Customer Reviews

The Pushcart Prize XXVII: Best of the Small Presses, 2003 Edition

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I wish there were some way this annual collection of poetry, fiction and essays could become more visible, as BEST AMERICAN SHORT STORIES and PRIZE STORIES are. Rather than taking the cream off the top of The New Yorker, Harper's and so forth, the editors and jurors dig into lesser known and circulated periodicals. This particular volume was one of the better ones. The main theme seems to be alienation and search for connection, but the characters deal with their situations quite differently. In "Yangban" we enter a traditional Korean marriage, and in "Cabeza" we visit a middle class American (California) marriage, and they are different, yet the same. In both, wives struggle for identity beyond "helpmate," and such situations reflect the American scene. "The Worst Degree of Unforgiveable" seems gimmicky at first, but soon becomes hypnotic. "Amazing Grace" starts out telling us that a young married man was blinded in a tragic accident. Ten years later he miraculously regains his sight, and that's when his troubles begin. How could you not want to finish this one! I fell in love with Candace in "Candace Counts Coup," even through she is an overweight, grubby, eccentric unpaid artist who, in my real life, I probably wouldn't invite into my home, but she has a wonderful heart and a steady moral compass. If you're feeling down, Candace will lift your spirits.
There were a few pieces that I didn't finish or even begin to understand, I guess those in in know would call them "minimalist or "experimental" fiction.
In any case, there is a lot to like here, a lot of new worlds to visit, a lot to think about. I recommend any volume in this series for it's originality, variety and depth.

I don't know what is going on with the Pushcart series. It used to be such a valuable volume to read, but lately it gets weaker with every passing year. I'm not going to even talk about the poetry contained within. None of it is worth mentioning. And in their prose there are only four pieces that are really good. Sit down with this volume at your book store or library and just read them, don't purchase this book.

Mark Ray Lewis "Scorduatura" (fiction)
Cornelia Nixon "Lunch at teh Blacksmith" (fiction)
Jeffrey A. Lockwood "To Be Honest" (memoir)
Bradford Morrow "Amazing Grace" (fiction--though it has a weak ending)