A review by helenmcclory
Flash Fiction International: Very Short Stories from Around the World by Robert Shapard, James Thomas, Christopher Merrill

It's probably too hard to rate a diverse collection such as this, with stories from over eighty different people, plus snippets of flash fiction theory to finish - so what can I say? A hefty, healthy compendium, with lots of familiar names (and a tendency to lean more American than I'd expected). If I had a criticism, it's that the collection is rather more realist than experimental, and perhaps misses out on some more nimble works than it could have showcased. I did notice a bit of a repetition of theme - more than a handful of the stories were on the topic of adultery, a subject that I don't find particularly of interest. There were quite a few I really enjoyed, some that managed to span a whole lifetime in two pages, or combine two narratives in a single strand, or examined some cryptological species, or simply focused in on a moment of elevated humanity.

A good addition to any course on flash fiction, definitely.