09/30/2019

The 15 stories and six poems in this slim yet weighty all-original noir anthology—contributors include Margaret Atwood and Edwidge Danticat—are razor-sharp and relentless in their portrayal of life, offering snapshots of dysfunction, everyday toil, and brief joy. It is unusual, however, in its scope, zeroing in not only on what the female characters endure but what they dish out, as shown in Valerie Martin’s “Il Grifone” and S.A. Solomon’s “Impala.” Though the compilation is often bleak and disturbing (Cassandra Khaw’s “Mothers, We Dream” comes to mind), it is also startlingly imaginative in characterization and setting, and at times wickedly funny (cue Bernice L. McFadden’s “OBF, Inc.”). Each story sears but does not cauterize, leaving protagonists and readers raw. As Oates points out in her introduction, and the stories hauntingly evoke, noir’s strength has very little to do with man-centric plots and everything to do with female ascendance. Fans of contemporary crime fiction won’t want to miss this one. Agent: Warren Frazier, John Hawkins & Assoc. (Nov.)

"This collection enlivens . . . flattened archetypes by retelling the noir narrative from the new perspectives of teenage girls, women hired hands, and mothers of children."

"But of course, in the end, it isn’t the themes or the innovations on the format of the short story anthology that make the tales collected in Cutting Edge most ‘feel’ as if you were reading Joyce Carol Oates herself. It is the writing. The tight plots and fresh, flowing prose that go about their business until—snap!—the story’s well-oiled mousetrap does its job."

"Fifteen stories (and six ditties by Margaret Atwood) that view the conventions of noir fiction through female eyes. The most surprising aspect, given all the writers are women, is that the victims of crime/betrayal/despair are as likely to be shes as hes. Drowning, stabbing, shooting, beheading: the fun is endless."

"The indefatigable Joyce Carol Oates gathers a strong list of names for Cutting Edge: New Stories of Mystery and Crime by Women Writers. Emerging and established authors provide attention-grabbing short works: especially notable are Edwidge Danticat’s story on the quotidian horror of domestic violence, Bernice L. McFadden’s comic take on the appropriation of racial friendship, and Lisa Lim’s illustrations of a grotesque marriage."

"This collection of feminist crime tales edited by the one and only Joyce Carol Oates is marketed to 'readers who are sick and tired of the status quo, or who just want to have a little bit of fun at the expense of a crumbling patriarchal society.' Well, isn't that everyone?"
—CrimeReads, included in the Most Anticipated Crime Books of 2019

"Each voice is different, each story providing its own appeal, its own approach to the nature of crime, and in most instances, what it means to live in a female body in a largely hostile world."
—Brooklyn Rail

Included in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Holiday Gift Guide!

"OBF, Inc." by Bernice L. McFadden has been selected as one of the Best Mystery Stories of 2019 by Robert Lopresti of SleuthSayers

Included in More2Read's Best Books Published in 2019: Horror, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi!

"Oates' stellar anthology of female noir...is an inclusive homage to the female/feminist perspective...Taken as a whole, the collection is a surreal yet satisfying journey into the darker side of the female consciousness, a book that, for all its murk and mayhem, celebrates feminine strength, cunning, and determination."
—Booklist

"The 15 stories and six poems in this slim yet weighty all-original noir anthology—contributors include Margaret Atwood and Edwidge Danticat—are razor-sharp and relentless in their portrayal of life, offering snapshots of dysfunction, everyday toil, and brief joy...Each story sears but does not cauterize, leaving protagonists and readers raw. As Oates points out in her introduction, and the stories hauntingly evoke, noir's strength has very little to do with man-centric plots and everything to do with female ascendance. Fans of contemporary crime fiction won't want to miss this one."
—Publishers Weekly

"'Is there a distinctive female noir?' asks Oates in her introduction. This collection may not settle that question, but it goes a long way toward supplying candidates for an emerging canon. There are 15 stories here, all but one of them new, and half a dozen new poems...the average [story] is high enough to satisfy readers of all genders."
—Kirkus Reviews

"This collection enlivens...flattened archetypes by retelling the noir narrative from the new perspectives of teenage girls, women hired hands, and mothers of children."
—Book Riot, included in 9 of the Best Noir Fiction Retellings

"This all original anthology features 15 stories, in which a lot of bad men get their comeuppances, by Steph Cha, Edwidge Danticat, S.J. Rozan, and other women authors. Margaret Atwood contributes six poems."
—Publishers Weekly, Fall 2019 Adult Announcements (Mysteries & Thrillers)

"All of the stories in this collection are excellent, and I definitely recommend it for any connoisseur of noir looking to expand their repertoire with women writers."
—BookRiot, included in a list of "Noir by Women, Not Just Femme Fatales"

"Cutting Edge is a box of dark chocolates—each piece unique—spicy, strange, twisty, and electric—no two tastes alike. Joyce Carol Oates has hand-picked 17 sharp-edged, feminist-flavored tales of crime and mystery. An anthology filled with noirish thrills."
—ZoomStreet, a Holiday Quick Pick selection

"But what of woman alone? Judging on the basis of the excellent selection of stories Oates has chosen for her anthology, she isn't alone that often, even though she may have to act without a confederate at times. Though Oates doesn't quite say it, the male noir hero is rarely strictly alone—he is operating within a structure which is, no matter how inimical, essentially male as he is himself. When we turn to the female noir figure, however, she must invariably confront that same male framework and she may have few allies to depend upon."
—Reviewing the Evidence

"This collection is ALL written by women, and they are a far cry from your typically smart-mouthed well-heeled dame."
—The Fright Stuff

"This is an anthology of stories by many writers. These aren't nice stories but they will stick with you. They'll also keep you reading..."
—Journey of a Bookseller

"This collection is exceptional."
—Foster's Daily Democrat

"Women writers of crime, mystery, and noir have been kicking their male counterparts in the keister lately. Evidence of this is Akashic Books' outstanding new anthology Cutting Edge: New Stories of Mystery and Crime by Women Writers...To be scared, stimulated, transfixed, and entertained should be the motive of any writing. Cutting Edge is perfect reading for those with a taste for the nocturnal."
—Valerie Brooks's Gobsmacked

Critical praise for Prison Noir, edited by Joyce Carol Oates:

"Reading the fifteen stories in Prison Noir is a sobering experience. Unlike most claimants to that much-abused term, this is the real thing...The power of this collection comes from the voices of these authors, voices suffused with rage ("3 Block From Hell," by Bryan K. Palmer), despair ("There Will Be Seeds for Next Year," by Zeke Caligiuri), and madness ("Shuffle," by Christopher M. Stephen)."
—New York Times Book Review

"These are stories that resonate with authenticity and verve and pain and truth. Any collection edited by the National Book Award–winning author Oates (them; Blonde, Rape: A Love Story) deserves attention, but the contributors are deft and confident, and great writers without her imprimatur...Authentic, powerful, visceral, moving, great writing."
—Library Journal, starred review

"A remarkable anthology of stories written by inmates of correctional institutions across America...Most importantly, this landmark volume amplifies the voices of the incarcerated."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

One of BookRiot's Must-Read Books from Indie Presses for 2014

"I gobbled it up. The voice in each piece is authentic...A fascinating read."
—subTerrain Magazine

"A strong compilation of prison literature, varied, well-written and not always what might be expected."
—Reviewing the Evidence

"No matter what side of the bars you live on, Prison Noir is worth doing time with."
—Killeen Daily Herald

"Readers will soak up every line...There is no doubt that readers from all walks of life, especially those less knowledgeable about life in prison, will appreciate Prison Noir."
—Killer Nashville

★ 04/01/2020

Each story in this collection is unique, sharing only female centricity. Rebellious teenagers go too far in a swimming pool in "One of These Nights" by Livia Llewellyn. A grieving mother faces the boy she wishes would've died in Steph Cha's "Thief." In "A History of the World in Five Objects" by S.J. Rozan, a lonely woman expresses her love of her mother's yellow plate in a sinister memory. In S.A. Solomon's "Impala," a teen girl on the run remembers her past. Especially of note are "Assassin" by Oates, who edited the collection, and "Too Many Lunatics'' by Lucy Taylor. Some entries are funny, some sad, and some just plain scary, but all are precisely rendered by Xe Sands who beautifully handles the many accents and characters in the various locales. The book is further enhanced by several new poems by Margaret Atwood. VERDICT Great for fans of Laura Van Der Berg's The Isle of Youth. Featuring feminist themes and an all-star lineup of writers, this collection of noir, crime, and mystery short stories is not to be missed.—Terry Ann Lawler, Burton Barr Library, Phoenix

2019-08-19
"Is there a distinctive female noir?" asks Oates (The Pursuit, 2019, etc.) in her introduction. This collection may not settle that question, but it goes a long way toward supplying candidates for an emerging canon.

There are 15 stories here, all but one of them new, and half a dozen new poems. From Aimee Bender's enigmatic "Firetown," in which a female private eye searches for a missing husband and cat on behalf of a client whose motives are even more mysterious than the disappearance, to Cassandra Khaw's fablelike "Mothers, We Dream," in which the man who's miraculously survived a shipwreck finds himself hemmed in by both his female interrogator and his female associates, these stories show empowered women either running roughshod over men or ignoring them entirely. Even the heroines of Livia Llewellyn's "One of These Nights," S.J. Rozan's "A History of the World in Five Objects," S.A. Solomon's "Impala," and Sheila Kohler's "Miss Martin," all victims of abusive men, find unexpected ways to transform their victimhood into violent agency. Lisa Lim's heavily illustrated "The Hunger" dramatizes a savage mode of female mourning; Edwidge Danticat's "Please Translate," first published in 2014, collects 41 frantic phone messages from a woman to the husband who's run off with their son; Margaret Atwood's six poems include meditations on female werewolves and the maternal side of the Sirens; Oates' own "Assassin" follows a woman who methodically hatches and executes a plan to decapitate the prime minister. The women here are equally comfortable—that is, equally disturbing—when they're cast as reluctant detectives, as in Steph Cha's "Thief," witnesses to possible crimes, as in Elizabeth McCracken's "An Early Specimen," accused murderers, as in Valerie Martin's "Il Grifone," or potential healers, as in Lucy Taylor's "Too Many Lunatics" and Jennifer Morales' "The Boy Without a Bike." The punchline of the one story with a male lead, Bernice L. McFadden's "OBF, Inc.," entirely justifies its outlier status.

Not every story will be to every taste, but the average is high enough to satisfy readers of all genders.