I’ve been a fan of Andrea Barrett’s work for many years. She is perhaps best known for her National Book Award-winning novel Ship Fever. But she is also an accomplished short story writer, and her astonishing collection, Servants of the Map, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, is one of my favorite books. Her new short story, “Archangel,” (being published as a special double issue here at One Story) follows in the footsteps of these earlier works, seamlessly tying together the world of science and history with the emotional lives of her characters. Set in 1917, “Archangel” concerns Eudora, a young American X-Ray technician, working at a hospital for soldiers fighting after the armistice, during the allied intervention in Russia. As she tries to help the wounded, Eudora meets a young soldier named Boyd who has injured his leg–a piece of bone, from a fallen friend, has been blown into his body from an explosion. As Boyd’s story begins to unfold, it draws Eudora closer to him, until she understands that he wants what they all desperately want: to go home. Echoes of the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are woven throughout this skillful tale, and the emotionally gripping conclusion sets “Archangel” among the best short stories I’ve read in a long, long time. Visit Andrea Barrett’s Q&A to find out more about how she wrote this compelling piece. Personally, I loved the factual detailing, as well as the repetition of words, and the image of the icy toboggan run that made me fear that Boyd would take his own life. The final turn in “Archangel” moved me to tears, and I believe captures the feeling of this nation as we head into the New Year–in desperate need of good news and hopeful for better times, but still facing a long, cold winter.

I love letters. I miss getting them in the mail. These days everyone communicates via email–that instant gratifier. But somehow, at least for me, email never reaches the same level of confidence. Reading someone else’s letters, such as
Raymond Carver and Gordon Lish, or the new volume of Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop’s correspondence can be illuminating, as well as giving you the guilty pleasure of eavesdropping on an intimate conversation. It’s this exposure that Ben Greeman plays with in our new issue, “The Tremulant.” Here the married narrator, Francisco Ramirez, writes to his lover, who has just left him for another man. In the letters, we see their relationship through the ugly break-up–which spurs his desire to write–then follow his memory back to their first meeting, up until their last goodbye. As the story progresses, the reader realizes that Francisco’s letters have never been sent. They are his attempts to maintain a connection to someone who no longer loves him. Ben Greenman tells the story simply and flawlessly, drawing out the meaning of words, and showing how difficult it really is to communicate with any accuracy, especially when our emotions are involved. Ben also continues this exploration of the letter form in his new book, Correspondences, just out with Hotel St. George Press, in a beautiful, handmade letter-press edition (later editions will include this story). This book, and this story, are both tributes to the lost art of letter writing, and reflect how, though we are now able to communicate with greater speed and efficiency, people find it harder to connect.

I’ve been a fan of Lauren Groff’s since her wondrous novel, The Monsters of Templeton, was published, so when a story of hers crossed my desk, I read it with great interest. I was not disappointed. “Sir Fleeting”is the story of a love affair never consummated–full of whimsy and humor and romance. The moment when Ancel de Chair appears, I found myself falling for him, just as our narrator does, with his impeccable manners and diamond tie pin. He is a fantasy, and when the story turns, and begins to weave reality into this magical web, I felt the same splash of cold that came over our poor Bergere. This is classic, old-fashioned storytelling at its best, and I’m looking forward to Lauren Groff’s collection of stories, Delicate, Edible Birds, which will be published in January 2009. To find out more about Lauren and read about how she wrote “Sir Fleeting,” visit our Q&A.