Pearse Anderson's Reviews > Granta 139: Best of Young American Novelists 3

Ending on "I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness" was a great move. That story is probably the best thing I have read this season. Others really got me going, like Butler's "The New Me," Cline's "Los Angeles," or Mengestu's "This is Our Descent." Then, the collection featured a round of stories that didn't act of me too much. I couldn't finish "Trump Sky Alpha," or "The Meat Suit," or "Uri" or "Country & Eastern." Anthony Marra had a cute piece that was enjoyable, as were "The Answers," "Bright Circle," and "All the Caged Things." But those didn't cement my trust in the authors like some others. The penultimate story, "What Terrible Thing It Was," really was dull.

BUT these are new voices. Clearly youngin' that are up and comin'. And I loved that. I loved being able to see trends and tones and settings that I think the old guard is forgetting (or never new) and this next crop is rallying around. It worked! So although the stories fell short for a good third or more of them. But it gets four stars. Thanks Strand! Glad I didn't wait until I had access to Oberlin's Granta subscription to pick up this issue.