This week I read An Anthology of Really Short Stories, edited by Jerome Stern. The micro fictions that I read include pages 30-31, 42-43, 182-183, and 118-119. Micro fiction is one of my favorite genres to read; however, I wasn’t totally impressed with the pieces in this anthology. Below is the list of micro fictions read and my thoughts on them.
· Wrong Channel, by Roberto Fernandez: This story had a slapstick ending. You could hear the “bad-da-bum” drum in the final lines of the story. I will say, however, that the imagery in the first two paragraphs is well done. The first line, and in my opinion best line, reads, “Barbarita waited impatiently for her ride as beads of sweat dripped from her eyebrows into her third cup of cold syrupy espresso” (30).
· Mockingbird, by Laurie Berry: I do like that the metaphor of mockingbirds “waiting for the fierce end of summer” was woven into the story. I can sense the conflict between the two characters. Still, this wasn’t my favorite story.
· Land’s End, by Antonya Nelson: This was definitely my favorite. The imagery and juxtaposition of “bloody footprints” to “valentines” was disturbing, yet effective. I liked how the author was able to tell the story while interlacing scene, all without dialogue. The author also uses the colors red and green—blood, valentines, nets of bright green acrylic, the setting sun, and a trail of red hearts are all examples. I find it interesting that the author “draws” the main character colorless. For example, she is wearing “crusty no-color shorts,” and she runs on foot—the author is painting her gray. In the end, the only thing that is hers—the blood from her feet—is what (we assume) kills her.
· Waiting, by Peggy McNally: The only thing I like about this story is its style. The entire story is one huge run on sentence, connected by commas. However, I feel that the main character is flat and that the content of the story is bland.
· Wrong Channel, by Roberto Fernandez: This story had a slapstick ending. You could hear the “bad-da-bum” drum in the final lines of the story. I will say, however, that the imagery in the first two paragraphs is well done. The first line, and in my opinion best line, reads, “Barbarita waited impatiently for her ride as beads of sweat dripped from her eyebrows into her third cup of cold syrupy espresso” (30).
· Mockingbird, by Laurie Berry: I do like that the metaphor of mockingbirds “waiting for the fierce end of summer” was woven into the story. I can sense the conflict between the two characters. Still, this wasn’t my favorite story.
· Land’s End, by Antonya Nelson: This was definitely my favorite. The imagery and juxtaposition of “bloody footprints” to “valentines” was disturbing, yet effective. I liked how the author was able to tell the story while interlacing scene, all without dialogue. The author also uses the colors red and green—blood, valentines, nets of bright green acrylic, the setting sun, and a trail of red hearts are all examples. I find it interesting that the author “draws” the main character colorless. For example, she is wearing “crusty no-color shorts,” and she runs on foot—the author is painting her gray. In the end, the only thing that is hers—the blood from her feet—is what (we assume) kills her.
· Waiting, by Peggy McNally: The only thing I like about this story is its style. The entire story is one huge run on sentence, connected by commas. However, I feel that the main character is flat and that the content of the story is bland.