Originally published in Canada in 2001, The Middle Stories by Sheila Heti has been recently republished by McSweeney’s with nine more stories.  Now, if you know me at all you know that there are two things in the world of books that I adore more than anything.  One is McSweeney’s the other is short stories.

I’m in heaven.

In case you’re unable to tell from the above picture of the cover of The Middle Stories that is indeed a mermaid giving you the finger.

Even more heaven.

If you’re not yet convinced this book is amazing…read this:

   “I have a mermaid in a jar that Quilty bought me at a garage sale for twenty-five cents.  The mermaid’s all, ‘I hate you I hate you I hate you,’ but she’s in a jar, and unless I loosen the top, she’s not coming out to kill me.

I keep the little jar on my windowsill, right behind my bed, right near my head so if I look up in the middle of the night, up and back, I can see her swimming in the murky little pool of her own shit and vomit, and I can smile.

‘Hello, mermaid!  How are you this fine evening?’  I can say, and sometimes do.  ‘How very said it is that you’re so beautiful, and you’re so young, and you’re so fucking trapped you’ll never get out of that bottle, ha ha!’ ”

– “Mermaid in a Jar” The Middle Stories

Amazing.

by Zita

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