The Best American Short Stories 2006 Edition Book Edited by Ann Patchett

The Best American Short Stories 2006 Edition Paperback Book Edited by Ann Patchett The acclaimed annual short fiction series--this year featuring guest editor Ann Patchett, the author of Bel Canto and The Magician's Assistant--showcases the work of such notable authors as Thomas McGuane, Tobias Wolff, Donna Tartt, Mary Gaitskill, Nathan Englander, and other notables, from a variety of acclaimed sources. This vibrant, varied sampler of the American literary scene revels in life’s little absurdities, captures timely personal and cultural challenges, and ultimately shares subtle insight and compassion. In “The View from Castle Rock,” the short story master Alice Munro imagines a fictional account of her Scottish ancestors’ emigration to Canada in 1818. Nathan Englander’s cast of young characters in “How We Avenged the Blums” confronts a bully dubbed “The Anti-Semite” to both comic and tragic ends. In “Refresh, Refresh,” Benjamin Percy gives a forceful, heart-wrenching look at a young man’s choices when his father — along with most of the men in his small town — is deployed to Iraq. Yiyun Li’s “After a Life” reveals secrets, hidden shame, and cultural change in modern China. And in “Tatooizm,” Kevin Moffett weaves a story full of humor and humanity about a young couple’s relationship that has run its course.