Tomb Sweeping is a 2023 short story collection by American writer Alexandra Chang, published by Ecco Press. Set across China and the United States, the book's fifteen stories explore family, relationships, loneliness, and the American Dream.[1] Chang's first short story collection, the book made several year-end best-of and must-read lists.
 | |
| Author | Alexandra Chang |
|---|---|
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Publisher | Ecco Press |
Publication date | August 8, 2023 |
| Pages | 256 |
| ISBN | 978-0062951847 |
| Preceded by | Days of Distraction |
Critical reception
editKirkus Reviews found the book "uneven" with some stories ending in a manner that "comes across as arbitrary."[2] In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it a "powerful and delightfully strange debut collection."[3]
Datebook lauded Chang's "precise prose" and also found that "Chang ... also proves herself to be a master of flash fiction."[4] The Millions wrote that "Although the emotions and relationships in Tomb Sweeping feel at times provisionally sketched, the collection coheres on a subconscious level, revealing the self-centered desires that lurk in the most seemingly neutral acts of intergenerational care."[5] Northwest Review wrote that "Chang's stories reveal humanity through the mundane."[6] USA Today called it a "playful and deeply affective short story collection".[7] The Rumpus wrote that Chang's characters "brim with life by virtue of Chang's irrefutable talent and remarkable ability to find beauty—and meaning—in life's daily complexities."[8]
San Francisco Chronicle placed the book on their list of Favorite Fiction and Nonfiction Books of 2023, calling it "Compelling and compulsively readable" from a "writer who's only just beginning to show her impressive range."[9] Electric Literature included it on their list of Best Short Story Collections of 2023, calling it a "brilliant collection".[10] The Washington Post named it in an article about "impressive short-story collections" in August of 2023.[11]
Stories
edit| Title | Also published in |
|---|---|
| "Unknown by Unknown" | |
| "Li Fan" | 3:AM Magazine |
| "To Get Rich is Glorious" | Zoetrope: All-Story |
| "Farewell, Hank" | |
| "Cure for Life" | |
| "Klara" | |
| "A Visit" | |
| "Flies" | Harvard Review |
| "She Will Be a Swimmer" | |
| "Phenotype" | Electric Literature |
| "Me and My Algo" | |
| "Persona Development" | |
| "Tomb Sweeping" | Glimmer Train |
| "Cat Personalities" | |
| "Other People" |
References
edit- ^ Chang, Alexandra (August 8, 2023). Tomb Sweeping: Stories. Ecco Press. ISBN 978-0062951847.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ TOMB SWEEPING | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "Tomb Sweeping: Stories by Alexandra Chang". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ Bae, Hannah (August 2, 2023). "Review: In compelling, compulsively readable stories, Alexandra Chang examines what haunts us". Datebook. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ Wu, Jenny (2023-08-09). "Elder Care: On Alexandra Chang's 'Tomb Sweeping'". The Millions. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ "You Can Never Go Home Again - Michael Hahn". nwreview.org. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ "Tomb Sweeping: Stories". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ Mania, Greg (2023-08-09). "Writing the Emotional Stakes of the Mundane: A Conversation with Alexandra Chang". The Rumpus. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ "The Chronicle's favorite fiction and nonfiction books of 2023". Datebook. December 13, 2023. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ "Electric Lit's Best Short Story Collections of 2023". Electric Literature. 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ Berke, Annie (August 28, 2023). "Four impressive short-story collections". The Washington Post.