Review: Women in Bed by Jessica Keener

 

 

I don't read short story collections often, but I am really glad I had the chance to read Women in Bed. It was the perfect book to pick up on a hot summer afternoon and read from beginning to end. The stories are all about women who are not content with their lives. Something is missing. I really connected with a lot of the stories and the way the women felt. It's an odd feeling when a book is able to capture a familiar sadness and loneliness, sort of like deja vu, and I think a lot of women will also connect with this book.

One thing a really liked about the stories is that they show us just a glimpse of each woman's life, and each story ends without much of a resolution, and I think that makes the stories feel more real. I tried to pick a favorite story, but there are pieces of each that I really liked, which makes it difficult to choose just one. Keener's writing is fantastic and helps to set the scene and the tone of each story. As I was reading I found myself highlighting line after line because, as I said above, I really connected with the lost feeling that these women all felt.

If you are a fan of short stories and books that you can read in one sitting, I recommend this one. But I think reading one story each time you sit down to read would also be great. After I finished the book, I wanted more stories to just appear at the end. I really want to read Keener's other book Night Swim in the near future.

Some favorite quotes:
From "Boarders": 'You're a pretty girl," he added.  'You should be happy.'   'You think so?'
From "Forgiveness: My life was missing air.

Title: Women in Bed: Nine Stories
Author: Jessica Keener
Number of Pages: 162
Date of Publication: October 1st, 2013
Genre: Fiction, short stories
Source: Netgalley