Short Stories Archives - Matt gets LIT-erary

Afterparties: Stories

Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So
Published by HarperCollins on August 3, 2021
Genres: Asian American, Fiction, Literary, LGBTQ, Short Stories
Pages: 272

Hey, you! Stop reading this and go add Afterparties by Anthony Veasna So to the top of your TBR…Welcome back! This short story collection is perfection. These nine stories center on Cambodian American characters living in California. Many of these stories feature queer characters, which was my main motivation to read it. I learned a lot about Cambodian history and culture and was blown away by So’s writing talent. So has mastered bringing out a range of emotions in his readers. A few times, while reading a single page, I found myself laughing and then suddenly heartbroken.

The stories feature Cambodian Americans that are the children of refugees. One story focuses on two daughters and their mom running a doughnut shop. Each night a mysterious man visits, only to buy an apple fritter and sit in silence, leaving the pastry uneaten. Another story features a down on his luck high school badminton coach and struggling grocery store owner trying to get a much-needed win by beating his star player. The story that inspired the collection’s title takes place at a drunken wedding afterparty where two brothers try to expose their dubious uncle for neglecting to gift money to the bride and groom. In my favorite story, The Shop, a gay son works at his dad’s car shop after failing to find a job after college.

So does a great job of creating a cohesive collection with many overlapping themes. The most prominent commonality I noticed was every character had inherited trauma from their parents. From 1975 to 1979 between 1.5 and 2 million Cambodians were killed in a genocide under the communist leadership. The number of people killed equaled about a quarter of Cambodia’s population. The characters in So’s stories are the children of the refugees that escaped to America to avoid losing their lives. Even though the children were not present at the genocide their lives are heavily impacted by the events. Another part of Cambodian culture that is featured in the stories Maly, Maly, Maly and Somaly, Serey Somaly is the Buddhist belief in reincarnation. The queer characters in this collection have the added pressure of seeking acceptance from their families. The Shop was my favorite story, not just because the main character is gay, but So perfectly captured the loss of direction some young adults experience after college. All of So’s characters are flawed. I found some, especially the main character in Human Development (what a prick)to be highly unlikeable. But these unlikeable characters felt authentically human, so the stories were still a pleasure to read.

Unfortunately, I am going to end this review on a sad note. Anthony Veasna So tragically passed away at the age of 28, due to an accidental drug overdose. The literary community has lost a great talent too soon. While it is sad that So will not get a chance to share more beautifully written stories with the world, I am comforted that his voice will live on through this magnificent short story collection. Do your self a favor and read Afterparties.

Lot

Lot by Bryan Washington
Published by Penguin on March 17, 2020
Genres: African American & Black, Fiction, General, Boys & Men, Coming of Age, LGBTQ, Short Stories
Pages: 240

Bryan Washington’s short story collection, Lot, focuses on queer characters living in Houston. Minor characters in other stories become the focus of others, creating connections across the collection. One bi-racial male, Nicolás, is the focus of many of the stories. He struggles with coming to terms with his sexuality, his absent father, his homophobic brother, and helping his mom keep her restaurant afloat. I was excited to read this collection after enjoying Washington’s novel Memorial, which I also recommend.

My favorite story was Bayou, where two friends find what they believe to be a Chupacabra. The potential Chupacabra added whimsey to the story that ended up focusing on a close male friendship. This being the only story with fantasy elements (and even a reference to Dune), of course it became my favorite. Another standout was Waugh, where a group of male sex workers sharing a home deal with their house father contracting HIV. This story reminded me of the excellent tv show Pose because of its focus on found families. Many members of the LGBT community, less fortunate than myself, are rejected by their families because of their queer identity. Thus, they find and create their own families. Themes present in these stories include families (biological and found), friendship, intersectionality, and the concept of home. Bryan Washington is a Houston native, and it shows in his writing. The city of Houston can be considered a main character that ties this collection together. This is an honest, depiction of Houston where many of the characters are struggling to make ends meet, especially after the damage of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. I have never visited Houston, but I feel like I have a sense of the city after reading Lot.

I would recommend this short story collection to anyone. If you are more in the mood for a longer story format, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of his novel Memorial. I will definitely be reading anything Bryan Washington writes in the future.

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

by Deesha Philyaw
Published by Pushkin Press Genres: African American & Black, Collections & Anthologies, Fiction, Gay, LGBTQ, Short Stories
Format: Paperback

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies is an excellent collection of nine short stories written by Deesha Philyaw. The stories feature black women that are attempting to fulfill desires and passions that are at odds with their Christian beliefs and standards. This National Book Award Finalist is a delight to read and features excellent writing and many queer characters. Readers will meet the daughter of a woman having an affair with a pastor, a mistress’ humorous set of guidelines for her married lovers, and a teenager who has a crush on the preacher’s wife. These stories cover women from multiple generations, sexualities, and relationship statuses. I chose to read this book when I discovered my Deesha Philyaw would be speaking at my favorite bookstore, People Get Ready in New Haven, CT.

My favorite story is Peach Cobbler. This story focuses on a complex mother-daughter relationship. Olivia’s mom is having an affair with the preacher. Her mom cooks peach cobbler for the preacher, but never allows her daughter to enjoy her legendary desert. Olivia decides to replicate her mom’s peach cobbler for herself. Peach cobbler is one of my favorite deserts, so the vivid descriptions of the food in this story had my mouth watering. How to Make Love to a Physicist was a charming romance. The main conflict was not between the protagonist and her love interest. Instead, the conflict revolved around the protagonist learning to love herself. By the time I reached the end of the story in the back of my mind I heard Ru Paul’s legendary words of wisdom: “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” In Dear Sister the strong bond between the sisters and their different personalities reminded me of my mom and her three sisters. Deesha perfectly captures the loving, yet brutally honest interactions within an adult sisterhood. Deesha’s characters feel authentic and believable, and her writing is a joy to read.

I was so fortunate to hear Deesha Philyaw speak at the Elm City LIT Fest in New Haven, CT this past September. I really enjoyed listening to Deesha describe her writing process and the inspiration behind the stories in the collection. She explained how food played a large role in the stories. Her grandma would never say the words “I love you”, but she’d cook her family delicious food to show love. She highlighted the use of food in her favorite story in the collection, How to Make Love to a Physicist. Deesha wanted to make sure the protagonist’s quest for self-love included cooking whole, non-processed foods. She wanted mother-daughter relationships to be a focus of the collection. Deesha explained how mothers pass down the church’s culture to their daughters, both the good and bad parts. One of my favorite moments was when Deesha told us that envisioned that Olivia from Peach Cobbler grew up to be the serial mistress in Instructions for Married Christian Husbands. When the authors were discussing the process for selecting character names, Deesha explained the biblical significance of Jael’s name, which is key to that story. This was my first time hearing attending a talk by an author and I had so much fun! I appreciated the collection even more after hearing Deesha speak.

I can’t recommend The Secret Lives of Church Ladies enough! I implore you to put this at the top of your TBR immediately! This is one of my favorite reads of the year, and a reminder for me to read more short stories. This cohesive collection has excellent writing and unforgettable characters. I’m looking forward to seeing Tessa Thompson’s adaptation of this anthology on HBO, what a great pairing of artists!

Please check out People Get Ready in New Haven, CT!

20th Century Ghosts

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
Published by Harper Collins on February 3, 2009
Genres: Fiction, Ghost, Horror, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Supernatural, Thrillers
Pages: 316

20th Century Ghosts has been sitting unread on my bookshelf for over a year and I wish I had read it sooner! How could I neglect such a varied and well written short story collection? Joe Hill’s anthology is the perfect read for the spooky, Halloween season. The book contains 15 short stories, primarily in the horror and science fiction genres. In this collection you’ll find a haunted movie theatre, a deadbeat alcoholic with superpowers, a kid that transforms into a giant locust, and my favorite, an inflatable boy. There were plenty traditional scary stories, but also some that were just plain weird, which I loved.

One theme that is present across the collection is family, particularly father-son relationships. I find this especially interesting to track because Hill’s father is the master of horror, Stephen King. In Abraham’s Boys, two young brothers are intrigued by the mysterious past of their father, Abraham Van Helsing (yes from Dracula). Abraham’s office holds his secrets and is off limits to the boys. It is later revealed that their father is a vampire hunter. I see parallels between this fictional family and the Kings. I can picture Joe Hill and his brother Owen growing up with their dad, Stephen King, who would go to his office to create and battle monsters through his writing. I explore the meaning of the story’s twist ending and analyze other fathers present in Joe Hill’s writing in this week’s musing: “What is it Like Having Stephen King as a Father?”

In Pop Art (I love a title that doubles as a pun) the narrator is friends with an inflatable boy, named Arthur. This story is just as absurd as it sounds, but it features one of my favorite fictional friendships. The narrator constantly worries for the safety of his fragile friend, who is susceptible to popping or deflating while around sharp objects. The story also features the contrast between the narrator’s unstable home and Arthur’s caring and supportive parents.

Another favorite of mine is The Cape. As someone who is burnt out from the superhero genre, I was pleasantly surprised by this story. Eric, a young boy, discovers he can fly when he wears an old towel. But the towel is lost, and he doesn’t come across it until years later when he is an unemployed alcoholic living in his mom’s basement. What made this story compelling was the complex relationship between Eric and his brother.

There are too many great stories to dig into in this review, so here are brief snippets about other standouts in the collection:

Best New Horror: This story had one of my favorite literary tropes, a writer protagonist. This one gave me Texas Chainsaw Massacre vibes

You Will Hear the Locust Sing: A boy transforms into a locust one day while in his bedroom after eating too many bugs. Another awesomely weird and absurd story

Better than Home: Another father-son story, this one more heartwarming. This focuses on baseball, which is Stephen King’s favorite sport.

My Father’s Mask: This one was creepy and unsettling, can’t say I completely understood what was happening. Please let me know if you have any theories!

The Black Phone: There is a film adaptation in the works for The Black Phone, by Blumhouse Productions. I wonder why they chose to adapt this story, I found it to be one of the least interesting in the anthology.

20th Century Ghosts will be the first thing I recommend to anyone looking for a spooky book to read this Halloween. The collection has the perfect balance of scares and absurdity. I hope you enjoy!

Link to What is it Like Having Stephen King as a Father?

Bloodchild and Other Stories

Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler
Published by Open Road Media on July 24, 2012
Genres: African American & Black, Collections & Anthologies, Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Women
Pages: 145

Within twenty minutes of picking up Bloodchild at the library, two strangers told me how much they loved the book when they saw it in my hands. The endorsements were well deserved. The collection contains five short stories and two essays, and there are no weak entries. The title story, Bloodchild, is the best short story I’ve read in recent memory. I know I will be revisiting it in the future.

Of the five short stories, three are science fiction. The two essays focus on Octavia’s journey to becoming a published author and her advice for aspiring writers. I think discussing the plot of the story Bloodchild will ruin the experience for first-time readers. My thoughts on the story are below to avoid spoiling the experience (I highly recommend you take the time to read the story first, it is only 30 pages, and you will not regret it 😊). The other stories in the collection include a future where people lose the ability to make speech sounds, an illness that causes the inflicted to self-harm, a woman dealing with the death of her mother, and a lonely, alcoholic woman with a miserable job. After each story Butler includes a brief afterward, which provides insight to the story’s inspiration. I love when authors do this. This reminds me of the introductions Stephen King includes in some of his short story collections (Four Past Midnight). I enjoyed Butler’s notes better than King’s because she includes her thoughts as an afterward rather than an introduction, so the story is not spoiled for the reader. I was looking forward to the two essays at the end of the collection the least, probably because of my preference for fiction over non-fiction. It was a pleasant surprise that they ended up being my favorite pieces outside of Bloodchild. The first inspiring essay is autobiographical, detailing Butler’s journey of becoming a published science fiction writer, which was unheard of for a black woman at the time. Even today the genre is still dominated by white males. In the second essay, Butler gives advice to aspiring writers. Butler believes that being a successful writer depends less on talent and more on consistency and practice. While I currently have no plans on writing fiction, I did find this passage motivating in terms of creating content for this blog. One of my favorite things as a reader is discovering new authors who already have a giant backlog of books written. I am looking forward to delving into the great Octavia Butler’s catalog.

Trigger Warnings: Incest, Body Horror, Rape

SPOILERS

Now for arguably the best short story I’ve ever read, Bloodchild. I am a big fan of gnarly body horror, which Butler absolutely, terrifyingly provides in this story. I also love when a science fiction/fantasy story doesn’t tell a reader how the world operates. Instead, I prefer when authors parcel out little bits of info, so that readers slowly piece together the experience themselves. The realization of the mechanics behind the symbiotic relationship between the humans and Tlic had me gleefully horrified. After reading the story I immediately went on google images and spent half an hour looking at fan art of the millipede-like Tlic. Interestingly, in Butler’s notes for the book she explains how many readers interpret the story as a metaphor for slavery, which was not her intention. I did not have that interpretation on my first read of the story, but I can see how the Tlic colonizing the humans can be read that way. Instead, Butler’s goal was to write a story of the “pregnant man”. To put male characters through the pain and trauma of childbirth.