The Guardian has released their summer short story bonanza, which includes some as short as a thousand words.
Dave Eggers offers “A Fork Brought Along,” which has the amazing distinction of being the funniest story I’ve ever read about a fork.
AM Holmes contributes “All Is Good Except The Rain” which has so much dialogue it resembles a play, but two women having a discussion over lunch turns into very strange affairs, ala typical AM Holmes style (my favorite story of hers — “Georgica” — has a woman spying on lovers at the beach, waiting until they leave so she can extract the fluid from condoms and impregnate herself with it. Shocking and haunting.)
In “The Massive Rat,” which offers his Black Swan Green world from the Father’s perspective, David Mitchell wins the award for best verb — “Me and Lorna have sort of Berlinned the house into her zone and mine” — and for the cheesiest coincidence (read it).
Also includes William Boyd, Julie Myerson, and the winner of their short story competition, Lisa Blower.
