A collection exploring marriage, friendship, fame, and artistic ambition—including a story that revisits the main character from Curtis Sittenfeld’s novel Prep.
It is hard to find fault with what is a bravura collection. Sittenfeld may demonstrate more creative risk-taking in her novels...but what she displays in her expertly crafted and hugely engaging short-form fiction is, quite simply, supremely accomplished storytelling.
There is often real wisdom at the heart of Sittenfeld’s stories, and it’s not wisdom you have to dig to find — it’s direct and plainly stated. As the old commercial used to say: Try it, you’ll like it.
Tricky territory, and Sittenfeld handles it with nuance and aplomb ... A radiant contentment pervades these stories. They are retrospective but don’t rue the passage of time. This is a writer who’s comfortable in her skin. Sittenfeld is a sharp observer of social mores and an astute judge of character, but she’s never cruel.
