Today, in “Short Story Club,” Chelsey and Sara are chatting about “All Summer in a Day” by Ray Brudbury. This short story is about a group of young schoolchildren living on Venus, who have never seen the sun in their lifetime. It’s about sacrifice, the pain of nostalgia, bullying. It’s super short but packed with stunning detail and emotion. Our discussion includes:
- Bradbury’s descriptive language [11:07]
- That ending! We love an ambiguous ending. [15:34]
- Themes of sustainability and climate change [18:40]
Plus, we’re recommending six contemporary books to pair with this story, including an award-winning fantasy and a dystopian YA novel.
Past short story episodes:
“Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton
Mentions:
The October Country by Ray Bradbury
Chelsey’s Pairings:
The Martian by Andy Weir [30:12] & Artemis by Andy Weir [30:50]
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin [33:39]
The Dry by Jane Harper [37:30]
Sara’s Pairings:
Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah [31:42]
Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman [35:22]Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson [38:58]
Novel Pairings 