Short Story Sunday: A Perfect Day for Bananafish, J.D. Salinger
Posted by kristipetersenschoonover
A Perfect Day for Bananafish, J.D. Salinger
This story of a man just returned from the Army on a vacation with his wife is probably the first I’d ever read in which I didn’t see
the ending coming and I was completely shocked. First published in The New Yorker in 1948, the best place to find it now is probably in the collection Nine Stories: http://amzn.com/0316767727
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Lately I’ve been working on the overwhelming task of thinning out my book collection; it’s something no book lover likes to do, but let’s face it, every once in a while it has to be done, either to clear clutter or make room for more.
It’s no surprise that a good portion of my collection is devoted to short story collections. I’ve read my share of great stories, and I’ve read my share of awful ones—but I’ve also read my share of a few that blew me away to the point at which I’ll never forget them. So instead of doing a typical “Top” list, I decided instead to focus on ones which fall into the last category (please note that in my “about” descriptions I tried to be spoiler-free). Do you have any that have made a lasting impression on you? Leave them in the comments.
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About kristipetersenschoonover
A ghost story writer who still sleeps with the lights on, Kristi Petersen Schoonover’s fiction has appeared in many magazines and anthologies; her traditionally published books include a short story collection, THE SHADOWS BEHIND. She was the recipient of three Norman Mailer Writers Colony Residencies and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College. She serves as co-host of the DARK DISCUSSIONS podcast, as founding editor of the dark literary journal 34 ORCHARD, and is a member of both the New England Horror Writers and the Horror Writers Association. Follow her adventures at kristipetersenschoonover.com.Posted on July 17, 2016, in Short Stories and tagged A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Nine Stories, stories by J.D. Salinger, The New Yorker Stories. Bookmark the permalink. 4 Comments.
“The Milk of Paradise” by James Tiptree Jr. Completely blew me out of the water.
Okay, John! I will totally check into reading that. Always looking for new short stories!!
That one’s so awesome, Kristi, it tops ’em all.
Yeah, this story’s pretty hard to beat. Haunting and sad.