Benjamin Rosenbaum, "The Book of Jashar"

Ever wonder what the lost Bible book, The Book of Jashar, was about? Here ya go!

I wasn't expecting to like this one, but he reeled me in. It turned out not too blasphemous after all! Check it out on the Google.

Benjamin Rosenbaum, "The Ant King: A California Fairy Tale"

A fairy tale, quite modern, taking place in California.

This was an odd one. It is indeed Californish. But it had a not-thought-through- feel too. I like the talent Rosenbaum seems to posess. But sometimes I wonder at the point he's making. This is from The Ant King and Other Stories and the entire collection can be found online. Use your Google to locate.

Sheila Heti, "The Giant"

Oh woe is the giant.

Strange, short story. Giant gets depressed, goes to Paris and is changed. Pretty deep if you think about it. Recommended.

Read it here.

Haruki Murakami, "The Elephant Vanishes"

An elephant vanishes from the local enclosure in which it was housed and one man may know why.

This had the feel of a Millhauser story, but by the end it's Murakami-esque. The resolution leaves something to be desired. Or perhaps the elephant represents a certain culture in Japan. Or something. Entertaining and surreal none the less. Unless it's nonetheless.

Can be read here even though they mistitled it The Second Bakery Attack, it's really The Elephant Vanishes.

Mary Miller, "Full"

A woman sits around her cousin's house, being kinduva bitch.

Fun little story. Not usually do you read in fiction about a jerk of a chick. This one's bitchy but interesting. I'd like to read a longer story about this woman.

Read it here.

Haruki Murakami, "The Dancing Dwarf"

The dwarf in a man's dream takes over his life.

from The Elephant Vanishes, 1993.

I liked this story. I like how the man works at a factory that builds elephants. Not fake ones, but the real deal. I like all the descriptions of his jobs there. And all that oddness isn't really relevant to the dancing dwarf that takes over his life in potentially disastrous ways. Probably a fable where a lesson may be learned as well, for those who are inclined to do so.

Charles D’Ambrosio, "Up North"

Families get together and nerves become raw.

"Sandy put on a red union suit and climbed the ladder into her bunk, and we tried to resume dinner, but soon she was leaning over the edge of the bed, shouting down at us.
“That’s the difference,” she said.
“Go to bed, dear,” Steve said.
“I want to tell you the difference!”
“O.K.,” Steve said. “What’s the difference?”
“You all have stories,” Sandy said. “And we have secrets.”
“Good night,” Mr. Jansen said.
“That’s the difference,” she said.

Extremely well written story by D’Ambrosio. The winter scenery is so evocative I was feeling cold during some scenes. Mostly, though, the dynamics of these couples is displayed incredibly well. The "secret" Sandy refers to is her husband's adultery, which everyone seems to know about. Highly recommended.

Read it here.

Haruki Murakami, "The TV People"

from The Elephant Vanishes, 1993.

A slow descent into surrealism.

Crazy story. A man, the narrator, starts seeing people who bring him a TV. Slightly smaller than normal humans, they are doing something that is going to alter his life, and, possibly, ours. Lots of unanswered questions but they're entertaining.

Benjamin Rosenbaum, "The Orange"

An orange gets to be god.

Funky little story. Short too. Go check it out. Interesting concept written well by Rosenbaum. This guy's a trip.

Here!

Haruki Murakami, "Sleep"

from The Elephant Vanishes, 1993.

"This is my seventeenth straight day without sleep."

I liked this one a lot. Wouldn't your life be very different if you no longer required sleep? This woman has the sleepless condition and uses it for a task I would, to wit, reading more. She reads Anna Karenina mostly, and muses on her life. Does it have to end the way it does? Probably. Fabulous story.

Haruki Murakami, "A Window"

from The Elephant Vanishes, 1993.

"Your overall score on this newest letter is 70."

The narrator is a Pen Master, one who responds to those who write him letters and critiques them. He's a young man and becomes interested in a woman who wrote him letters. Murakami takes this concept and weaves the nature of fate and randomness in our lives to enthralling heights. Another home run. Recommended.

Haruki Murakami, "The Second Bakery Attack"

Man and wife are starving and rectify the situation at an all-night McDonald's.

I think this guy married a crazy woman. However, the logic is impeccable. They must do this thing in the McDonald's. But seriously, stock the fridge people. Once again, Murakami comes through with some oddness.

Here ya go.

Haruki Murakami, "On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning"

A what-if fable from Murakami

Poignant, melancholy, beautiful. Murkami works his magic again. Is your perfect mate out there? Will you meet him or her and will you test fate? What happens if you do? A magical story indeed.

Please read it online. One place to find it is here.

David Leavitt, "Dinners at Six"

Son and father have a scheduled dinner.

Pretty much just a man and his father talking during dinner. Well presented but not too compelling. I wanted to know what they ate. Is that odd?

Here.

George Saunders, "Al Roosten"

Inside the mind of a strange man.

I liked this one. Saunders likes writing fiction that sticks it to conservatives and George Bush, but this one is a character piece. Told in third person but feels more intimate than that. It's a fascinating slice of life of a man who rationalizes everything. We see that he may be a bit of a jerk, but in his mind...whole different story. Recommended.

Read here.

Courtney Eldridge, "Sharks"

A fear of sharks is discussed over the phone.

I liked this story. Inevitably, it's about the fears we endure and our rationalizations for said fears. I dislike the postmodern absence of quotation marks. Speaks of laziness to me. But, yeah, I'm more aware of the deadly shark now, thanks Courtney!

Read it here.

Haruki Murakami, "Ice Man"

A woman falls in love with a man made of ice.

I dig Murakami. Writes some strange stuff, literary fantasy set in today's world. I am certain the ice man is a metaphor for something. If I were in University I would have to figure it out. I'm not so I won't. Just go with the flow baby, let Murakami tell you a story.

Read it here.

Frederick Busch, "Frost Line"

A woman attends the funeral of the man who told her not to marry his son.

"I thought again of his father’s insistence on the splinter of ice in the heart."

The woman in this story seems conflicted. But her morals aren't held in very high esteem so you can understand the ending. That splinter of ice in the heart describes these people, ugh. Overall, the descriptive powers of Busch make the story worth reading. However, I didn't care much for any of the characters, except maybe the cab driver. He seemed cool, lol.

May be read here.

Martha Wilson, "A Short Story About Nova Scotia"

This is not really a story about Nova Scotia.

"Before I finish writing this short story, I should try to convince the reader that it was worth reading. Given that this story is art and not therapy because it has found its public, is it good or bad art?"

Do you enjoy meta-fiction? I do. Meta-fiction calls attention to itself. It can be frustrating to non-English majors but English majors like myself have more exposure to it, so it's perhaps more acceptable. Meta-fiction occurred as early as Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and can be seen in great effect by John Barth and Kurt Vonnegut today.

The story by Wilson doesn't have much to do with Nova Scotia. But it is pretty funny and insightful.

Read it here.

Steven Millhauser, "The Invasion from Outer Space"

An invasion from outer space hits a town.

"We had wanted, we had wanted—oh, who knew what we’d been looking for? We had wanted blood, crushed bones, howls of agony."

I love Steven Millhauser. He's one of my all-time favorites. He crafts prose so elegantly it puts me in the scene. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Imagine my surprise over finding a story in the New Yorker, and it's science fiction! Elegant and short, we are treated to a benign (?) invasion from space. I, personally, would not want to live in this town in the aftermath. There's something creepy in the ending. I leave it to you to discover this major talent.

Read it here.