One great short story to read today: Deesha Philyaw’s “Eula”
According to the powers that be (er, apparently according to Dan Wickett of the Emerging Writers Network), May is Short Story Month. To celebrate, for the second year in a row, the Literary Hub staff will be recommending a single short story, free* to read online, every (work) day of the month. Why not read along with us? Today, we recommend:
“Eula” by Deesha Philyaw
The first story in Philyaw’s excellent collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies concerns exactly that: two childhood best friends whose relationship is not exactly what it looks like from the outside—even if one of them likes to pretend that it is. Magically, this story manages to be economical and voice-driven at once, specific and generous, suggesting years and years in just a few thousand words. It’s masterful—while looking easy. (If you like this story, I also recommend “How to Make Love to a Physicist.”)
The story begins:
Eula books the suite in Clarksville, two towns over. I bring the food. This year, it’s sushi for me and cold cuts and potato salad for her. Nothing heavy. Just enough to sustain us. And I bring the champagne. This year, which like every year could be our last, I bring three bottles of André Spumante.
And I got us some noisemakers and year 2000 glasses to wear. The lenses are the two zeroes in the middle. For all we know, the Y2K bug will have us sitting in the dark one second after Dick Clark counts down in Times Square. But that’s alright with me. Because that André sips just as well in the dark.
*If you hit a paywall, we recommend trying with a different/private/incognito browser (but listen, you didn’t hear it from us).
