tastes she described thus, "Give me the short and the sharp, like a slap; give me the long, slow immersion in an alien sea. I am searching for work that is written with blood or bile or choler, not necessarily sweat alone." And I have to say, after reading the collection, I'd probably read anything she recommends. There are many many good stories in this collection.
A couple I particularly liked were In the Flesh, We Shone by Alex Shakar; An Arc Welder, a Molotov Cocktail, a Bowie Knife by Kevin Wilson; and The Miracle Years of Little Fork by Rebecca Makkai.
In the Flesh is a story of a woman who falls in love with a dead man. As their relationship blooms, his flesh, does not. It's a really interesting take on love and futility. Little Fork follows the trials of a small town after the circus comes to town and the star elephant dies. It is all told through the eyes of a Reverend in the middle of a faith crisis. It's just a really interesting mix of subject matters that somehow works. Arc Welder is look into the lives of a man and his girlfriend following an incident of domestic violence among the girlfriend's family. They must take temporary custody of the sister's children. It's all very dysfunctional and somehow hypnotic. The narrator has you agreeing that he'd be a much better parent even as he criticizes how the children are raised but does absolutely nothing to change anything in their lives.
I even loved the Plan B essay this go round which I usually skip. Instead, this time, Thomas Pruiksma describes how he was a magician as a young child and how he managed to get back into magic but making it somehow literary. It's a unique read that I really cherish because I just can't imagine reading something like this anywhere else.
So yeah, I loved it. And I can't believe I let it sit on my nightstand for so long before getting to it.
5/5 Stars.
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