New Stories from the South: The Year's Best, 2007

New Stories from the South

by Edward P. Jones (Editor), Allan Gurganus (Contributor), James Lee Burke (Contributor)

This year, acclaimed short-story writer ZZ Packer chooses twenty distinctive stories representing the great number of voices and narratives coming out of the South. Some of the youngest and freshest talents on the literary horizon—Bret Anthony Johnston, Kevin Brockmeier, Holly Goddard Jones—accompany well-known Southern stalwarts, including Pinckney Benedict, Clyde Edgerton, and Ron Rash. Their stories tell of life as it is now, a life not seen in romanticized Southern fiction, one where existence—both urban and rural—is as raw and risky as it is alluring. The energy of this collection courses through every one of Packer's edgy, funny, and gritty selections.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Edward Paul Jones is an American novelist and short story writer. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the International Dublin Literary Award for his 2003 novel The Known World.

Reviews

[Lisa K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read several but not all stories.

From introduction by Edward P. Jones: "Hither and yon, they still debate whether Washington, D.C. -- where I was born and came to know what is true and what is not so true -- is part of the South. It might well be that that debate is why I have never stood up straight and asserted that I was a bona fide son of the South. I'm in the room, but I'll stand in the corner for the evening, if it's all the same to you." (p. viii)

Cary Holladay's story "Hollyhocks" takes place at Christmas 1953 and evokes a family saga, the tensions of a family of all sons, grown now, in just a few pages. Quite good.

"Fourteen Feet of Water in My House," by Allan Gurganus, vividly reports the aftermath of a flood and so complemented Yellow House, which I'd read shortly before.

[Constance Merritt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very good stories, but weighted too heavily toward the violent and/or seedy side of life.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

There's an almost inevitable trend with collections of fiction set in the South to gift the reader with the absolute dregs of society for main characters. This book gives us murderers, rapists, uncaring parents, thieves and bigots. Then there is the overall oppressive gloom factor--poverty, neglect, mental illness, divorce, infidelity, depression... One story was so nightmarish that I would like to scrub it from my memory. The only story I actually liked at all was At the Powwow Hotel. Good luck if you give this book a try. I'm just happy to have finished it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

"Of all the foibles, the most fatal, perhaps, is the defective climax." Edgar Allen Poe

Yes, well. Modern stories all seem to have this "leave you hanging" concept. Not a "leave you hanging, you figure it out," just "leave you." Unsatisfying.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a promiscuous reader, I love a good short story. Each author in the collection successfully wet my appetite for more of their work.

[elizabeth]

so far so good, but i've only read two of them: "life expectancy" by holly goddard jones and "ghost town choir" by joshua ferris. the former centers around a high school basketball coach sleeping with one of his players, and it made me very eager to read more by holly goddard jones. you can read “life expectancy” here:
http://www.kenyonreview.org/issues/wi...
the latter is funny and lovely and features a fantastic line about men’s combs.

one sort of strange thing about this book is that the contributors' notes immediately follow the story *and* feature a photograph. so you might have just read a sort of tender, bittersweet last line and then bam, there's this cute sheepish grin to totally distract you from what you've just read. both of the authors mentioned above sport such a grin, though jones's is more sheepish by far.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

there was an eerie similarity to a lot of these. not that they didn't feel like distinct stories, but you could tell they were chosen by a single brain. and i liked that, for the most part.

a couple were longer and less engrossing than they probably should have been (here's looking at you, goaty one & ice-thingy). but most were quirky in a way that made me miss reading in a tree during a georgia summer - that hot-sweaty-front-porch-eccentric feel.

'dogs with human faces' was the kicker. nicely offkilter style, and not since 'bullet in the brain' by tobias wolff has a short story made me cry. the final one about j-dubs out canvassing was wicked good too.

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, if occasionally uneven, collection of short stories. Some of my favorites included the frequently cited "season of Regret" by James Lee Burke, and "14 Feet of Water in My House" by Allan Gurganus. Though they were subtler in their approach, I was also rather fond of the stories by Stephanie Powell Watts and Angela Threat. Others I am still mulling over, undecided if I liked them or just appreciated them. Still, a worthwhile collection.

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm about 3/4 of the way through this outstanding collection. Those Southerners can sure tell a story, and Edward P Jones, one of my favorite authors (The Known World, Aunt Haggar's Children), has selected a great variety of funny, creepy, sad, and uplifting stories. If you only have time to read one of the stories, read Richard Bass's "Goats" - it's laugh-out-loud funny!

[Charles Michael Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid anthology with nice range and aesthetic diversity. It's difficult to choose favorites here, but if I had to, I'd select Stephen Marion's "Dogs with Human Faces," Moira Crone's "The Ice Garden," and Jason Ockert's "Jakob Loomis." It's a shame New Stories from the South is no longer running.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy getting the latest edition of New Stories, although I a not typically a short story fan. These anthologies feature the premiere writers of the South, and are quite diverse, so there is something for everyone.

[Peg]

"recent edition of well-established anthology of contemporary Southern literature - includes 18 stores, not about the glands, but the human heart.

[Wilhelmina Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology contains a number of very good short stories with one incredible standout - "The Ice Garden".

[Monica Koontz · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO far I enjoy it. Borrowed it because of James Lee Burke, though I don't ead his Joe Bib books I am a Dave R. baak fan. A good way to introduce me to oter southern authors.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story compilation. It had a lot of variety and even though I had read two of the stories before, I didn't mind reading them again.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this collection of stories, except for one that I really did not like at all.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was homesick. This was perfect. George Singleton is the man.