The eagerly anticipated anthology from the editors who coined the term “Flash,” with stories by today’s best fiction writers.
After publication of the first Flash Fiction anthology over a decade ago, “flash” became part of the creative writing lexicon for readers, writers, students, and teachers. In this follow-up collection, the editors once again tackle the question: “How short can a story be and truly be a story?” Determined to find the best flashes from America in the twenty-first century, James Thomas and Robert Shapard searched everywhere for stories that were not merely good but memorable. Moving, and certainly unforgettable, this collection includes stories from the best and most popular fiction writers of our time, including Ron Carlson, Robert Coover, Steve Almond, Amy Hempel, A. M. Homes, Grace Paley, and Paul Theroux. In addition, Rick Moody properly defines armoire, Lydia Davis delves into a world of cats, and Dave Eggers explores narrow escapes. Over and over, these stories prove that often less is more.Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In their second collection of "flash fiction" stories-aka "short shorts"-Thomas and Shapard have pulled together almost 80 works that are consistently swift and powerful, distilling the intricacies and flourish of short fiction into just a few pages. In "The Memory Priest of the Creech People," Paul Theroux's protagonist preserves the collective memory of the Creech people before he is cannibalized by his constituency. Hannah Bottomy's "Currents" replays in reverse the events surrounding the drowning of a young boy. Ron Carlson's "The Great Open Mouth Anti-Sadness" witnesses a father laying drunk on his bed after his daughter's wedding, feeling the whirl of the overhead fan and struggling to name his emotions. Jack Handey's darkly comic "The Voices in My Head," Lon Otto's parable of debating sloths in Costa Rica and David Galef's hilarious "My Date with Neaderthanal Woman" provide laughs. Profound revelations develop in Leonardo's Alishan's "The Black City," in which a minor shaving injury provides the vehicle for a frightening psychological journey; and in Barbara Jackson's "Gemoetry Can Fail Us," in which a man's struggle to fell a tree leads to surprising insight into his wife's love. Exquisite entries from a number of other notable authors, including John Edgar Wideman, Richard Bausch, A.M. Homes, Dave Eggers, John Updike, Amy Hempel, Tony Earley and Rick Moody will also delight. Ranging in style from crisp, sober realism to outlandish surrealism, these small treasures make a convincing argument for the relevance and vitality of this little-celebrated genre.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Flash Fiction (1992) promulgated the joys of very short stories and started a trend. The "flash" approach has proven extremely popular for writers and readers alike, and the editors were curious as to why. Is it because our attention span has atrophied, thanks to our ardor for instant messaging and other snap electronic communications? Or is it because stories no longer than 750 words are compressed in the way that poetry is concentrated, so that flash fiction has impact and is memorable? Although the form is concise, the subjects broached tend to be substantial, and it is a particular pleasure to read these pared-to-the-bone stories that cover the spectrum from blithe to intense, funny to sad. The 80 writers gathered here range from emerging to well known. John Edgar Wideman imagines a man in the rain with a banana. Katharine Weber makes babysitting mysterious. Ander Monson presents "To Reduce Your Likelihood of Murder." Charles Baxter, Grace Paley, Ray Gonzalez, Ann Hood, Melanie Rae Thon, Richard Bausch, and John Updike all appear like flashes of lightning. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Maybe it's the pace of a society bedeviled by technology and the demands of busy lives. Maybe just an interesting form of fiction, concise, clear and sophisticated; in any case "flash" fiction challenges the parameters of the traditional short story, the editors asking, "How short can a story be and truly be a story?" With over eighty selections, this collection is representative of the creative efforts of those who have taken up the gauntlet, such writers as Paul Theroux, Jim Crace, Ann Hood, Rick Moody, Richard Bausch, Dave Eggers and John A McCaffrey.
The subjects of these flash fictions are not minor or trivial, but distilled, much like poetry. Most important, they are memorable. Writer Richard Bausch ("1951"), a writer used to creating longer pieces, found in condensing his story that "in order to make it work in so small a space its true subject must be proportionately larger". Indeed, Bausch accomplishes much in a few pages, the power of loss and responsibility sitting upon the narrow shoulders of one small girl. Ann Hood's "The Doctor" dissects the weight of a father's death with elegant precision, a refusal to forgive the physician who now pursues the grieving daughter: "He can't lose my father and win the girl, too."
In a paean to loneliness and frustration, Rick Moody's rambling "Drawer" contains the emotions of a lifetime, a man's inner diatribe at the pretensions of a woman who could not, would not give of herself, locked into the lexicon of her possessions, unavailable. "The Mesmerist" by Michael Knight is chilling, Svengali-like in intent, as one man assumes power over his unsuspecting victim, the young woman who has captured his imagination and his desire.... Read more ›
The subjects of these flash fictions are not minor or trivial, but distilled, much like poetry. Most important, they are memorable. Writer Richard Bausch ("1951"), a writer used to creating longer pieces, found in condensing his story that "in order to make it work in so small a space its true subject must be proportionately larger". Indeed, Bausch accomplishes much in a few pages, the power of loss and responsibility sitting upon the narrow shoulders of one small girl. Ann Hood's "The Doctor" dissects the weight of a father's death with elegant precision, a refusal to forgive the physician who now pursues the grieving daughter: "He can't lose my father and win the girl, too."
In a paean to loneliness and frustration, Rick Moody's rambling "Drawer" contains the emotions of a lifetime, a man's inner diatribe at the pretensions of a woman who could not, would not give of herself, locked into the lexicon of her possessions, unavailable. "The Mesmerist" by Michael Knight is chilling, Svengali-like in intent, as one man assumes power over his unsuspecting victim, the young woman who has captured his imagination and his desire.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Don't get me wrong, I love a thick juicy novel as much as anyone, but there is something truly astonishing about the creative genius that can be put into 1-2 page stories. I am a huge huge fan of flash fiction and am personally shocked there aren't more anthologies like this out there. Maybe it won't replace the novel, or even the regular-length short story, but as society becomes more and more ADD I have a feeling FF is going to be here to stay.
As far as this collection goes, there are definitely some amazing stories in here as well as a good number of duds. The good news is that the most time you'll waste reading a bad story is about 1-3 minutes. Unlike a bad novel, where you may be wasting 12+ hours of your life!
These are the stories that stuck out to me as exceedingly excellent in one way or another:
-Sashimi Cashmere, Carolyn Forde
-Sleeping, Katharine Weber
-The Voices in My Head, Jack Handey
-Why You Shouldn't Have Gone in the First Place, Samantha Schoech
-Bullhead, Leigh Allison Wilson
-Accident, Dave Eggers
-Words, John A. McCaffrey
-The Black City, Leonardo Alishan
-That Could Have Been You, Jim Heynen
-How to End Up, Jennifer A. Howard
-The Orange, Benjamin Rosenbaum
-21, Jim Crace
- To Reduce Your Liklihood of Murder, Ander Monson
-Crazy Glue, Etgar Keret
-Pledge Drive, Patricia Marx
-The Handbag, Michael Augustin
-Parrot Talk, Kit Coyne Irwin
-The Death of the Short Story, J. David Stevens
So yeah, that's about 18/80 really good stories. Maybe that's only a 20%, but truthfully even the ones not mentioned weren't that bad, just less note-worthy. I only mention these because I found them to be truly spectacular.... Read more ›
As far as this collection goes, there are definitely some amazing stories in here as well as a good number of duds. The good news is that the most time you'll waste reading a bad story is about 1-3 minutes. Unlike a bad novel, where you may be wasting 12+ hours of your life!
These are the stories that stuck out to me as exceedingly excellent in one way or another:
-Sashimi Cashmere, Carolyn Forde
-Sleeping, Katharine Weber
-The Voices in My Head, Jack Handey
-Why You Shouldn't Have Gone in the First Place, Samantha Schoech
-Bullhead, Leigh Allison Wilson
-Accident, Dave Eggers
-Words, John A. McCaffrey
-The Black City, Leonardo Alishan
-That Could Have Been You, Jim Heynen
-How to End Up, Jennifer A. Howard
-The Orange, Benjamin Rosenbaum
-21, Jim Crace
- To Reduce Your Liklihood of Murder, Ander Monson
-Crazy Glue, Etgar Keret
-Pledge Drive, Patricia Marx
-The Handbag, Michael Augustin
-Parrot Talk, Kit Coyne Irwin
-The Death of the Short Story, J. David Stevens
So yeah, that's about 18/80 really good stories. Maybe that's only a 20%, but truthfully even the ones not mentioned weren't that bad, just less note-worthy. I only mention these because I found them to be truly spectacular.... Read more ›
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Here is a delightful collection of 80 short-short stories worth adding to your books to read this summer. The tales are told masterfully and not a one will disappoint you. I highly recommend it.
Salvatore Buttaci, author of Flashing My Shorts
Salvatore Buttaci, author of Flashing My Shorts
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
These stories are beautifully written and crafted, so short, so significant. They are easy to read, hard to forget. Like stones dropped in wells, they ripple through your mind in ever widening rings.
By Dancer
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Flash fiction forward --neat stories will read more when I have more time time time time that's one way to fill up your word count, happy now?
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book as a whole was kind of a let down, I would say about half of the book was good and half of the stories didn't belong there. I haven't read Thomas and Shapard's first collection of flash fiction (maybe they took all the good ones for that book); not saying I could write any better, but in a collection of stories that are suppose to be the cream of the crop, this anthology isn't it (maybe there's not a lot of flash fiction out there to choose from, so pickin's are slim). But that's only half of the stories.
The other half of the stories were fantastic: each compelling in their own way, where the author expertly told a story that could be imagined with ease. Some of my favorites were: "Baker's Helper", "Why You Shouldn't Have Gone In The First Place", "Words", "Parrot Talk", "The Wallet", and "What I Know Of Your Country".
Overall the book is okay. I'd recommend buying it, just because it's always good to read as much as you can; but I'd save your money and buy a used version.
The other half of the stories were fantastic: each compelling in their own way, where the author expertly told a story that could be imagined with ease. Some of my favorites were: "Baker's Helper", "Why You Shouldn't Have Gone In The First Place", "Words", "Parrot Talk", "The Wallet", and "What I Know Of Your Country".
Overall the book is okay. I'd recommend buying it, just because it's always good to read as much as you can; but I'd save your money and buy a used version.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Can't put it down.
It was very hard not to set my life aside and just tear through this book. I'm limiting myself to just a few per sitting; I can't bear to use it up. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Grama J
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Waste Your Money
I read some whatever flash fiction in a textbook that is used at a college level, one a friend is using in a course. I couldn't find that one on amazon.com, but did find this one. Read more
Published 14 months ago by C. E. Selby
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fun!
This book was sent in great quality, and it is fun to read! Some of the stories are sad, and some are funny. Some are a little strange. I love this book all the same.
Published 23 months ago by Kyleen
5.0 out of 5 stars
good
the delivery is very fast though I ordered my stuff by the standard express.
my stuff is fine, Thanks
my stuff is fine, Thanks
Published on October 7, 2010 by Howard Kim
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bite Sized Beauties
You can read any of these 80 stories whenever you have a free few minutes. From the very first story I was hooked. Read more
Published on February 28, 2010 by J B Summersnow
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great collection of Flash fiction
I guess a pioneer collection of flash fiction. Magnificent! Very good selection by the editors Robert Shapard and James Thomas. Read more
Published on July 4, 2009 by Flávio
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost instant gratification
Fabulous collection including stories by such well-known (and diverse) writers as Paul Theroux, Dave Eggers and Grace Paley, just to name a few. Read more
Published on June 8, 2007 by joanie
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your money
It is the first book of flash fiction that I buy. I generally accessed flash fiction stories through some online groups that feature mainly amateur writers' work, and that is why I... Read more
Published on May 23, 2007 by David Jimenez
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