Most people read at least one O. Henry short story in school, The Gift of the Magi, about a loving couple who sell their most prized possession (the wife, her beautiful hair; the husband, his prized pocket watch) to purchase what their beloved would most enjoy for Christmas (the wife, a chain for his pocket watch; the husband, a comb for her lovely hair), only to find their gifts are now unusable, a story of true self-sacrifice for love. O. Henry, pen name of William Sydney Porter, was renowned for his short story endings, surprise twists that delight and charm, while meaningfully revealing truths of humanity.

Amor Towles, who demonstrated his skill at this form with the excellent 2024 collection Table for Two, was the editor and selector of the twenty prize winning stories. He writes in his introduction about the nature of the short story, the tasks that must be accomplished and the special experience necessitated by the constraint of length, usually a few pages, to no more than about 40:

“All of those elements of craft must be either curtailed, abbreviated, or abandoned…the short story writer provides us with a closely observed moment…we get a glimpse of personality…we are likely to witness a single encounter or occurrence...we are presented with images that are striking and haunting, but often in isolation…In the context of a short story, however, the exact same surprise—whether it’s a turn of events, an image, or a word—is sure to have more potency. It will stand out more prominently, linger in our consciousness more durably..” Towles puts his finger on the key point—the shortness of the story creates this gem, this carefully-cut thing of beauty, a singular impactful message, impression, or experience.

I encourage you to pick up this compilation, with its twenty unique, special experiences. Of course, I have a couple of favorites, stories that especially touched me, although I must say I enjoyed every one of them. Personally, my two favorites were Orphans, by Brad Felver; and The Dark, by Jess Walter. And I probably have to also mention The Paper Artist, by E.K. Ota, and The Soccer Balls of Mr. Kurz, by Michele Mari. It’s hard to stop with those, since so many were impactful, tender, jarring, thoughtful. You will enjoy so many perspectives, unique voices, memorable images. I urge you to pick this up at your local public library.