2008 not great year for Southern short stories

According to the editor, Z.Z. Packer, it was a compilation of that year’s best short stories. Well, I’m not a book critic, but if these are the best 2008 had to offer, it was a sad year for short stories. The book is supposed to contains 20 “varied” works, but they all seemed terribly the same to me. I’ll share a few examples.

“The Theory of Reality” by Holly Goddard Jones is a “coming of age” story. It is set in a small town in Kentucky. All the neighborhood kids are not only welcome but encouraged to swim in the Hoffmans’ pool. Area parents feel that having kids around eases the Hoffmans’ grief over losing their only son, Caleb.

Ellen was only 6 when Caleb died. She’s now 13 and beginning to notice things. She soon realizes that Caleb’s death created an irreparable rift in the Hoffmans’ marriage. When Mr. Hoffman reminds her of her burgeoning development and warns her to be careful, Ellen decides to avoid the pool from then on.

Her next painful revelation involves her friend, Ray. Ray’s mother, Gloria, is a bit wild and sometimes takes the girls along while she cruises on Friday nights. They are both thrilled and repelled by her behavior.

During one particular visit, Ellen makes a “grown up decision” when she realizes that she doesn’t want to be part of that family’s pain and drama. Each decision is another step on her journey into adulthood.

“Lizard Man” by David James Poissant is a look at what could or should have been. The narrator has just gotten off the graveyard shift. Cam and his son, Bobby, are waiting on his front stoop. Years ago, the narrator caught his son, Jack, embracing another boy and went into a rage, throwing the boy through a window. Cam saved his life when he was drinking himself to death from the guilt. Now Cam is asking a favor.

His abusive father has died, and Cam feels he must go to the man’s house four hours away. They are surprised to find a wide-screen television and a very large alligator caged in the backyard. Cam is determined to set the animal free, so they leave the TV behind and wrestle the gator into the bed of the pickup.

The men argue their respective situations. When he drops off Cam, he discovers the truth about the father/son relationship. That truth spurs him to drive to Houston, find Jack and try to make amends.

Pickney Benedict’s “Bridge of Sighs” was a real downer. An epidemic is raging through the livestock in the state, and the only known way to stop it is by killing every animal thought to be exposed — thus wiping out a farmer’s livelihood.

When the father/son extermination team reaches the Scurry farm, the father reminds the boy that the farmers always try to hide some animals. It will be his job to find out where they are, while his father kills the known animals. As the boy weaves rambling tales, he wins Mr. Scurry’s trust and seals the fate of Mr. Scurry and the hidden animals.

This collection may have been depressing, but it was only one of hundreds available through your public library.

AT A GLANCE
BOOK: “New Stories From the South: The Year’s Best, 2008”
EDITOR: Z.Z. Packer
PUBLISHER: Algonquin Books
PUBLISHED: 2008