Flash Fiction + Book News

A short story collection

May 08, 2024

Short story collections are underrated, and here’s why. Finding time for a full-length novel may be tough. Treating yourself to one story, on the other hand—more doable. And while you can equally read one chapter of a novel per sitting, great short stories encapsulate a universe crafted just for them, taking you on a whirlwind journey within a few pages.
And they’re good for you too! Exploring a collection that features a variety of genres and styles gives us a chance to dip our toes into an unfamiliar genre and expand our horizons. Which is why they make excellent gifts as well: when in doubt about someone's tastes, you can never go wrong with a diverse collection of stories.
Today’s list features the best short story collections, with special call-outs to favorite stories within each. Plus, a roundup of the new and upcoming releases on our radar.

Caravan, Etka Gitel - The lyrical prose you know and love from Etka Gitel’s novels brings life to a wide range of stories, shifting seamlessly from humor to heart-wrenching, from sci-fi to ancient history. Each story is a world of its own, with irony, emotion, and entertaining banter that capture the magic and meaning of the world around us.
In Back to School (pg 36), a traumatized veteran mourns the life he left behind on the battlefield and searches for a way to move forward.
In Pinchas Takes a Toll (pg 67), an ex-stockbroker faces the monotony of his new job as a tollbooth worker, but finds meaning in the collective impact that drives toll hikes and tehillim campaigns.

Captive Audience and In Black and White, Dov Haller - Contemporary stories combine the author’s insight with the humor, drama, and relatable characters of his fiction. Capturing the nuances and idiosyncrasies of frum life, each story finds the hidden spark that drives the frum world we know and asks if we really know it at all.
In Captive Audience (Captive Audience, pg 77), a hyperactive young boy teaches a room of mechanchim what it means to really learn.

Long Story Short, Esty Heller - Light and thoughtful stories about the threads that hold us together. Set against creative environments, trendy gimmicks, or unique dynamics, each story pushes against our assumptions about relationships, society, and ourselves.
In Lost in Translation (pg 146), as a familiar drama plays out in her courtroom, a newlywed interpreter becomes the villain of her own story.
In The Empty Chair (pg 389), a widow pours out her anger and hurt onto a phantom audience, but can’t bring herself to make the ultimate break with her grief.

Second Thoughts, Esther Kurtz - Nuanced stories about everyday issues, peeling back the facade to surface the complex emotions and dynamics that lie behind the simplest of topics. Within the fun drama, trendy details, and snappy dialogue, complex ideas creep in that will make you cry, laugh, and think.
In Two is Company (pg 149), a lonely woman gives up her only companionship for her child, but wonders how far sacrifice should go as she loses herself.
In Personally Speaking (pg 236), an uber-confident speaker finds himself the address of questions he can’t answer, and wonders if he’s just too great.

Petals, Yael Mermelstein - Light and relatable fictional short stories, a novelette, and personal essays that capture the inner struggle within our everyday lives and the emotion and strength we’re capable of.
In 20/20 (pg 81), a woman flees to safety in nothingness after causing a terrible accident, until she finds that she’s needed, and can fill the hole within.
In Branches (pg 95), a young girl is desperate to save her beloved sycamore tree as her mother lies dying upstairs.

Ripples in Time, Bracha Miller - Short stories and a novelette that push past ancient history and unfamiliar settings to uncover the never-changing human nature and emotion that connect us and bring light to the ideas and struggles that came before us.
In The Keeper (pg 41), in the future, a historian inexplicably becomes consumed in a research assignment whose contradictions leave her searching.
In Chasing Freedom (pg 67), three sisters face the French Revolution with their own dreams, searching for freedom in the worlds of fashion, philosophy, and Torah.

Shimmer of Hope, Rhona Lewis - Rich and slow-paced stories feature slices of life from around the world and across history. Unique characters find themselves at the intersection between lifestyles and discover the unexpected connections that we have in common.
In Oceans of Grass (pg 41), a newly orphaned Kibbutz child finds himself in a new world of his Meah Shearim relatives, determined to hold on to his past, waiting for permission to fit in.
In Splintered Dreams (pg 195), a mother waits for her son after he’s been arrested for theft, and reflects on the upbringing and expectations that brought her son to this point.

Truth Meets Fiction, Nachman Seltzer - Straightforward stories that highlight the complexity within the mundane and dive deep into the animating drives behind our communities and families. Grappling with contemporary issues and ideas, a beloved author will make you think and leave you with a takeaway.
In The Haggadah (pg 23), a mysterious Haggadah brings new life and inspiration to a burnt-out musical star, until its power dries up.

Prisms and Beyond the Prism, Riva Pomerantz - A master novelist turns her imagination and storytelling to fictional short stories and personal essays. Contemporary and resonant stories explore the human drama and struggle born from good intentions and deceptive surfaces.
In To Fly (Prisms, Pg 40), an aging couple finds yearly joy in feathered visitors, until their grandchildren’s hopes come between them.

Ready to Fly, Batya Ruddell - Down-to-earth and practical stories, about families, growth, and change, many of them drawing on Batya’s fascinating medical career and life in Yerushalayim. For each story, Batya shares the backstory and kernels that led to the final product, and her reflections in reading them back years later.
In Taking the Leap (pg 359), a despondent young man injects warmth into a cold detention center.

Between the Tides, Sara Weiderblank - Ensconced in communities and families, contemporary women navigate their surroundings and society’s effects on their expectations, perceptions, and hopes.
In Generation Gap (pg 160), a Ba’alas Teshuva watches her teen daughter flip out, and turn her back on her not-frum-enough upbringing.