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Southern story collection captures region's flavor

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By ESTHER HAMMER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2009

"New Stories from the South 2009," edited by Madison Smartt Bell (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, $14.95)

I don't usually like short story anthologies. But after reading these new stories of the South - the latest in an annual series that started in 1985 - I may change my mind. That's because in this collection, each story is distinct from any other and all the stories are deliciously character-rich: the 15-year-old who saves a baby from drowning in Katrina's waters and then adopts her ("Love City"); the woman who steals river rocks and makes them into "Indian Arrowheads" for tourists ("Between Wrecks"); the man and his 16-year-old daughter who try to figure out how they fit into one another's lives after a long separation ("Sightings").

Fresh and current, the stories show a modern viewpoint, one that is sensitive to the old culture but also understands that there are new complexities; for example, the region is now home to a diverse mix of ethnicities and races, not just the old black-and-white mix. But the viewpoints are still thoroughly Southern (sometimes even "redneck") in tone, topics and often the setting. The writing is witty, personal and most of all engaging, coming from well-established authors, such as Jill McCorkle, as well as gifted lesser-known writers.

Alternatively worrisome, winsome, scary or sweet, they stick in the memory like Southern fried chicken sticks in the belly, the distinct taste lingering long after the meal is done.

Esther Hammer is a Tribune correspondent.

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