In Curtis Sittenfeld's wonderful second short-story collection, we meet imperfect characters, often fortysomething women, in moments large and small that push them to determine what they're made of as they consider friendship, betrayal, fear of failure, the power of memory, art, parenthood, and more.
How did I think for so long that the tidbits my mother shared didn't contain lessons? I see in retrospect that they were nothing but lessons.
As you make your way through the world, you will feel bewildered, appalled, and charmed by other people.
In Curtis Sittenfeld's first short-story collection, You Think It, I'll Say It, she offered ten stories of fully realized, fascinating characters that stuck with me. I loved it and rated the collection five stars.
In her second fantastic short-story collection, Curtis Sittenfeld explores middle age, fame, friendship, artistry--and "Lost but Not Forgotten" is a story featuring Lee Fiora, a character from Sittenfeld's novel Prep, in which Lee attends an alumni event at her boarding school.
My favorite writing often turns expectations on their heads, and In Show Don't Tell, Sittenfeld draws us into crucial stages of faulted characters' lives, in which they figure out what they're made of.
In "A for Alone," a married artist seeks to disprove the "Mike Pence Rule" (which actually did not originate with him; it asserts that married men should not meet with women alone, even in a work setting) by meeting with male acquaintances, friends, and coworkers from various points in her life and documenting the experience. The project shifts her thinking in unanticipated ways.
In another story, a white woman makes racial assumptions, is caught on camera, and faces the consequences. Throughout the book, other characters, often middle-aged women, consider art, expression, love, respect, friendship, and limitations as they live their fascinatingly imperfect lives. This is more excellent Curtis Sittenfeld; I'm a forever fan.
I received a prepublication version of this book courtesy of Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley.
More Bossy Curtis Sittenfeld (and short-story) love
You can click here for my review of Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy, here for my Bossy take on American Wife, and here for You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories.
If you enjoy short story collections, you might like to check out Six Short Story Collections to Wow You and Six More Short Story Collections I Loved.
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