Magical Realism Short Stories

Dive into the heart of an Australian Christmas with A Perfectly Imperfect Christmas, a touching collection of four magical realism stories that explore the nuances of family, tradition, and the beauty of imperfection. Follow Marjorie, a grandmother grappling with the weight of familial expectations as she seeks to redefine Christmas for her daughter and granddaughter. Discover Olivia, a young girl navigating the transition from childhood wonder to the realities of growing up, while encouraging her mother to reclaim her lost creative spark. Journey alongside Sarah, a single mom finding ...

She is the adventurer of the family. Her brother, the gentle dreamer. Even as they bond over folktales and hold each other close, their world has never felt so dangerous. Revolutionaries and pelones are in conflict, soldiers have turned into scavengers, and an escaped tiger has slipped up the mountain, looking for easy prey. As the darkest of legends becomes real, a young girl will do anything to save her brother’s life.

During an upturn in the economy, faced with a downturn in the soul buying business, The Devil resorts to telemarketing.

From the National Book Award “5 Under 35” honoree and author of Bestiary comes startling stories that center the bodies, memories, myths, and relationships of Asian American women. In “Auntland,” a steady stream of aunts adjust to American life by sneaking surreptitious kisses from women at temple, buying tubs of vanilla ice cream to prepare for citizenship tests, and hatching plans to name their daughters “Dog.” In “The Chorus of Dead Cousins,” ghost-cousins cross space, seas, and skies to haunt their live-cousin, wife to a storm chaser.

A surreal love letter to this private side of the Met, Metropolitan Stories unfolds in a series of amusing and poignant vignettes in which we discover larger-than-life characters, the downside of survival, and the powerful voices of the art itself. The result is a novel bursting with magic, humor, and energetic detail, but also a beautiful book about introspection, an ode to lives lived for art, ultimately building a powerful collage of human experience and the world of the imagination.

Iris Harper has lived in Pendleford for decades. The local witch is mistrusted by the townsfolk, but that doesn't stop some coming to her begging for potions, spells and quick-fixes. As time has marched on suddenly Iris is aware that her days are beginning to fade. Her sumptuous garden is turning against her, the sweet scent of rot potent and now a young girl has come begging for a solution at her door. Yet, the problem she brings causes Iris to remember a man from long ago - the man she loved, the man she could never trust.

Deep within the revered halls of the Smithsonian Museum lies the ancient Deceiver’s Casket—a small, intricately carved box rumored to possess the ability to unveil the darkest depths of a person’s soul. It is here that Ava’s journey begins. Entranced by the casket’s allure, it quickly draws her into a world where truth may be more terrifying than any lie. As truth and deception collide in a world of intrigue, will the Deceiver’s Casket ultimately serve as a tool of salvation or a harbinger of doom?

Nathaniel is a well-intentioned, if naive, British cleric feeling blessed to educate a West African village about the benevolent power of God. But as slavers encroach, Nathaniel’s endeavor is daunted by the realities unfolding on the beautiful homeland of his congregation. It seems the Devil has power too. What follows for Nathaniel is a profound spiritual upheaval as he questions his purpose and even his humanity.

In a secret, subterranean world beneath the prairie of the Old West, a homesteader risks her life in search of a safe haven. A workman in Andrew Carnegie's steel mills is turned into a medical oddity by the brutal power of the furnaces. A young woman created through genetic manipulation is destroyed by the same force that gave her life. With her distinctive blend of magical realism, science, and poetic prose, Anjali Sachdeva demonstrates a preternatural ability to laser in on our fears, our hopes, and our longings in order to point out intrinsic truths about society and humanity.

A boy with a dream. A demon with no name. A childhood in suburbia like a lucid dream. It all comes together, in no way predictable. But, in every way true. The truth has emerged about life, and its parallel worlds. Many will never get it. Some, unfortunately, will forever fear it...

Is what you see all there is? Look again. Playful, frightening, even shocking - the stories in this collection blur the lines between illusion and reality. This is a writer at the height of his power, making the listener think, making them laugh, and sometimes making them want to look away while holding their gaze. Stories here are set in London, in Byzantium, in the ghetto, in the Andes, in a printer's shop in Spain. The characters include a murderer, a writer, a detective, a man in a cave, a man in a mirror, two little boys, a prison door, and the author himself.

In the quiet heart of a small, enchanted town of Havenmoor, Thea Alexander tends to a library steeped in centuries-old secrets and whispered legends. Shy and gentle, she prefers the company of books to people—until Oliver Bennett steps through the door. A thoughtful, reserved visitor, Oliver finds comfort in the ancient myths he borrows again and again. Neither expects their shared fascination with lost loves and mythical stories to spark something undeniably real. When a discreet matchmaking witch named Juniper Hart lends a helping hand—and a subtle charm or two—their conversations ...

One of the world's great storytellers conjures a captivating new book. In this first full collection since Not the End of the World, we meet a queen who makes a bargain she cannot keep; a secretary who watches over the life she has just left; and a man whose luck changes when a horse speaks to him. Witty and wise, with subtle connections between the stories, Normal Rules Don't Apply is a startling , and funny feast for the imagination. In Kate Atkinson's world nothing is over until 'the talking dog speaks'.

Still recovering from a brutal breakup, Stan Dobrev crashes a “divorce party” in the Southern California desert. An unknown extra in a stranger’s drama, he’s on his way back to the bar when a fellow interloper catches his wandering eye. She’s a formidable tortoise named Greeley, trudging through the drunken revelry and chaos like a true survivor. Before the night is over, she’ll lead Stan on a strange journey beyond oblivion.

The Ebony Tower, comprising a novella, three stories, and a translation of a medieval French tale, echoes themes from John Fowles' internationally celebrated novels as it probes the fitful relations between love and hate, pleasure and pain, and fantasy and reality.

In the town of Duskhelm, the people have been taught that magic isn’t real.... Dragons, elves, and dwarves are found in the realm of fairy tales and lore. The dangers facing the town are based in reality, with marauders lurking beyond their walls, waiting for any opportunity to sneak in and quietly raid the down. Enter Mani, a young and unrefined cadet training earnestly with the hope to one day be able to serve in the King’s Service.... Together with his friend Goby, he is about to find out, along with the rest of the people of Duskhelm, that what lurks in the darkness beyond and above...

Acclaimed for the grace, wit, and magic of her novels, Ramona Ausubel introduces us to a geography both fantastic and familiar in eleven new stories, some of them previously published in The New Yorker and The Paris Review. Elegantly structured, these stories span the globe and beyond, from small-town America and sunny Caribbean islands to the Arctic Ocean and the very gates of Heaven itself. And though some of the stories are steeped in mythology, they remain grounded in universal experiences: loss of identity, leaving home, parenthood, joy, and longing.

Nounous is a fourteen-year-old Maltese who adores people—but above all, he loves his mother. As he takes his last steps, he reflects on a life filled with love and loyalty, his most significant concern being the thought of leaving his beloved Mommy behind. His mother, Susanne Leist, is a paranormal suspense author and former financial analyst. When she isn’t weaving thrilling tales, Susanne cherishes every precious moment with Nounous—her best friend, constant companion, and inspiration.

Some stories are bittersweet. Some stories are magical. A Holocaust secret kept for decades. A young teacher learns to be strong. A werewolf. An elf. A genie. A marriage. A Poppa God, a Momma God, a Baby God. The most beautiful woman in the world battles the Devil. Things are not always what they seem...

The collected fantasy stories of World Fantasy Award winner S.P. Somtow — a half century of his acclaimed work brought together in a single volume. From rural America to exotic Bangkok, from ancient history to contemporary times — and sometimes both within the same story — Somtow's world betray a limitless imagination and the finely honed writing that has brought him numerous awards during his half-century writing career. Beginning with his first fantasy story from the 1970s, Fire from the Wine-dark Sea to his most recent tales, this collection is a a treasure chest.