Crime Through Time III

KLIATT

A Attempting to review this book is a daunting task, because of the scope of the material—56 short stories spanning 1915 to 1999. The stories were selected from past volumes of The Best American Short Stories of The Year. Katrina Kenison, who co-edited this expanded edition with John Updike, presents a historical perspective on the series in her Foreword, while Updike's Introduction provides some insight regarding his means of selecting stories for this collection. First, Updike wanted his choices "to reflect the century, with each decade given roughly equal weight." His second criterion was to exclude stories that did not take place in the U.S. or "Anglophone Canada." There are some well-known works in this collection, such as John Cheever's "A Country Husband" and Philip Roth's "Defender of the Faith." Less familiar works by other famous writers are also included, like Katherine Anne Porter's "Theft," Richard Wright's "Bright and Morning Star," and Tennessee William's "The Resemblance Between a Violin Case and a Coffin." One of the surprise favorites for me was a disturbing story by Joyce Carol Oates, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" Another engaging selection is Thom Jones' 1993 story, "I Want to Live!," a heart-wrenching yet humorous tale about a woman's struggle with cancer. This collection is valuable to anyone who is interested in the short story as a genre of writing, as an art form. One can read through these short stories and see how the craft of short story writing has progressed and changed throughout the 20th century. I would recommend this book for its historical interest and sheer literary value. Because there are so many tales from different perspectivesin this book, there are selections with violent or sexual themes. I believe the quality of the writing outweighs this concern, and this book is appropriate for mature readers. KLIATT Codes: JSA—Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2000, Houghton Mifflin, 864p, $18.95. Ages 13 to adult. Reviewer: Janice Bees; Freelance Reviewer, Chicago, IL, September 2000 (Vol. 34 No. 5)