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magicsarah's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kluidens's review
5.0
The author E.L. Doctorow once said that “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader—not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.” This came to mind as I flew through the 86 stories collected in Flash Fiction International, each by a different author and each only a few paragraphs long.
“Really?” a friend asked when I explained the anthology’s concept. “Isn’t that too short to have characters and a plot and everything?”
Maybe, but it’s long enough to really rain upon the reader. The sensations packed in microstories are remarkably vivid. And as far as characters and plot? You might be surprised how much meaning crams into a page or two when the writing is rich and the editing is sharp.
If necessity is the mother of invention, strict word count limits are the mother of artful diction. As writer Choire Sicha observes in an interview for (ironically) Longform, “The best job I ever had was writing listings. You had to get them so tight and so small and so vivid it was like a writing workshop every week.”
The storytellers selected for Flash have mastered their workshops. Each piece is utterly distinct; the best are startlingly intimate, thrusting us into unknown and often unnamed characters’ most intense moments within several lines.
My personal favorite? “The Gospel of Guy No-Horse” by Natalie Diaz, whose opening line itself reads like a micro-microstory. “At the Injun That Could, a jalopy bar drooping and lopsided on the bank of the Colorado River—a once mighty red body now dammed and tamed blue—Guy No-Horse was glistening drunk and dancing fancy with two white gals—both yellow-haired tourists still in bikini tops, freckled skins blistered pink by the savage Mohave Desert sun.”
Nuala Ní Chonchúir uses a more straight-forward hook in “The Egg Pyramid.” “There are things you can do when your husband sleeps with your sister.”
On the other hand, some stories draw strength not from deep human drama but from stunning depictions of the mundane. James Norcliffe somehow wrings dark beauty from “Squeegee,” a one-paragraph narrative about mopping. On the next page, Qiu Xiaolong knocks us breathless with an episode told “From the Roaches’ Perspective.”
I’d argue these microstories have more in common with poetry than with novels. Like poets, flash fiction writers must weigh the value of every word, slashing and rearranging to achieve a powerful effect in just a few lines. Their structures vary wildly, but many of these stories could be compared to the classic sonnet, which introduces an idea only to “turn” two-thirds in and spin the reader in an unexpected direction.
Whether you’re a poetry fan or more of a mainstream book-reader, please, take a taste of flash fiction with this collection. After all, while many novels achieve a powerful effect, this book achieves 86.
“Really?” a friend asked when I explained the anthology’s concept. “Isn’t that too short to have characters and a plot and everything?”
Maybe, but it’s long enough to really rain upon the reader. The sensations packed in microstories are remarkably vivid. And as far as characters and plot? You might be surprised how much meaning crams into a page or two when the writing is rich and the editing is sharp.
If necessity is the mother of invention, strict word count limits are the mother of artful diction. As writer Choire Sicha observes in an interview for (ironically) Longform, “The best job I ever had was writing listings. You had to get them so tight and so small and so vivid it was like a writing workshop every week.”
The storytellers selected for Flash have mastered their workshops. Each piece is utterly distinct; the best are startlingly intimate, thrusting us into unknown and often unnamed characters’ most intense moments within several lines.
My personal favorite? “The Gospel of Guy No-Horse” by Natalie Diaz, whose opening line itself reads like a micro-microstory. “At the Injun That Could, a jalopy bar drooping and lopsided on the bank of the Colorado River—a once mighty red body now dammed and tamed blue—Guy No-Horse was glistening drunk and dancing fancy with two white gals—both yellow-haired tourists still in bikini tops, freckled skins blistered pink by the savage Mohave Desert sun.”
Nuala Ní Chonchúir uses a more straight-forward hook in “The Egg Pyramid.” “There are things you can do when your husband sleeps with your sister.”
On the other hand, some stories draw strength not from deep human drama but from stunning depictions of the mundane. James Norcliffe somehow wrings dark beauty from “Squeegee,” a one-paragraph narrative about mopping. On the next page, Qiu Xiaolong knocks us breathless with an episode told “From the Roaches’ Perspective.”
I’d argue these microstories have more in common with poetry than with novels. Like poets, flash fiction writers must weigh the value of every word, slashing and rearranging to achieve a powerful effect in just a few lines. Their structures vary wildly, but many of these stories could be compared to the classic sonnet, which introduces an idea only to “turn” two-thirds in and spin the reader in an unexpected direction.
Whether you’re a poetry fan or more of a mainstream book-reader, please, take a taste of flash fiction with this collection. After all, while many novels achieve a powerful effect, this book achieves 86.
aschuch's review
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
adamrbrooks's review
3.0
I mostly enjoyed reading these microstories. Though for the most part they feel like scenes from a longer work, or even just writing experiments, rather than stories with a beginning, middle and end. Some fun ones about flies and god, Koko and death. And it was refreshing to be able to pick up, read for a few minutes, and set aside.
However, I'm not running back to the library in search of another compilation.
However, I'm not running back to the library in search of another compilation.
mspearlman's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
sydneyelaine123's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
lavenderbtcpodcast's review
5.0
Collection of short stores in the form of flash fiction. Used as a textbook for my class in summer 2020 covid-19 time. I wish there were more stores from Africa and the carribbean. Very interesting to see how others around the world view or express themselves through writing. Enjoyable.
levibaus's review
4.0
Insightful. Interesting. Fun.
This book was a great first step for me into flash fiction. I heard about it from a friend and I was interested in finding out more about the genre and style. I appreciated the "Flash Theory" and quotes from various authors in the back to get other people's insight as to what flash fiction is. Plus, by reading through most of the shorts in the book, I have a much better idea about what this genre entails.
Throughout the book I was fascinated by the different stories and shorts people composed. I appreciated the international aspect of this book, it gave a great glimpse to world wide view points and characterizations. Obviously there were some shorts that didn't quite do it for me, but, overall, I found the stories to be unique and interesting. The authors put immense effort into saturating story throughout a few paragraphs and the effects is marvelous. I don't quite feel right giving a "starred" rating to the book, yet I loved the collection overall and am glad I gave it a shot.
There was a lot of fun packed into these pages. I liked the various themes I encountered. One improvement may have come in the form of a theme filter for the book, so that they were separated into some rough categories. But, at the same time, I liked how I would be surprised with each new story.
If you have yet to read any flash fiction, this would be a great place to start. I would definitely recommend you to read this, especially since it has stories from authors from around the world.
This book was a great first step for me into flash fiction. I heard about it from a friend and I was interested in finding out more about the genre and style. I appreciated the "Flash Theory" and quotes from various authors in the back to get other people's insight as to what flash fiction is. Plus, by reading through most of the shorts in the book, I have a much better idea about what this genre entails.
Throughout the book I was fascinated by the different stories and shorts people composed. I appreciated the international aspect of this book, it gave a great glimpse to world wide view points and characterizations. Obviously there were some shorts that didn't quite do it for me, but, overall, I found the stories to be unique and interesting. The authors put immense effort into saturating story throughout a few paragraphs and the effects is marvelous. I don't quite feel right giving a "starred" rating to the book, yet I loved the collection overall and am glad I gave it a shot.
There was a lot of fun packed into these pages. I liked the various themes I encountered. One improvement may have come in the form of a theme filter for the book, so that they were separated into some rough categories. But, at the same time, I liked how I would be surprised with each new story.
If you have yet to read any flash fiction, this would be a great place to start. I would definitely recommend you to read this, especially since it has stories from authors from around the world.
meghanc303's review
5.0
What a beautiful collection! I read everything in here without skipping around, which is rare for me, and it was especially interesting to see the geographic trends in my favorite flash pieces. (Apparently I like flash from the UK, US and Argentina almost equally, with a dash of the Northern European. Who would've known!) This was the first collection of flash I've read, and as formal (or informal) introduction to the form, this book is a great read.
Recommended to: writer who want to learn about craft, readers who want to widen their authors outside their home country, those who don't understand what flash is at all and want to see what all the fuss is about.
Recommended to: writer who want to learn about craft, readers who want to widen their authors outside their home country, those who don't understand what flash is at all and want to see what all the fuss is about.
ida_ree's review
4.0
Here are stories you can read in less than five minutes. Every continent is represented, with the exception of Antarctica. Some of the authors amaze me with their ability to portray a character’s entire life in under 1,000 words. Two of my favorite pieces, “Barnes” by Edmundo Paz Soldán and “Idolatry” by Sherman Alexie, are each only one page long. Both authors explore the human craving for recognition, but in different ways.