Featured Stories

The Year of Spaghetti

The Year of Spaghetti: Short story by Haruki MurakamiThis story by Haruki Murakami describes how a reclusive man made 1971 his “year of Spaghetti”. After buying the necessary equipment and ingredients, he set out to cook spaghetti every day of the year. He cooked spaghetti to live and lived to cook spaghetti, comparing it to an act of revenge against his fears and feelings of meaningless isolation. Although he always eats alone, he often imagines someone standing outside about to visit. When his peace is shattered by a desperate phone call from an ex-friend’s ex-girlfriend, he declines to get involved. Themes include loneliness, self-alienation, obsession, futility.

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Searching for Summer

Searching for Summer: Short story by Joan AikenPublished in 1958, ten years into the Cold War, this Jane Aiken story is set in the aftermath of an unstated nuclear event. Massive clouds surround the Earth, blocking out the sun and stars. People crave the sun’s warmth and light, which only penetrate the clouds on rare, short-lived occasions. A newlywed couple set off on their honeymoon in search of one of these “bits of sun”. An act of kindness along the way leads them to more sun and starlight than many people see in their lives. Themes: taking things for granted, consequences of war, kindness, consideration for others.

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Voodoo

Voodoo: Flash story by Fredric BrownThis story by Fredric Brown explores the use of black magic to solve a marriage problem. Mr and Mrs Decker have decided on a divorce. Love has turned to hate, and the break-up is not friendly. The biggest issue they need to agree on is the financial settlement. Mrs Decker wants half of everything; Mr Decker thinks this is too much. She knows voodoo, and tells him she could use it to kill and him and get everything if he didn’t agree. This leads to an all-or-nothing bet. Themes include hatred, divorce, greed, the supernatural.

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The Magic Shop

The Magic Shop: Short story by H. G. WellsThis delightful fantasy from H. G. Wells is about ‘magic’ and perception. A father and son enter a strange Magic Shop. As they begin to look around, the shopkeeper appears and entertains them with some ‘magic’. The innocent boy watches in awe, while his skeptical father looks for the sources of trickery. The pair moves further into the store and witness additional, seemingly impossible wonders. The father, realizing that what he sees may be real, becomes increasingly uncomfortable and begins to suspect the presence of unnatural forces. Themes: childhood innocence and wonder, father-son relationships, trickery vs. the supernatural.

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Bible

Bible: Short story by Tobias WolffTobias Wolff’s Bible starts with schoolteacher Maureen facing one of a woman’s worst fears. A man comes up behind her in a parking lot, demands her keys, and forces her into her car. Superficially, the story is about justice. The man’s son is about to be expelled from her school for cheating. On a deeper level, it is an account of the failed relationships in Maureen’s life. The man wants Maureen to swear on a white bible he got from Goodwill. White is a symbol of innocence and purity; throwing it in a goodwill bin suggests casting off these values.

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The Grandmother

The Grandmother: Short story by K. SurangkhanangI should start by saying that, as someone who spent twelve years teaching at a Thai university, this story by K. Surangkhanang is the opposite of my experience of Thai attitudes towards older family members and the aged in general. Rejected by four of her five children, a frail grandmother lives a miserable life. Forced to fend for herself selling dumplings, she walks for hours every day, facing rudeness and disrespect wherever she goes. The devout woman prays for death, hoping for a better life in her next incarnation. Themes include poverty, selfishness and ingratitude, disrespect, dignity, religious devotion.

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The Tale

The Tale: Short story by Joseph ConradIn this story by Joseph Conrad, a man tells his lover a tale about an English naval captain (who she later deduces to be him) racked with guilt over a decision made at sea. While sheltering from fog, he encountered a trading ship that he became increasingly suspicious of being a privateer supplying fuel to enemy U-boats. The ship’s papers were in order, and he had no legal basis for seizing it. Nevertheless, he found a way to send it and all on board to their doom without firing a shot. Themes include duty vs. morality in war, guilt. Themes include duty vs. morality in war, guilt.

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The Perfect Match

The Perfect Match: Short story by Ken LiuIn this dystopian story by Ken Liu, a powerful cyber system gathers information on the habits, desires and preferences of almost everyone in the world. Through its motherly virtual assistant “Tilly” (Hey Google!), it uses this information to control unfavourable governments and manipulate user’s lives, including autosuggesting products from advertising partners. A member of a rebellious hacking group and disillusioned lawyer caught trying to take down the system are made an offer they cannot refuse. Themes include corporate greed vs. “benevolence”, the dangers of overreliance on AI (blind acceptance and loss of humanity), manipulation and control, rebellion.

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