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A review by toystory242
The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories by Ben Marcus
3.0
So I had to read a few of these short stories for a class and decided "eh, why not, I'll read them all." I was both pleased and displeased with this decision. I really loved a few short stories in this collection, but honestly for the most part I felt like they were trying too hard to be *unique* and *thought-provoking* and *literary* that they just came across as grotesque or stupid and uggghhh. I hated that. The only reason this book is 3 stars is for the few stories in here that were, like, life-changing.
Alright! Here we go, from least favorite to favorite:
29. The Father's Blessing by Mary Caponegro 1/5: This was stupid and dumb and it didn't make any sense and it was creepy and I hated it yayaa
28. Two Brothers by Brain Evenson 1/5: Basically the same thing as above
27. Scarliotti and the Sinkhole 1.5/5: WTF was this?? I seriously don't know what some of these authors were DOINGGGGGG
26. People Shouldn't Have to be the Ones to Tell You by Gary Lutz 2/5: None of this made sense.
25. I'm Slavering by Sam Lipsyte 2/5: I actually had to read another one of his works for the class and luckily I liked it much more but this one just didn't make any coherent sense so I couldn't even begin to actually fathom what it was about.
24. You Drive by Christine Schutt 2/5: THIS DIDN'T MAKE SENSE!!!! I didn't LIKE IT!!
23. The Life and Work of Alphonse Kaunders by Aleksander Hemon 2/5: This was stupid and grotesque just for the sake of being so.
22. Someone to Talk to by Deborah Eisenberg 2.5/5: I felt like this was trying to be deep but it didn't really go anywhere? I didn't get the point of this one. The only thing going for it was the dialogue.
21. Short Talks by Anne Carson 2.5/5: This DIDN'T MAKE SENSEEEEEEEEEEASFASLDKFL
20. Gentleman's Agreement by Mark Richard 2.5/5: This was just short, weird, and sad. And gross. I just. Why???
19. All American by Diane Williams 2.5/5: I literally remember nothing about this one other than it was really short and I didn't really like it. There's like incest all up in these stories and I really could have just done without it.
18. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 2.5/5: This actually started off kind-of interesting (I mean, in a bad way, but kinda, IDK), but it just went off in a totally different direction that didn't connect to what was being talked about and it, again, DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. Why does something have to not make sense in order to qualify as stellar literary fiction??? I don't GET IT.
17. The Sound Gun by Matthew Derby 3/5: This was interesting, I guess. I don't really have anything to say about it.....
16. The Paperhanger by William Gay 3/5: This was good in a way, but I just didn't like the subject matter that was being talked about at allllll.
15. Histories of the Undead by Kate Braverman 3/5: I liked this one! But it was just okay. Hheh.
14. Letters to Wendy's by Joe Wenderoth 3/5: This one also didn't make sense but it was in a different format of not making sense so I guess I just accepted it.
13. Up the Old Goat Road by Dawn Raffel 3/5: I wish this one was longer, because I think it could've gone somewhere.
12. Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower 3/5: This was interesting, but IDK it just didn't have enough in it for me.
11. Do Not Disturb by A.M. Homes 3/5: This was interesting, but it made me depressed and mad at humanity, so.
10. The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Amiee Bender 3/5: This was pretty disjointed, but still had some really cool imagery.
9. The Old Dictionary by Lydia Davis 3.5/5: Also shoulda been longer.
8. Down the Road by Stephen Dixon 4/5: This one is literally almost the same as the other road one except a tiny bit longer and I guess I liked the writing more.
7. X Number of Possibilities by Joanna Scott 4/5: I actually really liked this one; I thought it was super interesting and really wanted to know more.
6. Where I Work by Ann Cummins 4/5: I also really liked this one! It was realistic! Not gross! Amazing!
5. Tiny, Smiling Daddy by Mary Gaitskill 4/5: Ughhhh this one was heartbreaking.
4. Field Events by Rick Bass 4.5/5: I loved this one. I was so worried something bad was going to happen to these beautiful characters but they were okay and I loved them. They all deserve happiness forever.
3. When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine 5/5: Amazing. I was so sad at the end. Gosh. Help.
2. Sea Oak by George Saunders 5/5: Started off hella strong. I loved this SO much. I had to read another story of his for class as well and just. Wonderful and weird. It was really strange but for some reason the characters were so endearing and I want to read everything this man has written.
1. The Caretaker by Anthony Doerr 5/5: I can see why this guy is so famous. What a beautifully sad/happy story. Reading all that mayhem at the bottom of this list was worth it for this story.
Alright! Here we go, from least favorite to favorite:
29. The Father's Blessing by Mary Caponegro 1/5: This was stupid and dumb and it didn't make any sense and it was creepy and I hated it yayaa
28. Two Brothers by Brain Evenson 1/5: Basically the same thing as above
27. Scarliotti and the Sinkhole 1.5/5: WTF was this?? I seriously don't know what some of these authors were DOINGGGGGG
26. People Shouldn't Have to be the Ones to Tell You by Gary Lutz 2/5: None of this made sense.
25. I'm Slavering by Sam Lipsyte 2/5: I actually had to read another one of his works for the class and luckily I liked it much more but this one just didn't make any coherent sense so I couldn't even begin to actually fathom what it was about.
24. You Drive by Christine Schutt 2/5: THIS DIDN'T MAKE SENSE!!!! I didn't LIKE IT!!
23. The Life and Work of Alphonse Kaunders by Aleksander Hemon 2/5: This was stupid and grotesque just for the sake of being so.
22. Someone to Talk to by Deborah Eisenberg 2.5/5: I felt like this was trying to be deep but it didn't really go anywhere? I didn't get the point of this one. The only thing going for it was the dialogue.
21. Short Talks by Anne Carson 2.5/5: This DIDN'T MAKE SENSEEEEEEEEEEASFASLDKFL
20. Gentleman's Agreement by Mark Richard 2.5/5: This was just short, weird, and sad. And gross. I just. Why???
19. All American by Diane Williams 2.5/5: I literally remember nothing about this one other than it was really short and I didn't really like it. There's like incest all up in these stories and I really could have just done without it.
18. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace 2.5/5: This actually started off kind-of interesting (I mean, in a bad way, but kinda, IDK), but it just went off in a totally different direction that didn't connect to what was being talked about and it, again, DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. Why does something have to not make sense in order to qualify as stellar literary fiction??? I don't GET IT.
17. The Sound Gun by Matthew Derby 3/5: This was interesting, I guess. I don't really have anything to say about it.....
16. The Paperhanger by William Gay 3/5: This was good in a way, but I just didn't like the subject matter that was being talked about at allllll.
15. Histories of the Undead by Kate Braverman 3/5: I liked this one! But it was just okay. Hheh.
14. Letters to Wendy's by Joe Wenderoth 3/5: This one also didn't make sense but it was in a different format of not making sense so I guess I just accepted it.
13. Up the Old Goat Road by Dawn Raffel 3/5: I wish this one was longer, because I think it could've gone somewhere.
12. Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned by Wells Tower 3/5: This was interesting, but IDK it just didn't have enough in it for me.
11. Do Not Disturb by A.M. Homes 3/5: This was interesting, but it made me depressed and mad at humanity, so.
10. The Girl in the Flammable Skirt by Amiee Bender 3/5: This was pretty disjointed, but still had some really cool imagery.
9. The Old Dictionary by Lydia Davis 3.5/5: Also shoulda been longer.
8. Down the Road by Stephen Dixon 4/5: This one is literally almost the same as the other road one except a tiny bit longer and I guess I liked the writing more.
7. X Number of Possibilities by Joanna Scott 4/5: I actually really liked this one; I thought it was super interesting and really wanted to know more.
6. Where I Work by Ann Cummins 4/5: I also really liked this one! It was realistic! Not gross! Amazing!
5. Tiny, Smiling Daddy by Mary Gaitskill 4/5: Ughhhh this one was heartbreaking.
4. Field Events by Rick Bass 4.5/5: I loved this one. I was so worried something bad was going to happen to these beautiful characters but they were okay and I loved them. They all deserve happiness forever.
3. When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine 5/5: Amazing. I was so sad at the end. Gosh. Help.
2. Sea Oak by George Saunders 5/5: Started off hella strong. I loved this SO much. I had to read another story of his for class as well and just. Wonderful and weird. It was really strange but for some reason the characters were so endearing and I want to read everything this man has written.
1. The Caretaker by Anthony Doerr 5/5: I can see why this guy is so famous. What a beautifully sad/happy story. Reading all that mayhem at the bottom of this list was worth it for this story.