PEN America Best Debut Short Stories 2019 is a surprisingly accomplished collection of work. Confession: I skipped the editor’s introductions, which may
be important, but I did not want to have any framing device to read these
works.
Solid throughout, there are, for me, some
standouts: “The Rickies,” “The Manga Artist,” “Tornado Season,” and especially,
“Bad Northern Women.” This last story
has a particularly unique style and rhythm, and is a voice we rarely hear and very much need to hear it; I eagerly await more work from
Erin Singer.
The range of stories here truly represent the voices of our
time, tackling the challenges of this strange American moment.
This is a worthy book all around.
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