Review: The Book of Other People

A Diverse Short Story Anthology Edited by Author Zadie Smith

Aug 31, 2008

A recent anthology edited by Zadie Smith, The Book of Other People features 23 of the best literary writers of the 2000's, and an assortment of odd characters.

A good short story anthology can offer several things to a reader: a variety of stories, numerous "single-sitting" reads (making them great bedside books), and of course, excellent stories. Perhaps their greatest asset, however, is the fact that they can serve as a sampler of new authors, or authors as yet undiscovered by the reader. A handful of enjoyable stories by different authors in an anthology can lead to the discovery of dozens of their novels.

A recent anthology edited by Zadie Smith, The Book of Other People not only features 23 of the best literary writers of the 2000's, but also introduces us to a number of the most memorable fictional characters in recent memory. According to Smith, contributors were instructed to "make somebody up." The result is an odd assortment of folks, most of whom --due to the talent of these writers-- will stay with the reader for awhile.

Diverse Cast of Literary Writers and Characters Benefits 826NYC

The list of contributors to The Book of Other People is truly impressive and diverse:

The fact that sales of the book benefit 826NYC , an organization " dedicated to supporting students aged six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills", was certainly a factor in drawing such a cast, all of whom donated their work.

But it is the characters here who are the real stars. Meet "Judith Castle" an aging british widow looking for love on the internet, and "Magda Mandela" preaching from atop the front stoop in her lime-green thong. Chris Ware's "Jordan Wellington Lint (to the age of 13)" is one of three graphic art stories included in this collection, and Toby Litt's "The Monster" is more humane than many of the humans in the book.

As with any collection, some stories included in The Book of Other People are stronger than others, as will such a diversity of styles allow for different stories appealing to different readers. Overall, however, this anthology is as strong a collection of short stories to be found in recent years, every bit as impressive as the annual collection of Best American Short Stories. And as editor Zadie Smith relates, referring to the stories benefitting a literary endeavor, "...The Book of Other People represents real people making fictional people work for real people --a rare example of fictional people pulling their own weight for once."

Smith, Zadie (ed.) The Book of Other People (2007/Penguin Books ISBN: 978-0-14-303818-4)

The copyright of the article Review: The Book of Other People in Modern British Fiction is owned by Dale Van Every. Permission to republish Review: The Book of Other People in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.