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Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
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Do you know of any books that are a compilation of short stories that are interwoven? Perhaps the same character is in all the stories or something like that?
Each story stands by itself on its own merit but, when combined, they tell a tale of "the bigger picture."
I'm thinking along the lines of Olive Kitteridge (labeled as 13 linked tales).
If you know of any like this, could you please let me know their titles?
One book that came to my mind is Hubert Selby's Last Exit To Brooklyn. It is a collection of short stories about different characters who frequent an all night diner in a very rough blue collar neighborhood in Brooklyn (perhaps Red Hook?) in the years just after World War 2.
Last Exit is in my opinion a terrific book - really superb writing ... riveting, fascinating ... but it is a very disturbingly brutal and graphic book about petty criminals, drugs, prostitutes, drag queens, etc. Not for the squeamish! This book opens the gates of hell and exposes the ugly side of human nature and those living as "underprivileged" members of society.
Do you know of any books that are a compilation of short stories that are interwoven? Perhaps the same character is in all the stories or something like that?...
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 33,029,371 times
Reputation: 28903
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark Park
One book that came to my mind is Hubert Selby's Last Exit To Brooklyn. It is a collection of short stories about different characters who frequent an all night diner in a very rough blue collar neighborhood in Brooklyn (perhaps Red Hook?) in the years just after World War 2.
Last Exit is in my opinion a terrific book - really superb writing ... riveting, fascinating ... but it is a very disturbingly brutal and graphic book about petty criminals, drugs, prostitutes, drag queens, etc. Not for the squeamish! This book opens the gates of hell and exposes the ugly side of human nature and those living as "underprivileged" members of society.
I just ordered a used copy on Amazon. Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cida
Yes, Melissa Bank's two books, I believe, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing and The Wonder Spot.
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. It's a collection of short stories about the Vietnam War and Vietnam vets, and to make things more interesting, there's a character named Tim O'Brien, but the stories aren't directly autobiographical.
Lots of sci/fi. Some of the best known authors have fan clubs that encourage fans to submit short stories for anthologies. Marion Zimmer Bradley, Andre Norton, and Mercedes Lackey (who started doing shorts for MZB's anthologies) come to mind.
I've had time to think of some more short story writers - they are mostly (all?) Canadian, with good reputations in the CanLit scene here but maybe unknown in the US. I had to go to Amazon.ca for links to their books.
One is Lois Braun. She started off with The Stone Watermelon, which was nominated for the GG award in 1986. Her latest book is the Penance Drummer.
Sandra Birdsell also started off with short stories, but her most recent books have been novels. She has a chatty, down-to-earth style and I seem to remember you like chatty books. She has also been nominated/won quite a few awards here. Her Agassiz Storiesis one of her earlier books, and highly praised.
My personal favourite short story writer (and I don't seek out short stories - I like novels) is Diane Schoemperlen. She actually writes novels too, but her style of writing is fractured in a certain way, as to form interlinked thoughts, and is not in traditional story-telling novel forms. I had to laugh when I first read one of her books, because she writes the way I think, but which I could never admit to in most circles.
She may not be for everyone because of her non-traditional way of writing, and her quirky way of seeing the world. I haven't read the book in the above link yet, but I think the description of the book on Amazon best sums up her quirkiness. Forms of Devotionis a specifically, linked short story collection. I don't remember the others with as much clarity, only that I just love her writing.
Then there's Annie Proulx's Wyoming Stories.One of her more famous short stories was Brokeback Mountain.
Nancy Culpepper by Bobbie Ann Mason sounds very interesting but I haven't read it yet.
There's another writer who is haunting the back of my mind, but I just can't think of the name right now.
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Last Exit To Brooklyn
