The Best of McSweeney's

The Best of McSweeney's, Volume 1

edited by Dave Eggers

Penguin, $120

Literary magazines are a dime a dozen. So when one becomes, as Britain's Guardian newspaper put it, 'a cult forum for innovative and audacious writing', it's a sure bet there'll be compilations. The Best of McSweeney's, Volume 1, contains 17 short stories written by almost and already famous authors. Among the most recognisable is Zadie Smith, whose The Girl with Bangs shows she can write in short and long formats. About a charismatic slob with a seductive fringe, the story shows off Smith's descriptive powers and characterisation skills, albeit at the expense of a storyline. Up the Mountain Coming Down Slowly plunges deeply into the human experience. Written by Dave Eggers, who founded McSweeney's in 1998 and edited this volume, it reveals the lot of 'paying hikers' who ascend Mount Kilimanjaro with porters and personal baggage, physical and mental. Some quit before reaching the summit, while others persevere, despite altitude sickness, injury and exhaustion. When, at the top, the protagonist discovers three porters have frozen to death because of a hole in their tent, guilt mixes with the elation of a mission accomplished. This is a book to dip into as names and titles catch the eye.