stars, just stars

Bestselling author Curtis Sittenfeld is back with a collection of short stories. These stories explore what it means to be an artist, to be a woman in middle age, to be a parent, to be a friend. These stories are smart and moving and thoughtful, filled with moments from real life.

The collections starts with “Show Don’t Tell,” which tells the story of a young woman in an MFA program wondering if she got a prestigious fellowship for her next year of school. While she goes to a party and finds out who else got fellowships (and who didn’t), she knows that the answer may be back at her place waiting for her in her mailbox.

In “White Women LOL,” a viral video makes a mom’s life a nightmare as she tries to atone for a misunderstanding that was filmed. The woman comes across as entitles and racist, which was not what she meant, but all the other mothers at the school has seen the video and distanced themselves from her. Over Christmas break, she has a chance to redeem herself, but will she be able to?

“The Richest Babysitter in the World” is about a college student who takes on a babysitting job for a pregnant mom. The mom is trying to finish her doctorate, so she hires a babysitter to watch her older daughter. Her husband is working on a tech startup, so most of his time is spent working. At the end of the semester, she moves on, but she never forgets that family.

In “Lost But Not Forgotten,” OG Sittenfeld fans will recognize her character from Prep, as she returns to her school for a reunion.

I was an English major in college, so I was asked to read and dissect a lot of short stories along the way. And honestly, I got really tired of them. But every once in a while, I find a collection of short stories that reminds me of why I fell in love with reading, and Sittenfeld does that here. These stories are insightful and emotional, honest and meaningful. They explore the world of the artist, especially female artists and how they and their work are perceived in the world.

But they also look at lives of women, at friendship, at marriage, at parenting, and at midlife. Each of these stories have weight, so this is not a book to be rushed through. It needs to be savored, mulled, dreamed of, and talked about. I am a big fan of Sittenfeld, and I’m so happy and honored to read anything she writes. This is a book that changes you, for the better, so you see the breadth of the world with a new respect and curiosity.

Egalleys of Show Don’t Tell were provided by Random House through NetGalley, with many thanks.