Every day is not a bad day. Every day is not a good day either. Some are filled with the glee of going out at weekends. Some are just about being unproductive and not having the bare minimum strength to get up from the couch. At least, our world is populated with literature every year. In this article, we are going to read about the 8 best short story books to read in 2022. It has a blend of different genres for the days you don’t feel like doing anything; you might as well enjoy one short story from these collections.
8 Best Short Story Books to Read In 2022
Sour Heart – Jenny Zhang
Jenny Zhang conjures the unsettling and often hilarious incident of adolescence through the very eyes of a Chinese-American girl growing up in NYC. One of the best aspects of these stories is that they are authentic. The girls are resilient, loving, and love attention and a sense of belonging. Zhang did not care about the minority myth and offered an authentic viewpoint on the lives of Asian immigrants.
Things We Lost in the Fire – Mariana Enriquez
Mariana Enriquez offers the readers the complexity and haunting tragedies of the human condition. She has several perspectives to share on women and girls trying their best to fit in this world, the devastations of poverty, the imprisonment of bad marriages and addiction. Some of these stories would be an amazing prototype for good horror movies.
A Lucky Man – Jamel Brinkley
A Lucky Man by Jamel Brinkley is a stunning collection of short stories. If you have watched Moonlight, this short story collection would remind you of the movie. No, it is not a book about homosexual men. Brinkley explores the emotions of black men both in pressurized situations and bottled-up vulnerability. This book focuses on male stereotypes and simultaneously explores the psychic damage that it causes.
To Be A Man – Nicole Krauss
Nicole Krauss sinks herself into the struggle of understanding what it is like to be a man and a woman when the tension has existed from the commencement of time. The stories are set in the contemporary moment and feature the male characters in the roles of fathers, friends, lovers, seducers, and children. The way each of these stories mirrors and resonates with each other feels like a novel rather than a short story collection.
The Office of Historical Corrections – Danielle Evans
With seven brilliant stories, Danielle Evans reveals that she is one of the finest writers of the contemporary period. These stories are prophetic, and shy and have nuanced reflections of the world and society we are living in. They are smart and haunting with the truth it exhibits. Evans’ lines are pleasurable to read and each story contains a breathtaking revelation.
Filthy Animals – Brandon Taylor
The stories in Filthy Animals are meticulous. They are melancholic to read. Taylor captures the longing, infirmity, and overwhelming of existence beautifully in her stories. The powerful stories are the ones that are related to each other; they are fascinating, uncomfortable, and full of tension. However, most of the characters and stories seem quite similar, so it is worth reading.
First Person Singular – Haruki Murakami
The eight stories included in this collection are told from a first-person perspective by a lonely man. Some of the stories are about looking back at youth with nostalgia in their hearts. However, some are still trying to comprehend adulting. They cover themes of childhood, loss, and death, with the quintessential blend of Murakami. The Norwegian Wood writer wants the readers to decide if it is fiction or a memoir.
The Souvenir Museum – Elizabeth McCracken
In this collection of short stories by Elizabeth McCracken, the enigmatic nexus of the family is examined, altered, cracked, and fortified. These stories are contemporary. The characters are quirky and believable. Each story is better than the last one and would offer you the opportunity for deeper inspection. The few stories that overlap will give you an impression of a work-in-progress novel.
