What makes a brilliant short story? Are they better read as part of a collection or as a sharp shot on their own? How do you render fully formed characters in very few words? We're thrilled that this month, Arinze Ifeakandu joined us to talk about his short story collection Gods Children Are Little Broken Things, a beautiful, artful collection of nine short stories about queer lives and love in Nigeria. One of the great pleasures of reading this book is savouring the art of the short story, but also seeing how they can be built into a cohesive collection, so it felt like the perfect opportunity to revisit the form. Tune in for our interview with Arinze, our thoughts on the short story (including some favourites), plus all the usual recommendations.

Recommendations on the theme, Short Stories:
Octavia: Colorín Colorado by Camille Bordas
Carrie: Blue 4Eva by Saba Sams

General Recommendations:
Octavia: Valentino by Natalia Ginzburg
Arinze: The Sorrows of Others by Ada Zhang, and Oppositions by Mary Gaitskill
Carrie: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Find a list of all recommended books at: https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/september-2023-short-stories-with-arinze-ifeakandu

Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/litfriction

Email us: litfriction@gmail.com

Tweet us & find us on Instagram: @litfriction