The Best Australian Stories 2012 celebrates the short story as an art form and demonstrates how much can be achieved within the confines of a few pages. Editor Sonya Hartnett has assembled a powerful collection of 32 stories from talents such as Alex Miller, David Francis and Chris Womersley (notably, this is Womersley’s fourth contribution to the series). The anthology succeeds in presenting a myriad of voices, situations, and complexities strung together by a common thread: each story has an element of suspense in some form or another; a delectable hook that ensures a satisfying read.
Martin Lindsay’s ‘Someone Called Rob’ opens this collection with questions about the power of modern forms of communication. A similar theme runs through Meredi Ortega’s ‘David Davis at Coldpigeon Dot Com’. Ortega explores the darker side of her controlling character, as his calculated emails discombobulate those who have mistakenly contacted him. Ortega’s contribution is not the only story which leaves the reader pondering the ending long after its final sentences have been read.
More than a few stories within the collection explore the darker side of human nature. Erin Gough’s successful characterisation in ‘Benny Wins Powerball’ portrays the grotesque nature of human jealousy and obsessive materialism, and is one of several stories ending on a deliciously dark-humoured note. Zoe Norton Lodge’s prose in ‘Yia Yia on Papou’ captures a frustrated, dour relationship peppered with unspoken, simmering resentments.
From the not so pent up anger of Mr Bushnell in ‘Guns ‘N Coffee’ to the unexpectedly detached side of Jennifer in ‘She Knows How to Look After Herself’, many of the stories Hartnett has selected are peppered with wry humour. Conversely, some notably sensitive and heart tugging stories are also featured. The blur between life and death is captured by Rebecca Harrison in ‘Scissors’; a poignant narrative about 80 year old Maggie. ‘Sidney’ is a standout, depicting just a few hours in the life of a man suffering from dementia. Delicately told, Emma Schwarcz’s prose is delicate yet confronting.
Surprising elements of the surreal weave their way through several of these stories, forcing a double take on more than one occasion. Chris Womersley’s ‘A Lovely and Terrible Thing’ has a mesmerisingly ethereal quality to it, while James Bradley brings back the deceased for a new angle on bullying in ‘The Inconvenient Dead’.
Sonya Hartnett has selected 32 diverse stories which certainly fit her criteria of ‘fine examples of what well-placed words should do in tight confines.’ For those interested in new and established Australian voices this is a great volume to delve into.
Rating: 4 ½ stars
The Best Australian Stories 2012
Edited by Sonya Hartnett
Paperback, 288pp, RRP $29.99
ISBN: 9781863955805
Black Inc.
