Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Gaitskill captures many discreet images within each of these stories. The female secondary characters come to life, often much more so than the main male characters. She makes you see how the main character views the person, their fantasy of that person, and also how the secondary character really is. You can feel the surprise, or at least are taken aback, when confronted with the person's true self and how it contrasted with the main character's fantasy of that person.
However, when the female characters are front and center, it seems their whole lives are viewed not quite as they really are. The women face their lives in almost a negative swirl, without knowing who to connect to, or how they are connected. You can see around the edges of their perspective how they might fit into their own lives in ways they cannot see clearly.
In short, I loved this book. Gaitskill not only makes these people come to life, but shows their worlds around them.
However, when the female characters are front and center, it seems their whole lives are viewed not quite as they really are. The women face their lives in almost a negative swirl, without knowing who to connect to, or how they are connected. You can see around the edges of their perspective how they might fit into their own lives in ways they cannot see clearly.
In short, I loved this book. Gaitskill not only makes these people come to life, but shows their worlds around them.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
all the girls who fuck are like “pale, plump, with spiked hair which delicately framed her small features” but otherwise good
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This might be my favorite read for 2025 so far! At times reminding me of the irreverent, schadenfreude style of Chuck Palahniuk and Augusten Burroughs, while also depicting life in the city as a marginalized individual in the spunky flare of a Virginie Despentes book.
It's an anthology book, containing tales of outgrowing old friendships, finding work in the city, exploring sexuality. But what struck me the most about the book were the handful of stories depicting the ways in which women fall into possessive relationships with emotionally predatory men. As the chapters progress, the author alternates perspectives, almost retelling the same tale from a male character's point of view. She captures the cruel callousness of men who seek out emptiness and vulnerability in the women they pursue in such an uncannily familiar way, I can't help but assume that it's written from a personal place.
There are repeated motifs of fish swimming in tanks and other images that seem to imply the connectedness of these strangers' stories.
The author never holds back from the use of slurs or somewhat misogynistic takes which are unfortunately a product of the time the book was written. If you're able to look read past the discomfort, I highly recommend this one.
It's an anthology book, containing tales of outgrowing old friendships, finding work in the city, exploring sexuality. But what struck me the most about the book were the handful of stories depicting the ways in which women fall into possessive relationships with emotionally predatory men. As the chapters progress, the author alternates perspectives, almost retelling the same tale from a male character's point of view. She captures the cruel callousness of men who seek out emptiness and vulnerability in the women they pursue in such an uncannily familiar way, I can't help but assume that it's written from a personal place.
There are repeated motifs of fish swimming in tanks and other images that seem to imply the connectedness of these strangers' stories.
The author never holds back from the use of slurs or somewhat misogynistic takes which are unfortunately a product of the time the book was written. If you're able to look read past the discomfort, I highly recommend this one.
Mary Gaitskill goes there, all right.
The stories in this collection—her first, I think, if that's possible—deal with relationships, sex, and broken-down communications between couples of various sorts: husbands and wives; prostitutes and clients; and, most famously, bosses and employees, in "Secretary", which was vastly altered in the movie version.
Really, it's all about people feeling isolated and less-than. And they are well-drawn studies. She's very insightful into the human condition, brutally frank, and a deft writer. Unfortunately, the end result is me, depressed, and not in a way where I felt enlightened or deeply touched. They were involving while I was reading, but not so much afterwards, whereas I can name several short-fiction writers (Russell Banks, Alice Munro, Frederick Barthelme) whose stories pierced me and left a hook in there. (She also seems far fonder of adverbs than I, but this could also be a heightened sensitivity on my part, due to a class I took recently.)
Look: I bought it for a buck at Out of the Closet, and read it all the way through. So she did her job. I guess it would be interesting to read her later work, to see how this clever young writer has matured.
The stories in this collection—her first, I think, if that's possible—deal with relationships, sex, and broken-down communications between couples of various sorts: husbands and wives; prostitutes and clients; and, most famously, bosses and employees, in "Secretary", which was vastly altered in the movie version.
Really, it's all about people feeling isolated and less-than. And they are well-drawn studies. She's very insightful into the human condition, brutally frank, and a deft writer. Unfortunately, the end result is me, depressed, and not in a way where I felt enlightened or deeply touched. They were involving while I was reading, but not so much afterwards, whereas I can name several short-fiction writers (Russell Banks, Alice Munro, Frederick Barthelme) whose stories pierced me and left a hook in there. (She also seems far fonder of adverbs than I, but this could also be a heightened sensitivity on my part, due to a class I took recently.)
Look: I bought it for a buck at Out of the Closet, and read it all the way through. So she did her job. I guess it would be interesting to read her later work, to see how this clever young writer has matured.
I read this because I heard the film ‘Secretary’ was based on one of the short stories. However, the story is nothing like as breezy and hopeful as the film. A dark seam runs through all these stories and motifs repeat in a way that makes me think most of them must have been based on variations of the truth. People eat cold pasta, have terrible misunderstandings, grow apart and treat each other cruelly. It’s great!
Mary Gaitskill has a way of writing her characters in a non judgemental way, she writes them as they are, even if they are terrible people or if they are good. Her writing is direct but also poetic in some ways and reflective. I also like the way she ends her stories, as though life continues, her stories aren’t tied up with a neat little bow, but there is always some ‘mundane, life goes on’ aspect where the characters continue on even if life isn’t quite the way they thought it would pan out to be
worth reading alone for the story secretary (2002) is based on.
in the story other factors there was a couple named my name and my boyfriend’s name.
in the story other factors there was a couple named my name and my boyfriend’s name.