Featured Stories

Snow, Glass, Apples

Snow-Glass-Apples: Short story by Neil GaimanThis Neil Gaiman story is yet another re-invention of the Snow White tale. However, a shift in point-of-view from a third-person omniscient narrator to the first-person perspective of the Queen allows the story to be re-imagined in a way we are unlikely to see from Disney. The much-maligned Queen knows a little magic (enough to glimpse the future and enchant the King), but not enough to match her evil stepdaughter. In the end, the Queen’s fate adds a new meaning to the slang term to feel cooked. Themes include power, vampirism, murder, revenge, jealousy, cruelty, sexual depravity (necrophilia, pedophilia, incest).

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Escapes

Escapes: Short story by Joy WilliamsThis disturbing story from Joy Williams deals with the difficulty of escaping addiction (in this case a mother’s alcohol abuse) and, for those close to you (her daughter), its consequences. The theme of escape runs throughout the story, from the mother’s escape of her demons through drinking, to the father leaving them, multiple references to the escape artist Houdini, a kindly theatre usher relating his escape from alcoholism, and the daughter’s strong desire to “get out of it”. Sadly, the mother’s escape (and perhaps her daughter’s) doesn’t come until her death. Other themes include alcohol abuse, abandonment, mother-daughter relationships.

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Tiny, Smiling Daddy

Tiny, Smiling Daddy: Short story by Mary GaitskillMary Gaitskill doesn’t pull punches. This is one of those rare stories where you (almost) feel sympathy for a protagonist who is a real jerk. A father reflects on the past after learning that his daughter has written a magazine article about their relationship following her “coming out” as lesbian. Any sympathy stems from the fact that there are two sides to his character: the angry, self-absorbed homophobe who threw his daughter out of the house; and the confused, reclusive, emotionally troubled man struggling to face his failings as a father. Themes: father-daughter relationships, teenage rebellion, sexual identity, acceptance, disconnection.

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Counterfeit Bills

Counterfeit Bills: Short story by Richard MathesonRichard Matheson is renowned for his novels and traditional short stories in the fantasy, horror and science fiction genres. This is one of his few published flash stories, and the fact that it is a spoof of the science fiction cloning model makes it especially interesting. The story is based on the premise of how nice it would be to have a ‘double’ to carry out all the mundane tasks in your life, so you could spend all your time going out and having fun. Despite (or perhaps thanks to) the corny puns, it is a very enjoyable Quick Read.

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Mechanopolis

Mechanopolis: Short story by Miguel de UnamunoIn this story by Miguel De Unamuno, a man dying of thirst in a desert is saved when he stumbles upon an oasis in which there is a mysterious train station. He boards a seemingly empty waiting train and is whisked off to a magnificent, deserted, fully functioning city of the future. The city’s machines and infrastructure continue to operate with no apparent human involvement. His curiosity turns to horror when he realizes the machines are sentient and concerned about his psychological and emotional state. Themes include human extinction, the ascendency of sentient machines, loneliness, paranoia, mental instability.

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The Outcasts of Poker Flat

The Outcasts of Poker Flat: Short story by Bret HarteBret Harte’s “outcasts” are four “improper persons” (a gambler, a prostitute, a brothel madam, and a drunkard and suspected thief) banished by a vigilante group from a Californian Gold Rush town. When they camp for the night on the way to the next settlement, the drunkard steals their horses. The other three and a young couple journeying the other way find themselves “snowed in” in a secluded mountain cabin. With food and firewood running low, we see another side of the remaining outcasts. Themes: appearances; immorality vs. innocence; goodness; sacrifice; the power of nature; luck, fate and human agency.

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Gooseberries

Gooseberries: Short story by Anton ChekhovFor me, the major theme of this philosophical story by Anton Chekhov (the nature of happiness) is conveyed through the symbolization of the plateful of gooseberries. This can be expressed in two seemingly conflicting idioms: one man’s (Ivan’s brother’s) sweet taste of success can leave a sour taste in someone else’s mouth. Put Chekhov’s way, complete happiness shouldn’t exist because it requires contributing to and/or being indifferent to the suffering of others; true fulfillment in life only comes from doing good. Other themes: obsession, greed, ego, class, isolation, mortality, city vs. country life, the beauty of nature.

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The Red Convertible

The Red Convertible: Short story by Louise ErdrichThe titular car in this confronting coming of age story by Louise Erdrich symbolizes freedom and the youthful bonding of Native-American half-brothers Lyman and Henry. Lyman is good with money and responsible. Henry is older, stronger, and more impulsive. On buying the car, they take a summer road-trip through the wilds of Montana before picking up a hitchhiker and driving her all the way home to Alaska. Upon their return, Henry is drafted and sent to Vietnam. He comes back a changed man, suffering a downward spiral of depression and despair. Themes: brotherhood, youth, freedom, PTSD, alienation, suicide, loss.

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