Our reading group met yesterday to discuss The Best American Short Stories 2015 by T.C. Boyle. We had read the 2014 edition last year. Five members, including me, participated. Two of us liked the 2014 collection better than the 2015. I was one of the two. Two members liked the 2015 book better. One person didn’t like either edition.
I agreed with Jan Priddy, a reviewer on Goodreads who rated the 2015 collection a two. That was my rating also. She said she struggled to read the twenty stories T.C. Boyle chose. All of us in the reading group also struggled, even the two people who liked the book. The group decided the book was not an easy read and most of the stories were depressing.
I only read the first six stories and couldn’t bring myself to read any further. Jan Priddy stated that the last story, “Mr. Voice” was worth reading the whole collection. Sorry, I don’t wish to go back and read it. I will donate the book to our Tri-Valley branch of the California Writers Club.
To respect the authors who toiled to write these stories, I suggest you read the collection or at least go to Goodreads to read the positive rating reviews. What doesn’t appeal to some readers, certainly does to others. Click here.
Julaina Kleist-Corwin
Editor of Written Across the Genres
Author of Hada’s Fog
Hard reading, but great lessons learned. My best learning from this book club selection is that every editor has different tastes and will pick stories that suit those tastes. As a writer I now know that if one editor doesn’t want to publish my work there will probably be another who will. Just keep submitting. That was worth the time and effort.
I agree, Elaine. I wasn’t in tune with T. C Boyle as the collector of these stories. I’m looking forward to the 2016 edition. I had not read these annual books before so thanks for introducing them to me.