9 Of The Best Short Stories And Novellas That Still Pack A Punch

    Sometimes great things come in small packages.

    Benjamin Dzialdowski
    by Benjamin Dzialdowski

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Sometimes we want a story that we can jump into and not exit until it's all nicely wrapped up. Enter, the art of the short story or novella.

    A woman in a casual setting speaks, caption reads: "She is small, but she is mighty."
    NBC

    So, here are nine incredible short stories or small books that prove size doesn't alway matter:

    1. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

    Book cover of "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse shows a person rowing a boat on a river surrounded by foliage and lotus flowers, leading to a moonlit cave
    Manjul Publishing House

    Page count: 121

    About the book: We follow Siddhartha, the son of a respected and successful Brahmin in ancient India. Instead of following his father's footsteps, as is expected, we see Siddhartha take on a spiritual and philosophical journey as he seeks enlightenment.

    2. Foster by Claire Keegan

    The cover of Claire Keegan's book "Foster," featuring a simple illustration of a house and several praise quotes from publications
    Faber & Faber

    Page count: 96

    About the book: During a hot summer in rural Ireland, a forlorn young girl is sent to live with a foster family on a farm. While she is experiences a level of care and warmth that she'd never been given before, and she begins to blossom in her new surroundings. Not all is right though, and she soon makes a discovery that will disrupt her new, more comfortable life. 

    3. Exhalation: Stories by Ted Chiang

    Cover of "Exhalation" by Ted Chiang, featuring praise from Colson Whitehead and a New York Times seal for one of the 10 best books of 2019
    Knopf Publishing Group

    Page count: 368 containing nine stories. 

    About the book: These nine short stories vary in length; with some ranging from 20-30 pages, one being roughly 100, and some being under four. All of them, however, offer profound, thought-provoking storytelling and discuss some of humanities biggest quandaries through science fiction.

    4. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

    Cover of "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, illustrated by Etienne Delessert, featuring a human face and a mouse in the background
    Creative Co

    Page count: 26

    About the book: Later expanded into a full-length novel, this short story is told in the 'progress reports' of a man with incredibly low IQ going through an experimental procedure to make him a genius. We follow the peaks and troughs of this life changing experiment. 

    5. A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

    Cover of "A Psalm for the Wild Built" by Becky Chambers, featuring a robot and a path through greenery. Text mentions a Hugo Award and praise from Martha Wells
    Tordotcom

    Page count: 160

    About the book: This hopeful tale explores the meaning and need in a world where people have what they want; it's a story of discovery played out between a tea monk and a robot. 

    6. Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo

    Book cover of "Pedro Páramo" by Juan Rulfo, featuring a cactus fence. Foreword by Gabriel García Márquez, quote by Susan Sontag
    Grove Press / Atlantic Monthly Press

    Page count: 122

    About the book: This is the journey of Juan Preciado, who has travelled, in search for his father, to the ruined town of Comala; a city of the dead that is inhabited by ghostly spirits and wandering echos of memories.


    7. The Body by Stephen King

    Book cover for "The Body" by Stephen King, described as an iconic coming-of-age story filmed as "Stand By Me," with a forest and sunset illustration
    Hodder Paperbacks

    Page count: 192

    About the book: This coming of age story follows a group of four boys who embark on a search for the body of a missing child. On their search they confront their own fears, friendship, and the transition out of childhood. The book was adapted for the film Stand By Me. 


    8. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

    Book cover of "Train Dreams" by Denis Johnson, featuring a silhouette of a howling wolf and a quote praising Johnson's prose from Michael Ondaatje
    Granta Books

    Page count: 128

    About the book: In this quiet yet moving story, we follow day labourer Robert Grainier in the early American West and his life navigating isolation, loss, and a rapidly evolving world. The novella was inspiration for the film of the same name from 2025.

    9. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

    Cover of "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut featuring a skull and crossbones illustration and a Boston Globe quote praising the novel
    Random House Publishing Group

    Page count: 192

    About the book: This semi-autobiographical classic anti-war novel follows Billy Pilgrim who is no longer bound to the linear nature of life, and instead uncontrollably jumps in time between his time as a POW during the 1945 Dresden firebombing, his postwar career as an optometrist, and his eventual abduction by aliens.


    Any of your own recommendations to add? Let us know in the comments below!

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