Jodi Angel "Snuff"
Every once in a while you get a story where the detail is so specific and so well rendered that you feel you are with the characters. In this story a brother calls his sister to give him a ride home. He has been watching a snuff film that he is way too young to have seen. (No one should have seen this one). Begrudgingly she comes to get him, questioning what he is doing way out in the country. On the way home, they hit a deer. They stop the car, not knowing at first what they hit. The deer is already dying but when the sister puts her hand on the animal, she feels something moving around inside. The two try to save the baby but, of course, fail.
Now this isn't much of a plot, but what makes it really work is how well the writer describes everything they see and do. You not only feel that the author must have experienced this, but you wonder how she was able to take in the details so exactingly. The details of what the night was like, what the road was like, what the car was like, the things they did to try and save the baby. And, of course, that snuff film plays with the brother's emotions as he watches his sister fail. Excellent.
10 comments:
That one sounds like a potent story, Patti. And in fact, the whole collection sounds really appealing. I haven't read enough short stories lately, so I appreciate the reminder...
I have THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES from 2014 around here somewhere. "Snuff" sounds like an powerful story!
It does sound good. I'm reading C> J. Box's collection SHOTS FIRED. The weird thing is, I read "The End of Jim and Ezra" (set in 1835 Wyoming) in DAMN NEAR DEAD 2 when it first came out, but had no memory of it at all, even after I read it again. But I did remember at least the basic plot of "Pronghorns of the Third Reich" (great title!), which Otto Penzler had published. Also reading the first Antonya Nelson collection, THE EXPENDABLES, which you covered some weeks ago. I enjoyed the offbeat title story yesterday.
I have a few of her collections and have enjoyed them all. I was reminded watching the brilliant Heminway series how much I like Tobias Wolfe and Edna O'Brien. And the very sad seeming Tim O'Brien.
Sounds like a great story. Not the content, but the style, all the details.
I recently picked up the Best American Mystery Stories for 2015 and 2016 for the Kindle, and the Best American Short Stories for 2020 also, so I will be sampling some of those.
Sounds terrific. I'm always in the market for short stories to read. :)
I agree. I loved Edna O'Brien - who is now 90! - on the Hemingway documentary. I've always liked Tobias Wolff too, and Tim O'Brien's THE THINGS THEY CARRIED is a favorite.
I wouldn't say I've learned anything - I've read a lot of Hemingway biographies, plus his letters, as well as plenty of his fiction and non fiction. So I knew the stories - Kansas City, Toronto, Hadley, Pauline, the lost stories, Pamplona, etc. But Ken Burns always does a wonderful job, and Peter Coyote's narration always enhances it as well. I'm enjoying it tremendously so far.
Will be so sorry to see it end.
Ken Burns"s considerably less than wonderful job on JAZZ and my lack of engagement with Hemingay as a person has mostly kept me away from the, but if you have or get PBs Passport, or have a World network affiliate available on broadcast or cable, you can see the AMERICAN MATERs episodes there....
Post a Comment