Review: Top 3 Short Stories of All-Time

I recently came across an article by Forbes titled ‘The 25 Greatest Short Stories of All Time.’ I was curious about the best short stories to read, and I managed to read the top three. Let’s start with number three:

3. ‘A Good Man is Hard to Find’ by Flannery O’Connor (1953)

For every road trip, vacation, or family outing, there’s always someone who is paranoid. In this story, it is the grandmother, who, much like my mother, is afraid of going places they consider ‘not safe.’ While in real life their paranoia is often unnecessary, in ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find,’ the grandmother’s worst nightmare comes true. Hence, she is the one most responsible for everything that happens.

This short story is a thriller that will make everyone fear it could happen to their own family. Although I personally find this short story a bit too dramatic and unrealistic, it still delivers a bold moral lesson that can’t be ignored.

P.S. I bought the Bahasa Indonesia version of the book. I might have a different perspective when I read the original version in English.

2. ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by Edgar Allan Poe (1843)

To me, it’s the winner. But I understand why the number one spot is well-deserved. This is possibly one of the greatest titles any author can write, and the story is even more mind-blowing.

Edgar Allan Poe invites the reader to swim into the mind of a nervous and guilt-ridden murderer. Such a brilliant yet simple short story that everyone should read, even nearly 200 years after it was written!

P.S. I read both the translated book (which I bought way before I read the Forbes article) and the original version, which is easy to find on the internet. I feel that the English version is truly genius.

1. ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson (1948)

If a short story could be a fraudster, then this one is! I thought ‘The Lottery’ would be about someone who won a happy lottery. The beginning of the story sets up that expectation with sunny days, playful kids, and cheerful chatter. Only the ending reveals the best plot twist of all time!

The surprise in this story will make you feel like you’ve won a lottery. I only didn’t like it as much because there are too many characters mentioned in such a short story. And perhaps the way it unexpectedly turned into a violent story, where the moral values need to be deeply analyzed.

P.S. I bought the short story on Google Play Books for only around US$1.

If you happen to have time to read all three of these great short stories, which one is your favorite? Mine is ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’.