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A review by samsam123
Because They Wanted to by Mary Gaitskill
3.0
This book written by Mary Gaitskill was published in 1997, and yet the issues it explores are just as relevant today. The stories in this book are about the inner lives of people and the messy relationships they get in, including queer relationships. Kristen Roupenian’s collection of short stories is very reminiscent of these stories.
Gaitskill can write tension so well. My favourite stories that build so much tension include Because They Wanted To, about a girl who takes on a babysitting gig that goes strangely wrong. The Dentist, which is about a woman who falls for her peculiar dentist. Oh, and Girl on a Plane is another excellent story that describes a woman’s experience beside a stranger who will not stop over sharing. There are other great stories in here too, yet the second part of the book has a series of stories with the same protagonist. This latter part was less successful for me. I got bored with this character and preferred the other stories to these ones. However, I enjoyed how the main character does not conform to stereotypes and was a complicated academic who had complicated queer and hetero relationships.
Gaitskill can write tension so well. My favourite stories that build so much tension include Because They Wanted To, about a girl who takes on a babysitting gig that goes strangely wrong. The Dentist, which is about a woman who falls for her peculiar dentist. Oh, and Girl on a Plane is another excellent story that describes a woman’s experience beside a stranger who will not stop over sharing. There are other great stories in here too, yet the second part of the book has a series of stories with the same protagonist. This latter part was less successful for me. I got bored with this character and preferred the other stories to these ones. However, I enjoyed how the main character does not conform to stereotypes and was a complicated academic who had complicated queer and hetero relationships.