Short Stories : An espresso shot for the day!
Big or small, I enjoy all kinds of stories(even a one-liner would do its trick). Short stories have a special place in my memory as it reminds me of my childhood and my first exposure to stories. Short stories to me are like an espresso shot, sharp, bitter, sometimes sweet and always leave me unsatiated when it is over. I don't have to pay attention to the character names or setting etc., all I do is enjoy the essence of the story.
I do go for a good espresso shot now and then. It is my secret recipe to help me get out of reading slumps. After every hard-hitting read, I do want a short story or a crime thriller to cleanse my palate. There is a short story for every mood, and a well-crafted story always remains in my memory even after several years of reading it.
Sharing with you some of the classical masterpieces I have enjoyed.
- The Lady with the Dog - Anton Chekhov
A slice of a life tale, love is unpredictable when a married middle-aged man falls in love with a newlywed young lady whom he happens to meet at random. - The Bet - Anton Chekhov
Story of the foolishness of youth when a banker and lawyer enter into a bet to prove their belief in the death penalty and life imprisonment. - Kabuliwalla - Rabindranath Tagore
A heartwarming story of an unusual friendship between a hawker from Kabul and a 4-year-old Bengali girl who reminds him of his daughter. - Shock Tactics - H H Munro
A humorous story of a complicated family with a nosey mother who has the annoying habit of reading all letters of her son that comes to their house. - The Hounds of fate - H H Munro
The change of fate of a homeless man who is mistaken to be someone else by an old man from a rich household. - The Unrest Cure - H H Munro
A complacent middle-aged man is recommended to take an unrest cure to beat his addiction to routine and resistance to change. - Thejasvini - Sujatha
A quaint Tamil story(language spoken in Tamil Nadu)of the impossibility of finding an ideal match for girls which is almost like a figment of imagination. - The Last Leaf - O Henry
A tragic story of friendship and having hope in hopeless situations. - The Cop and the Anthem - O Henry
A story depicting irony in life. A homeless man is looking for shelter during winter and finds it at the wrong time. - After Twenty Years - O Henry
Story of friendship and loyalty when two estranged friends meet after 20 years under unusual circumstances. - The Gift of the Magi - O Henry
An unforgettable story of a young impoverished couple who make sacrifices to get a precious gift for each other. - The Lady or the Tiger - Frank R Stockton
A short story without resolution that grapples with the internal dilemma of justice and humanity (and perhaps true love). - The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe
A murderer persuades readers about his sanity as he recollects his careful calculation in committing a perfect murder. - The Pit and the Pendulum- Edgar Allan Poe
A horrifying story of the mental state of a prisoner during the Spanish inquisition while awaiting his death. - Time Stops at Shamli - Ruskin Bond
An unrequited love story in an unexciting small town which is almost uninhabited and where the train stops only for 5 minutes. - The Room on the Roof - Ruskin Bond
A heartwarming story about an orphaned teenage boy who goes to live with his guardian in a room on the roof in Dehradun.
And some brand new reads:
- The Visit - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A fascinating speculative story where matriarchy reshapes the world. What happens when the roles get reversed? - The Black Pages - Nnedi Okorafor
An afrofuturistic short story of a magical being who is trapped in a book and is freed after the burndown of the library by religious fundamentalists in modern days. - My Evil Mother - Margaret Atwood
A bittersweet relationship between a sceptical daughter and a mother who claims to be a witch. - The Cleaners - Ken Liu
One of the retold fairy tales, where two sisters have to choose if they want to keep or erase the memories that are built up in objects they touch.
These are not all-encompassing and will keep increasing as I dip my hands into the world of short stories in the future.
Have you read any of these? Would love to hear your suggested reads!
-Preethi
