May 22, 2023
Most of the stories in this stylish collection from novelist Alcott (America Was Hard to Find) follow women in upheaval. In “Part of the Country,” a wife ends a pregnancy much desired by her husband and moves alone to rural California, where her nights are disturbed by the “menacing” wailing of a dog. “Reputation Management” follows tech worker Alice, who scrubs the internet of negative references to her company’s clients. After Alice learns a pedophile has availed himself of her services, she has a crisis of conscience. In the title story, one of the strongest in the collection, a chorus of narrators tell the tale of their erstwhile neighbor, Helen, who decamps from New York City after a divorce; in Maine, her idyllic existence raising chickens and swimming in a local river is cut short after she violates a taboo. Another standout, “A World Without Men,” the only story to feature a male protagonist, involves 70-something husband-and-wife nightclub performers Frankie and Shirley, whose work is curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Shirley assures Frankie they’ll be back at it soon, “Before you can say bored,” but before long they’re both struggling. Alcott’s prose is precise and evocative, and the plots are consistently tight. There’s much to enjoy.