I was blown away by “Driving my Seven-Year Old Nephew to Visit His Mother at Rehab” and included it in the Shortlist last week. I thought I was new to Emily’s writing. Nuh-uh.
When I went to her website and started reading, it turns out I’ve read a bunch of her stories over the past year and just didn’t connect the dots. Time to correct that.
She doesn’t seem to have a signature style, but difficult parent/child relationships are common themes, primarily mother/daughter, maybe none more impactful than “The Interview”.
Below are a handful of her stories that I think are among the best, though there are more than a dozen more in her portfolio.
You can follow her on Bluesky @emilyrinkema.bsky.social or X @emilyrinkema.
The Interview by Emily Rinkema
I’m ten minutes late to the interview to be my mother’s daughter.
That’s the first line of this story — it’s not perfectly clear by the end but it’s clear enough to be heartbreaking.
Five Things by Emily Rinkema
I couldn’t read this story all in one go, I needed to take a break once I figured out where it was going. It spirals and circles around in a kind of hypnotic way, and the title’s multiple meanings become clear. The writing is so subtle here that when I did finally finish it, I read it again, out loud, and found even more depth. It’s really beautiful.
You've Got to be Vigilant, Wes by Emily Rinkema
The narrator of “You’ve Got to be Vigilant, Wes” is constantly on the edge of committing murder. It’s strange and funny and clever, with unexpected depth.
When I’m waiting for a subway, I think about pushing other passengers onto the tracks. I stand with my back against the wall until the train pulls in and distract myself by watching people’s feet.
When I’m on a balcony I think I’m going to throw someone off. I actually imagine exactly how to do it. I picture getting them to lean over a bit first, maybe point out a cat on a lower roof, or a woman throwing a vase at her daughter.
If I’m cutting a lime, I hold onto the knife tightly to make sure I don’t accidentally stab my boyfriend through the heart.
Next Exit by Emily Rinkema
A couple on a long drive at night starts with hypothetical questions that lead to some serious and difficult moments. This story has so much tension in it.
BREAKING by Emily Rinkema
BREAKING is one of those stories that puts the reader off-balance in less than one sentence and stays there throughout. Here’s the first paragraph:
On the designated day for punishing mothers, those of us who got our applications in early enough show up, mothers in tow. Most look like they came willingly, walking ahead of their children, mostly daughters, but not mine. I had to sedate her to get her in the car.
It doesn’t get any less jarring from there. Outstanding stuff
Murder Hotel by Emily Rinkema
This story goes places I didn’t expect. It made me sit up and gasp at one point.
…I whisper that there’s nowhere in the world I would rather be, even if people have been murdered in our hotel room. Steve laughs and insists they probably haven’t, even though the stain on the rug is dark and roughly heart-shaped.
