A whole new world just waiting to be discovered

I’ve been converted. No, I haven’t had a religious epiphany, but more of a literary one. I have discovered the short story genre.

“Runaway”, a collection of short stories by Alice Munro, had been sitting untouched on my bookshelf for several months. I can’t recall exactly why I bought the book; it was just one of those chance purchases. The cover caught my attention, it had interesting comments by critics on the back and I liked what I read on the first page or so.

I came home, put it on my bookshelf in the pile of “books to read” and then forgot about it. Until last week that is. And now I can’t put it down. It has been a while since I’ve read a book where I am so absorbed by the characters and the writing that although you know you should really put the light out and go to sleep, you tell yourself that another few pages won’t do any harm and you simply keep on reading.

I just hadn’t expected this from short stories because, by their very nature, you’re not with the characters for many pages. This particular collection differs perhaps in that one character returns in three stories, albeit at completely different stages of her life i.e. in one she’s a young woman, another a mother and another a grandparent. But other stories are totally distinct.

What’s most compelling is the way the episodes are distilled down to their very essence, not a word is wasted. I feel like I am simultaneously being told a story, in the most straightforward sense, and gaining an insight into human behaviour and the human condition. And all this in so few words. The experience is intense and a joy.

Surely in this age where everyone claims to have so little free time, this is the era when the short story should come into its own. I haven’t seen any sales figures for short stories to know what the trend is and how it fares against the novel or poetry, but anecdotal evidence tells me that it is an unpopular genre and a hard sell. It shouldn’t be, it really shouldn’t. Or is Alice Munro one of the few brilliant short story writers out there?

Have you discovered a great short-story writer? If so, please share! I want to read more.