Ask the Book Lady

Making a Long Story Short

By telling them that if they don't, the terrorists have won.

What -- you tried that already and it didn't work? What's wrong with these people?

Okay, for real now. You haven't given me a lot of details, but I'll see what I can do.

First off -- why won't your group read short stories? (You don't have to tell me now; just keep the question in mind.) Some people don't find them good book-group fare because there isn't the same continuity you get from a novel. Some wonder what you'd talk about with a short-story collection, since you can't focus on the main characters and their conflicts -- they keep changing. Some people just dislike the form.

No matter what the problem is, you need to address it. The continuity issue is fairly simple -- you just find a collection that bypasses it. The Sherlock Holmes stories, for instance, are wonderful in that they can be read in almost any order but you still have the same basic cast tackling the problems that come their way. Edgar Allan Poe's stories have that wonderful sense of darkness and doom to link them. In more contemporary fare, Shirley Jackson's collection The Lottery has a recurring character who's always a little different every time you see him but is always the same troublemaker. Or there are anthologies of stories by different authors on a common theme. I have a wonderful little book of stories by and about Irish women, for instance. One can generally find similar collections on almost any topic of interest.

As for what you'd talk about -- well, the same things you'd discuss with a novel. Are the characters mere props in the service of a story to be told, or are they real people? Are the situations and conflicts believable, or do they seem contrived? What kind of points does the author seem to be trying to make, if any?

One October, my group decided to read stories by Poe. Everyone could read as many and whichever stories they wanted to, but to make sure that we had at least some common ground, two stories were designated must-reads for everyone. This kind of thing seems a good rule of thumb for reading short stories with a group. If the collection is by a classic writer, pick out one or two that are the best-known or most important of his or her works. For instance, if you decide to read a batch of Charlotte Perkins Gilman shorts, make sure that everyone at least reads "The Yellow Wallpaper." If it's a modern collection, everyone should read, at minimum, the first two. That way if someone absolutely can't stand either short stories in general or the author's style in particular, she doesn't have to suffer too long; and everyone who feels like continuing can do so as long as they like.

All of this is assuming that you just don't want your group to rule out short stories as an option. If what you really want is for the group to read a particular collection because it's your favorite book ever ever in the whole wide world please could we read it I want so much to talk about it with you guys I know you'll love it there's the cutest guy in story #3 everybody else got to choose a book I'll be your best friend I'll hold my breath until I turn blue I'll give all my money to the poor I'll buy you a new car I'll never ask another favor for the rest of my life I swear oh please please please -- if this is the case, why not just shamelessly beg until they give in simply to shut you up? Or bribe them with brownies? That always works for me.

Let me know how it turns out. I love a good story.

Regards,

The Book Lady

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