New Stories from the South: The Year's Best, 1996

New Stories from the South: The Year's Best, 1996, edited by Shannon Ravenel (Algonquin, $10.95)

The latest volume in a highly acclaimed series, this collection, following tradition, brings together a wonderful sampler of Southern stories.

Among the 15 pieces are William Faulkner's "Rose of Lebanon," written in 1930 but only recently published. Other sure favorites include Jill McCorkle's "Paradise," which deserves to be read out loud. McCorkle knows the world of Southern country club weddings intimately, and readers will relish her hilarious look at the flowering romance between a modern-day Adam and Eve.

Susan Perabo's "Some Say the World" chronicles the fiery desires of a teenage pyromaniac, warming her hands and heart in the flames she conjures, while "The Happy Memories Club," by Lee Smith, centers on the importance of memory and storytelling in matters of survival. Here, a nursing home resident joins a writing club and, to the horror of her shocked colleagues, tells the true story of her life in all its anguished and messy glory. Suicides, births, adolescent love, and dreams of leaving home may be too much for the fellow writers, but as Smith's tale proves, the power of a story lies in its telling.

Illuminated with memory, place, and the sweet voices of the South, this collection is not to be missed.

Susan L. Duncan

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Feb 1997
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