arielzeit 's review for:

Single, Carefree, Mellow by Katherine Heiny

4.0

---

I would have read this highly praised book of short stories a long time ago if someone had just explained to me that the title is IRONIC. Because anyone who's ever been single past the age of about 18 knows that those three words have nothing to do with each other outside of bad rom coms. So rest assured, no one is carefree or mellow in these stories and actually not too many are single either. Usually they're having at least one affair and are passionately in the grips of passion but still have time for interesting reflections. Heiny and her affair-prone characters remind me a little of the late Laurie Colwin, which is high praise indeed. But I liked her novel "Early Morning Riser" better because it's little sweeter (without being carefree or mellow, thank god) and I appreciate sweetness now that I'm kind of old. Basically I am fated to read all of Katherine Heiny's books as soon as possible because they sweep me away and take me out of myself and make me chuckle darkly to myself when I read them in public places and maybe even think a little about how life works. And these are some of the things I enjoy most about reading.