I love how short stories can demonstrate an authors’ skill or introduce you to several new authors. They’re usually shorter books that are easy to carry around and dip into, which makes them perfect for returning from a reading slump or reading on a commute. My favourite collections are precise, cohesive, and have an interconnected through-line. So, here are some of the best short story collections I’ve read.
As London re-opens after the pandemic, a group of Black-British friends emerge from their cocoons.An anthology of short stories about love by British women of colour. In a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Tokyo, local cats weave their way between the homes and connect all of the residents. Fantastical, other-worldly stories with female (mostly lesbian) protagonists. Structured in two parts; “departing” and “returning”, it weaves between Manchester and Kampala as characters decide whether to leave Uganda. A collection about nine Nigerian women from a housegirl in Lagos, to an undocumented migrant in London.
Five characters struggling to find their purpose stumble upon the same community library in Tokyo.The first collection of short fiction by Afghan women in English translation.Wintry, gothic, ghostly short stories by different pre-eminent historical authors. An ongoing narrative about a mixed-race boy finding his sexuality, interspersed with short stories set in Houston, Texas.Real stories from refugee girls around the world.
A speculative collection which explores Black womanhood in a near-future world.Black women in the US have secret loves and longings hiding behind their Christian faithStories featuring women of colour based on ancient myths from different cultures.Interconnected stories set on the Broadwater Farm estate in Tottenham. Beautiful stories about Jamaican immigrants and their families back home
Amina's Bookshelf 