"Reading these stories is like overhearing conversations on public transit. Conversations between young women that are so familiar it might be you doing the talking. But that's what it is to see some version of yourself reflected back from the page, or in life, a flesh and blood human being with sadness, shame, desire, and bad judgment. Every time a story ended, I was sad. Danielle Lazarin is (finally) a writer of the changing tide in American life and I, for one, cannot wait to see what she does next."
Publisher Penguin Books
Publication Date 2018-02-06
Section New Titles - Paperback / Fiction / All Staff Suggestions / Fiction Suggestions / Nathalie B.
Format Paperback
ISBN 9780143131472
From an award-winning writer, a stunning collection of stories about women’s unexpressed desires and needs, and the unexpected ways they resurface
“Deceptively quiet but packs a powerful punch . . . The best collection I’ve read in years, from a phenomenal new talent.” —Celeste Ng
“Thank God, a collection of stories about women who don't hate themselves, don't hate other women, don't hate their bodies, don't hate their husbands, or even their ex-husbands . . . women who are simply, like me, trying to figure out what it means to be alive, to be in love, to be daughters, parents, siblings, wives, citizens, human beings.” —Eileen Pollack
In “Floor Plans,” a woman at the end of her marriage tests her power when she inadvertently befriends the neighbor trying to buy her apartment. In “Appetite,” a sixteen-year-old grieving her mother’s death experiences first love and questions how much more heartbreak she and her family can endure. In “Dinosaurs,” a recent widower and a young babysitter help each other navigate how much they have to give—and how much they can take—from the people around them.
Through stories that are at once empathetic and unexpected, these women and girls defiantly push the boundaries between selfishness and self-possession. With a fresh voice and bold honesty, Back Talk examines how narrowly our culture allows women to express their desires.
