According
to legend, Mark Twain once wrote to a friend, "I apologise for the
length of this letter, I didn't have time to write a short one." In
these short stories, everything which is unnecessary is eliminated. The
result is better fiction.
I would suggest reading one story at a
time rather than trying to read the book like a novel. Each story
deserves to be considered in its own right. The range of styles and
subjects is very broad.
You are bound to find some which you
prefer to others. The one I liked most was Lucy Wood's "Flotsam, Jetsam,
Lagan, Derelict." I am providing no spoilers but the way the story
unfolds, the economy of the language and the contemporary concerns which
this short story raises all make it an excellent example of a short
story.
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