T. Coraghessan Boyle Mini Challenge

Perpetual Challenge

Teddy of So Many Precious Books, So Little Time was so inspired by a short story that she has made a challenge out of it, the T. Coraghessan Boyle Mini Challenge. Here's what she says:

There is a bit of a story to me reading this short story. Last week, our host, John of Short Story Monday reviewed this story. Before he reviewed another participant, JoAnn reviewed it, say that it was Nymeth that brought it to her attention.

John's review convinced me to give this story a read.

The story is about with a couple's 17 year old daughter, Maddy, walking along the roadside alone at night. Maddy's father is the narrator and he goes back and for from Maddy alone, to his musing about meteors from over a million year ago in the Tunguska in Russia and Chicxulub on the Yucatan Peninsula.

You can imagine what's going to happen, right? Well not quite, theres a twist. This story really packs a punch. I read this story while alone, my husband went to bed and the house was very quite. While I was reading my heart felt like it was trying to exit through my throat, you know the feeling.

The mini challenge of this post: I have said before that it took me finally reading a good short story to start liking them. Short story writing is an entirely different craft from writing a novel. Boy, does Boyle have the craft! I want to pass this amazing story along to you! I challenge you to read Chicxulub, it's free on The New Yorker website, and review it. Then the second part, if your game, is to read other short stories or even novels by Boyle. A lot of his short stories and collections are referenced here.

To join, go to T. Coraghessan Boyle Mini Challenge.