This year's selections are strong on description with florid, and I think often unnecessary details, that paint a picture but do not advance the story. Of course short stories aren't always going to move very far but the point is rarely to simply drape the nouns in description. For years after I first read Hemingway I had trouble appreciating his spare language and yet today, for me, it's the most difficult to emulate. I was in fact always more attracted to the Faulkner school of complex sentences and descriptive terms that allowed the undisciplined mind room to think it was succeeding. Neither school however is represented here and that is not surprising. These are once in a generation writers and this book of excellent short writing is simply the work of mortals.

That said, these stories, and the Best American Short Stories of previous years are fun to read when you are looking for a break from War and Peace.

The Best American Short Stories for 2004, selected by Lorrie Moore and edited by Katrina Kenison. Available on line and in bookstores around the world.