Foreshadow: Stories to Celebrate the Magic of Reading and Writing YA by Nova Ren Suma (review)

In a collection originally released on the online platform Foreshadow, thirteen YA short stories, ranging from fantasy to romance to realism, are presented here with notes from the authors, essays on storycraft from editors Pan and Suma, and writing prompts and advice for aspiring authors. The collection as a whole is largely female centered, with neither male nor non-binary people represented, but there’s really not an individual dud among the stories, and the range of genres and styles invite a broad audience. Rachel Hylton’s Kafka-esque “Risk,” in which the story of a teenaged girl turning into a lobster is told by her classmates, might be the star of the collection, blending eerie magical realism with biting commentary on the hierarchies of girls and girlhood in high school; close runners up are Nora Elghazzawi’s “Solace,” a heavy mediation on sibling grief, guilt, and moving on, and Linda Cheng’s “Sweetmeats,” a tale that starts sweetly enough but ends—triumphantly—in blood and gore. Author notes conclude each tale with additional commentary in the back matter, providing an interesting look at the writing craft. The essays by Suma and Pan too often tip into lit class territory with a lot of overwrought explanation, but young authors will find plenty of guidance here, and those just looking for a good short story can easily skim past those sections to get to the goods.