Games and Rituals - Katherine Heiny

 

Description

The beloved author of Standard Deviation and Early Morning Riser brings us eleven glittering stories of love – friendships formed at the airport bar, ex-husbands with benefits, mothers of suspiciously sweet teenagers, ill-advised trysts – in all its forms, both ridiculous and sublime.

The games and rituals performed by Katherine Heiny’s characters range from mischievous to tender. In ‘Bridesmaid, Revisited,’ Marilee, suffering from a laundry and life crisis, wears a massive bridesmaid’s dress to work. In ‘Twist and Shout,’ Ericka’s elderly father mistakes his four-thousand-dollar hearing aid for a cashew and eats it. In ‘Turn Back, Turn Back,’ a bedtime story coupled with a receipt for a Starbucks babyccino reveal a struggling actor’s deception. And in ‘561,’ Charlene pays the true price of infidelity and is forced to help her husband’s ex-wife move out of the family home.

Katherine Heiny, our bard of waking up in the wrong bed, wearing the wrong shoes, running late for the wrong job, but loved by the right people, has delivered a work of glorious humour and immense kindness.

Review

Not the biggest fan of short stories - but these hit the mark every time.

Having absolutely loved the author's two previous books I felt sure her short stories wouldn't let me down - and they didn't. Just as witty, funny and observant as her previous writing these stories might be short but they pack a lot in and don't leave you hanging.

One of my favourite stories is one where the wife begins to reorganise using the Marie Kondo book and her husbands reactions are sublime. It was just genius, as all the stories are. So many smart one liners that I wish I could remember, but I am sure I will be re reading this book.

Each of the stories are totally different, but written with the fantastic observant prose I've come to expect from this author. I'm just disappointed there are none left to read!

I'm this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review.