Eleven years ago I met and fell in love with my partner. We were well-matched in almost every way. Except one. She loved short stories. I did not. In the decade since, I made occasional attempts to read and enjoy short story collections with limited success.

I picked up BASS 2005 on the clearance rack at Half Price Books. I thought I might enjoy it because it was edited by an author I enjoy, Michael Chabon. I did like the first story ‘The Smile on Happy Chang’s Face’ by Tom Perrotta which is a slyly humorous and sad look at the life of a suburban Little League umpire. I’ve never read Perrotta, but I will now. I also liked the second story Dennis Lehane’s ‘Until Gwen’ a bitter and very dark exploration of a couple of days in the life of a pair of father and son grifters.

I was so pleased with my reaction. Chabon wasn’t letting me down and the short story was finally going to be a pleasant genre to explore. I hated the rest of the stories in the book. I’m almost certain it’s me and that the stories aren’t a depressing litany of “Life Sucks”. I think if I was a savoring rather than gulping type, I might have found more that I enjoyed as much as the first couple. I might not mind the constant shifting of narrator and tone inherent in a collection of short stories. In other words, it’s not the quality of these stories, it’s me. I can tell that they are well written, I just find the whole thing depressing. .

After 10 years of trying, I think it is time to admit defeat. Jane and I will never agree about short stories. Or as one in the genre would have it, she and I will now sink into a morass of disappointment and internal grief while maintaining an outward appearance of happiness without ever discussing the nagging doubt that permeates our life together. ( )

How did it take me this long to decide to read an edition of BASS? I chose the 2005 collection completely at random, triggering a case of serendipity the likes of which I have never seen before. Just think: I could have gone the rest of my life never having read anything by Kelly Link, Tom Perotta, or Tim Pratt! This sampling is a great way to get to know new writers. Favorite stories from BASS 2005 include "Stone Animals," "The Smile on Happy Chang's Face," "Anda's Game," "Death Defier," "Hart and Boot," and "Until Gwen." ( )

Usual yearly collection of good stories from lit mags over the last year. Chabon's editorial perspective is more prevalent than with other editors--there's a decided flavor of kids' tales, SF, and sports stories. They're good, so it's fine by me. ( )

Ultimately, a disappointing collection. It comes from two of the biggest brand names in publishing -- Chabon and the "Best American" dynasty. Nonetheless, Chabon's assertion that these twenty stories "pleased [him] best" is either disingenuous or a very poor reflection on his hedonic faculty. Six of these stories come from the preceding year's New Yorker, making the anthology a raw deal for anyone who is a devoted reader of that publication. Any idiot could have cherry-picked those stories, without the bother of reading the 114 lesser lights which were nominally under consideration. (The series editor has kindly selected 100 of these for an appendix of also-rans.) As for the remaining fourteen, perhaps the most pleasant is David Bezmozgis's "Natasha." Cory Doctorow's "Anda," a weak effort at bringing cyberpunk into the mainstream, does not belong in this collection at all, but might be included in that sure-to-appear anthology, Best Slashdot Writing of 2005. ( )