When I was in college, I read Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” as part of my twentieth-century literature survey. A good deal of the class was shocked by it. I thought the conceit was *genius.* When I taught a narrative unit in my Comp. I class about three years ago, I decided to include “The Lottery” and pair it with the Reaping scene from The Hunger Games. My students were electrified. They were simultaneously horrified by the concept and curious to see its echoes […]
You know what I, as Rowell’s newest and biggest fan, am going to say.
This is actually a short story, published in the book My True Love Gave to Me. It tells the story of Mags and Noel. They are best friends, transitioning between adolescence and adulthood. The story is told over four New Years Eve midnights, where they party in a friend’s basement. Their meetings are chaotic, and the two circle one another, holding tight to their friendship. They aren’t involved with one another, but they are drawn indelibly to a shared connection. This is the kind of love […]
Oh, Baby….
Paula Bomer spoke at my MFA last August and I’ve wanted to read some of her work for a while after listening to her presentation. Since her work is ridiculously funny while also being incredibly deep, I thought this would be a nice follow-up to Rachel Cusk’s memoir on motherhood, and it did not disappoint! Bomer is as funny and deep in her writing as she was in person. This short story collection focuses on the many facets of dysfunction that can (and often do) […]
Murder in a grove / Unreliable viewpoints / Mifune will rise
While technically a short story, I think this still qualifies for the Cannonball. If graphic novels count, then I’m including this. And I’m a bit of an iconoclast, so there. This classic of Japanese literature formed the basis for the iconic Akira Kurosawa movie, Rashomon. It tells the story of a young man’s murder via the viewpoints of seven different individuals, ranging from the woodcutter who found the body to the spirit of the victim, himself (via a medium). That fairly well sums up the […]