
Difficult Women
A collection of stories of rare force and beauty, of hardscrabble lives, passionate loves, and quirky and vexed human connection.
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Praise
Be they writer, scientist, or stripper, Gay’s women suffer grave abuses, mourn unfathomable losses, love hard, and work harder.
Booklist
Astonishing, arresting, and staggering.
Book Riot
Gay expands her writing prowess with this collection featuring colorful women protagonists . . . Refreshing yet intricate . . . This work will appeal to lovers of literary and feminist fiction.
Library Journal, Starred Review
A powerful collection of short stories about difficult, troubled, headstrong, and unconventional women . . . Whether focusing on assault survivors, single mothers, or women who drown their guilt in wine and bad boyfriends, Gay’s fantastic collection is challenging, quirky, and memorable.
Publishers Weekly
Unified in theme—the struggles of women claiming independence for themselves—but wide-ranging in conception and form . . . Gay is an admirable risk-taker in her exploration of women’s lives and new ways to tell their stories.
Kirkus Reviews
Reviews
- New York Times Book Review
- USA Today
- Boston Globe
- Guardian
- Minneapolis Star Tribune
- Tampa Bay Times
- Vogue.com
- Vox
- Bustle.com 17 Best of January Fiction Titles
- Harper’s Bazaar Best Books of January
- BBC.com 2017 Fiction Preview
- Electric Literature, Interview
- Chicago Review of Books, Interview
- Indianapolis Star
- Washington Post
- Washington Post
- Houston Chronicle
- National Post
- New Republic
- Seattle Times