Short Story Wednesday: Light Secrets

“Light Secrets” by Joseph O’Neill is a mystery-flavoured literary story published on January 18, 2026, in The New Yorker. (Text & Audio)

This is the story of an unnamed man at a time in his life when his friend P. is, at the same time, in need of his help, the subject of a social scandal, and his connection to the mysterious Simon Morgan, presumably for unrelated reasons. It’s a modern cozy mystery dressed as a standoffish New Yorker—the multi-purposed details, all Christie; the character’s brush with epiphany, unmistakably Joycian. I’m satisfied!

Each Wednesday, I review my favourite published story I’ve read during the past week. If you’d like to join me by reviewing a short story on your blog each Wednesday, email me the link to your post, and I’ll share it below. I learned of Short Story Wednesday from Patricia Abbot’s blog.