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A review by kellylynnthomas
The Best Small Fictions 2016 by Tina Barry, Stuart Dybek, Kathy Fish, Justin Lawrence Daugherty, Megan Giddings, Grant Faulkner, Robert Vaughan, Tara Lynn Masih, Janey Skinner, Amelia Gray
4.0
This is a fantastic collection of small fictions, and introduced me to many new flash authors I haven't heard of. I was also impressed with the range of journals represented here--it shows that there are, in fact, a good number of presses running excellent flash fiction (if you had any doubts).
The stories range from dark and creepy ("Milk Teeth" by A. Nicole Kelly; "Pitcher of Cream" by Caitlin Scarano) to the familial and domestic ("Healing Time" by Paul Beckman; "Reunion" by Megan Giddings; "The Toad" by Grant Faulkner) to the politically charged and pointed ("The Herald" by Eliel Lucero).
This collection is small--only 124 pages of fiction--but every story packs a punch. I didn't love every story, but even the ones that I wasn't enamored were objectively well-written and poignant stories. Good anthologies challenge you and your reading tastes, I think, and Best Small Fictions certainly does that.
I will definitely be checking out the 2015 volume, and eagerly await 2017.
The stories range from dark and creepy ("Milk Teeth" by A. Nicole Kelly; "Pitcher of Cream" by Caitlin Scarano) to the familial and domestic ("Healing Time" by Paul Beckman; "Reunion" by Megan Giddings; "The Toad" by Grant Faulkner) to the politically charged and pointed ("The Herald" by Eliel Lucero).
This collection is small--only 124 pages of fiction--but every story packs a punch. I didn't love every story, but even the ones that I wasn't enamored were objectively well-written and poignant stories. Good anthologies challenge you and your reading tastes, I think, and Best Small Fictions certainly does that.
I will definitely be checking out the 2015 volume, and eagerly await 2017.