Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards

I've found the O. Henry Awards series to be a pretty uneven collection of stories, but still one i eagerly await each year, because in each volume you find several good stories, and one or two gems. The 1999 collection is no exception. Sure I found most of the stories to be trite and dull, but hidden amongst the poorer work were really good stories by W.D. Wetherell, Michael Chabon, Charlotte Forbes, and Annie Proulx. And the second place story, Cary Holladay's 'Merry-Go-Sorry' is a great story that deserves to be anthologized many, many in the years to come. And Stephen King and Lorrie Moore's introduction were eloquently written, and a joy to read in their own right.

I'm not sure what the Kirkus Reviewer wants from the genre but I am sure that every other reader will find something here to admire. I agree with previous reviewers about "Sign" and "Merry-Go-Sorry," (they are horrifyingly good) and would like to add my praise for the fine contributions "Sea Oak" and "Nixon Under the Bodhi Tree." Both stories examine mortality in very different ways but reach equally exquisite conclusions. Although the author has received enormous praise for the eponymous collection, "Interpreter of Maladies" is just a wonderful story about travel, confession, nationality and marriage. I love this collection and cannot believe that any sane person would worry about the future of the short story as long as such treasures are being created.On a side note, Stephen King's introduction is eloquent and poignant. He was probably a great asset to the panel of judges and may even bring his own readership to the short story in general.

I tend to prefer the Best American series, but this year O'Henry is far more surprising and varied. I'm not sure what grudge is being held by the Kirkus Reviewer above (I suspect that he/she is some sort of failed MFA candidate?) BUT there's clearly strong work here. Larry Dark shows a much surer hand here than he has in previously edited volumes. He's still obviously got a thing for the "quirky" and strange--it's no surprise that he's also editor of "The Literary Ghost" since there's a kind of gothic sensibility at work in many of the chosen stories, but there's also a greater variety here than you'll find in this year's Best American. My personal favorites include Sheila Schwartz's stunning "Afterbirth;" Cory Halliday's "Merry-Go-Sorry," which performs some wonderful technical feats with its multiple narration; and of course Alice Munro's story. There are weak spots, of course:the Pam Houston story (mentioned by a previous reader;) and Annie Proulx's story, which just seems to me to be an awfully cliched rendering of the Western persona. Nevertheless, all in all, a very respectable collection.

I was horrified, fascinated and absorbed by Charoltte Forbes' "Sign". Her writing is careful, explicit, sharp and compelling. Her story is beautifully assembled in layers of subtlety which coelesce to reveal an ending which literally floored me!

The only reason to buy this book is Stephen King's introduction which is greater than the combined total of the rest of the book. The story which he selected is good to.