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Why They Run the Way They Do: Stories
From the celebrated author of Who I Was Supposed to Be, Susan Perabo’s collection of twelve “ingenious and lovable stories [that] crack open the world” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) and illuminate the everyday truths of people facing challenging situations…often of their own making.
In Why They Run the Way They Do, critically acclaimed author Susan Perabo illustrates the triumphs and tragedies of daily life. Perfectly distilled into moments of sharp humor and poignancy, this collection features ordinary people in sometimes extraordinary circumstances. Two young students try their hand at blackmail upon learning an illicit secret; a woman grapples with feelings of betrayal after discovering her spinster sister’s pregnancy test; the ghost of a couple’s past comes back to haunt them in the form of their toddler’s stuffed toy.
Weaving the banal and bizarre together, “Perabo’s clear, wry sentences meld a prose style that’s reminiscent of Raymond Carver’s with a sensibility that’s informed by People” (The New York Times). Here, this “literary talent” (The Boston Globe) captures the human condition through struggles that are quiet and grand; dark and provocative. Brilliantly crafted, Why They Run the Way They Do is ultimately an homage to the philosophy that life without humor is no life at all.
Shelter --
Michael the armadillo --
This is not that story --
The payoff --
Why they run the way they do --
Story goes --
Switzerland --
End of days --
Life off my E --
A proper burial --
Indulgence --
Treasure
In Why They Run the Way They Do, critically acclaimed author Susan Perabo illustrates the triumphs and tragedies of daily life. Perfectly distilled into moments of sharp humor and poignancy, this collection features ordinary people in sometimes extraordinary circumstances. Two young students try their hand at blackmail upon learning an illicit secret; a woman grapples with feelings of betrayal after discovering her spinster sister’s pregnancy test; the ghost of a couple’s past comes back to haunt them in the form of their toddler’s stuffed toy.
Weaving the banal and bizarre together, “Perabo’s clear, wry sentences meld a prose style that’s reminiscent of Raymond Carver’s with a sensibility that’s informed by People” (The New York Times). Here, this “literary talent” (The Boston Globe) captures the human condition through struggles that are quiet and grand; dark and provocative. Brilliantly crafted, Why They Run the Way They Do is ultimately an homage to the philosophy that life without humor is no life at all.
Shelter --
Michael the armadillo --
This is not that story --
The payoff --
Why they run the way they do --
Story goes --
Switzerland --
End of days --
Life off my E --
A proper burial --
Indulgence --
Treasure
208 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2016
11 people are currently reading
1246 people want to read
About the author
Susan Perabo
18 books164 followersSusan Perabo is the author of two novels, "The Fall of Lisa Bellow" and "The Broken Places," and two collections of short stories, "Why They Run the Way They Do" and "Who I Was Supposed to Be." Her fiction has been anthologized in "Best American Short Stories," "Pushcart Prize Stories," and "New Stories from the South," and has appeared in numerous magazines, including One Story, Glimmer Train, Story, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, and The Sun. She is Writer in Residence and Professor of Creative Writing at Dickinson College and on the faculty of the Queens University low-residency MFA program.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
May 16, 2016
Okay, I want to know, just how could I resist these opening lines in this luscious collection of stories?
“The object in question unspooled from the upstairs bathroom wastebasket as I was going about my Thursday morning duties of emptying the trash.”
“The truth is, I never saw the plane.”
“It had been three days and the dog was still in the freezer.”
I’m controlling myself and not adding more fantastico openers; I don’t want to spoil all the fun. Each new story, same command from my mind: Look at the page and follow the line, stopping for drama and wonder. Folks, these are some fine-ass stories.
I scarfed the first two stories and I was a goner. They were both so juicy they had me salivating for more. I must admit that the first story left me jonesin’ for a chapter two, but I was so smitten with it, I still put it in the Love pile. I really liked the rest of the stories (with the exception of one dud), but it was the first two that left me drooling.
And then you have the Debbie Does Kindle special. Though I yearn for the smell of a real book, I’ve come to love my Kindle and all its antics. Don’t remember a character? Use Search. Want to see all your highlights in list form? No prob. But there are, shall we say, “hazards.” Here’s the one that got me: I read a few good stories, and the imaginary I Want More button was set to On. So the next night, I open my Kindle and start the next story, called The Fortune. It’s about a guy, Mr. Campbell, who gets a letter saying that he’s a beneficiary. He’s obviously being scammed, I tell myself, all cocky with my smarts. I'm waiting for Perabo to get to the damn scam but the tone is off, and everything is going super slow and I just can't imagine how this will all get wrapped up. I'm getting some serious short-story anxiety. This so has the feel of a novel; how in the hell is Perabo going to change the pace so it feels like a short story? The writing style seems different, too, but I just give Perabo kudos for changing it up so much.
For some unknown reason, I happen to click the Home button, which takes me to my list of Kindle titles. OMG, I had started reading a different book! A book I barely remember downloading, called The Steady Running of the Hour. No wonder it didn’t seem like a short story—it wasn’t! (Alas, was Mr. Campbell being scammed or not? I will have to read that 1666th book on my To Read shelf someday to find out….)
So the moral of the story is this: If you’re done reading your stories for the night because you get sand in your eyes and need to turn off your light, Do Not, I repeat, Do Not: (1) give in to your new-book curiosity and go back to your Home page, (2) open a book you’ve just downloaded, and (3) keep it open to page one. Seriously. Chances are, you’ll forget that you took a little peek into another book. And then when you open the Kindle the next night, as you get all cozy curled up, waiting with wild anticipation for the next juicy story, you’ll find you’re in a whole different world, whole different book. And it’s pretty shaky and weird in there!
But pshew, I returned to the right book, and the stories continued to delight.
Why I loved this collection:
1. Each story kept my attention and didn’t allow my ADD to do its thing. (No quick trips to unload the dishwasher or make a to-do list.)
2. All were super well-written, sophisticated, and insightful (hm….that’s sort of three things)
3. None were sentimental or unduly melodramatic.
4. None had the dreaded ambiguous ending.
5. No wasted words or unnecessary descriptions.
6. Loved the varied plots. Many are about ordinary people who do something weird or have something weird happen to them, and they have to deal with the fallout.
7. Liked the title and the cover.
8. I remember most of the stories.
27. I have no fucking idea why I have a numbered list here.
And about the cover: I'm an insane boggle nut with a minor in scrabble, so the cube-y cover letters made me crazy happy and were definitely sent to the right person. Scrabble letters, oh god yes. I know I can't judge a book by its cover, but here, what's under the cover is toasty good too.
Check this collection out. It’s a keeper.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy.
“The object in question unspooled from the upstairs bathroom wastebasket as I was going about my Thursday morning duties of emptying the trash.”
“The truth is, I never saw the plane.”
“It had been three days and the dog was still in the freezer.”
I’m controlling myself and not adding more fantastico openers; I don’t want to spoil all the fun. Each new story, same command from my mind: Look at the page and follow the line, stopping for drama and wonder. Folks, these are some fine-ass stories.
I scarfed the first two stories and I was a goner. They were both so juicy they had me salivating for more. I must admit that the first story left me jonesin’ for a chapter two, but I was so smitten with it, I still put it in the Love pile. I really liked the rest of the stories (with the exception of one dud), but it was the first two that left me drooling.
And then you have the Debbie Does Kindle special. Though I yearn for the smell of a real book, I’ve come to love my Kindle and all its antics. Don’t remember a character? Use Search. Want to see all your highlights in list form? No prob. But there are, shall we say, “hazards.” Here’s the one that got me: I read a few good stories, and the imaginary I Want More button was set to On. So the next night, I open my Kindle and start the next story, called The Fortune. It’s about a guy, Mr. Campbell, who gets a letter saying that he’s a beneficiary. He’s obviously being scammed, I tell myself, all cocky with my smarts. I'm waiting for Perabo to get to the damn scam but the tone is off, and everything is going super slow and I just can't imagine how this will all get wrapped up. I'm getting some serious short-story anxiety. This so has the feel of a novel; how in the hell is Perabo going to change the pace so it feels like a short story? The writing style seems different, too, but I just give Perabo kudos for changing it up so much.
For some unknown reason, I happen to click the Home button, which takes me to my list of Kindle titles. OMG, I had started reading a different book! A book I barely remember downloading, called The Steady Running of the Hour. No wonder it didn’t seem like a short story—it wasn’t! (Alas, was Mr. Campbell being scammed or not? I will have to read that 1666th book on my To Read shelf someday to find out….)
So the moral of the story is this: If you’re done reading your stories for the night because you get sand in your eyes and need to turn off your light, Do Not, I repeat, Do Not: (1) give in to your new-book curiosity and go back to your Home page, (2) open a book you’ve just downloaded, and (3) keep it open to page one. Seriously. Chances are, you’ll forget that you took a little peek into another book. And then when you open the Kindle the next night, as you get all cozy curled up, waiting with wild anticipation for the next juicy story, you’ll find you’re in a whole different world, whole different book. And it’s pretty shaky and weird in there!
But pshew, I returned to the right book, and the stories continued to delight.
Why I loved this collection:
1. Each story kept my attention and didn’t allow my ADD to do its thing. (No quick trips to unload the dishwasher or make a to-do list.)
2. All were super well-written, sophisticated, and insightful (hm….that’s sort of three things)
3. None were sentimental or unduly melodramatic.
4. None had the dreaded ambiguous ending.
5. No wasted words or unnecessary descriptions.
6. Loved the varied plots. Many are about ordinary people who do something weird or have something weird happen to them, and they have to deal with the fallout.
7. Liked the title and the cover.
8. I remember most of the stories.
27. I have no fucking idea why I have a numbered list here.
And about the cover: I'm an insane boggle nut with a minor in scrabble, so the cube-y cover letters made me crazy happy and were definitely sent to the right person. Scrabble letters, oh god yes. I know I can't judge a book by its cover, but here, what's under the cover is toasty good too.
Check this collection out. It’s a keeper.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advance copy.
November 6, 2018
Starting this read, I had been hoping for stories a little darker or a wee bit quirkier. These short tales were unusual and vaguely unsettling, but didn't have that "bite" that is so appealing to me. But then, something happened. "A Proper Burial" smacked me in the back of the head, nearly knocked me on my knees. Immediately following was "Indulgence" which finished me off with a poke in the eye. On the merit of these two alone, I wouldn't dream of giving it less than four stars. You got me.
December 10, 2015
Early this morning, some friends and I were exchanging childhood stories...
naughty pranks, such as "setting fire to dolls clothes and telling your little friend it was a magic trick and they could be restored to pristine condition", or bringing a fake plaster dog poop to school and placing it under a students desk ...only to be sent to the principles office...
NOTE... there are more of these stories on Goodreads, just ask me... I'll direct you to where to add YOUR story..to the community collection.
HOWEVER, FIRST PLACE AWARD 'short story' goes to author Susan Perabo, called "The Payoff"......the first story in "Why They Run the way the Do".
Two young girls in grade school see something that no teacher or
parent would want them to see. What happens next is soooooo wrong, I cringed!
At the same time, I wondered in which 'way' this event would leave its 'adult mark'.
How would each girl differ in the telling of this story as adults?
"Switzerland" immediately resonated with me because I have an old suitcase that without a stitch of clothing in it, it already weighs almost fifty pounds. You might already understand my problem when I travel. For as many times as I've paid the extra service fee to the airlines for being over-weight...I could have just bought a new suitcase already ...geeezzzz!
In Susan Perabo's story, there's an old suitcase that is also so heavy, that when dragged down the attic stairs it goes "ka-thunk ka-thunk ka-thunk and the cats scatter off. ....
I was sure this story was going be about horror stories at the airport ...( like the few I've had), with my 100lb suitcase just 10 or 12 pounds lighter than me...
But no, this was the world's SHORTEST - most powerful story in the entire selection. ( WE NEVER MAKE IT TO THE AIRPORT).
This story is so SHORT, that I promise you 'will' read it again! ... and possibly say something like I said, "Ouch, that stings", ... then smile!
MORAL of the story: we might each carry a lot of baggage in our lives - but
nothing a pizza can't fix! ha!
These stories are terrific... Each very different. One is about a woman who had an affair. "Michael the Armadillo". ... It was very clever. I was reminded never to get too
cocky about completion. Once I share with a friend that I'm "complete" about
that OLD PAST HURTFUL memory...a stuff 'Armadillo' may be all it takes
before I'm off and running down misery lane.
I had a delicious afternoon reading these stories today!
Great stories, ( dark, light, & wise) The person who wrote these stories ROCKS!!!
I wish she was coming over for tea.
Thank You Simon & Schuster, Netgalley, and Susan Perabo! ( I'm definitely a new fan)
naughty pranks, such as "setting fire to dolls clothes and telling your little friend it was a magic trick and they could be restored to pristine condition", or bringing a fake plaster dog poop to school and placing it under a students desk ...only to be sent to the principles office...
NOTE... there are more of these stories on Goodreads, just ask me... I'll direct you to where to add YOUR story..to the community collection.
HOWEVER, FIRST PLACE AWARD 'short story' goes to author Susan Perabo, called "The Payoff"......the first story in "Why They Run the way the Do".
Two young girls in grade school see something that no teacher or
parent would want them to see. What happens next is soooooo wrong, I cringed!
At the same time, I wondered in which 'way' this event would leave its 'adult mark'.
How would each girl differ in the telling of this story as adults?
"Switzerland" immediately resonated with me because I have an old suitcase that without a stitch of clothing in it, it already weighs almost fifty pounds. You might already understand my problem when I travel. For as many times as I've paid the extra service fee to the airlines for being over-weight...I could have just bought a new suitcase already ...geeezzzz!
In Susan Perabo's story, there's an old suitcase that is also so heavy, that when dragged down the attic stairs it goes "ka-thunk ka-thunk ka-thunk and the cats scatter off. ....
I was sure this story was going be about horror stories at the airport ...( like the few I've had), with my 100lb suitcase just 10 or 12 pounds lighter than me...
But no, this was the world's SHORTEST - most powerful story in the entire selection. ( WE NEVER MAKE IT TO THE AIRPORT).
This story is so SHORT, that I promise you 'will' read it again! ... and possibly say something like I said, "Ouch, that stings", ... then smile!
MORAL of the story: we might each carry a lot of baggage in our lives - but
nothing a pizza can't fix! ha!
These stories are terrific... Each very different. One is about a woman who had an affair. "Michael the Armadillo". ... It was very clever. I was reminded never to get too
cocky about completion. Once I share with a friend that I'm "complete" about
that OLD PAST HURTFUL memory...a stuff 'Armadillo' may be all it takes
before I'm off and running down misery lane.
I had a delicious afternoon reading these stories today!
Great stories, ( dark, light, & wise) The person who wrote these stories ROCKS!!!
I wish she was coming over for tea.
Thank You Simon & Schuster, Netgalley, and Susan Perabo! ( I'm definitely a new fan)
April 13, 2016
Why They Run the Way They Do: Stories
Susan Perabo- The Author
“I received an ARC of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!”
I am of those readers who resisted reading short stories for a long time, but in the last few months I've found that one of the joys of reading this genre comes from allowing yourself to use your imagination to continue expanding the story and the characters well after you've finished reading them.
Admittedly, that might be exactly why many readers stay away from reading short fiction in the first place; understandably we prefer the satisfaction of a well-structured narrative with a definitive - if albeit sometimes not so fulfilling- conclusion to the story.
Because short fiction typically gravitates around one character, with the story focusing on one major development or theme, the narrative frequently emphasizes the emotional aftermath of a major crisis or a significant event.
On Susan Perabo's wonderful new collection, these experiences range from the bizarre and seemingly mundane (your in-laws send a stuffed armadillo puppet to your young daughter) to the more life-shattering events (your mom's cancer diagnosis, the witnessing of a plane crash, the dead of your beloved pet).
Perabo has a deliciously dark, dry sense of humor and she's able to find levity even in the more tragic of circumstances. She also has a knack for creating brilliant and funny dialogue that makes her characters sound authentic and makes them very human and utterly relatable.
I enjoyed most of these stories but I found the one called "Indulgence", a story focused on a daughter-mother intense emotional connection, particularly poignant and moving.
The mother, who after many years of smoking has quit cigarettes, is "thrilled" that lung cancer is not what is going to end up taking her life after all. That's the good news. The bad news is that she has brain cancer instead.
After her mother proudly announces the "good news", her daughter says:
The rest of the story is profound and moving and it underlines the importance of expressing the love, appreciation and devotion your feel for your loves ones, especially your parents, while you still have the opportunity to do so.
So these last few months I have learned that a well-written story can stay with you for a long time, I am convinced that'll be the case with many of the ones included on Why They Run the Way They Do: Stories.
The characters of this lovely collection are memorable and sharp and the stories are outstanding because of how unique and unpredictable they are. Highly recommend it!
Susan Perabo- The Author
“I received an ARC of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!”
I am of those readers who resisted reading short stories for a long time, but in the last few months I've found that one of the joys of reading this genre comes from allowing yourself to use your imagination to continue expanding the story and the characters well after you've finished reading them.
Admittedly, that might be exactly why many readers stay away from reading short fiction in the first place; understandably we prefer the satisfaction of a well-structured narrative with a definitive - if albeit sometimes not so fulfilling- conclusion to the story.
Because short fiction typically gravitates around one character, with the story focusing on one major development or theme, the narrative frequently emphasizes the emotional aftermath of a major crisis or a significant event.
On Susan Perabo's wonderful new collection, these experiences range from the bizarre and seemingly mundane (your in-laws send a stuffed armadillo puppet to your young daughter) to the more life-shattering events (your mom's cancer diagnosis, the witnessing of a plane crash, the dead of your beloved pet).
Perabo has a deliciously dark, dry sense of humor and she's able to find levity even in the more tragic of circumstances. She also has a knack for creating brilliant and funny dialogue that makes her characters sound authentic and makes them very human and utterly relatable.
I enjoyed most of these stories but I found the one called "Indulgence", a story focused on a daughter-mother intense emotional connection, particularly poignant and moving.
The mother, who after many years of smoking has quit cigarettes, is "thrilled" that lung cancer is not what is going to end up taking her life after all. That's the good news. The bad news is that she has brain cancer instead.
After her mother proudly announces the "good news", her daughter says:
'What do you want me to do" Throw a party? I was trembling from the inside out-my mother was dying- and furious at her for reporting her diagnosis so flippantly, as if I, too, would be so thoroughly amused by the irony that the would just roll right off me."
The rest of the story is profound and moving and it underlines the importance of expressing the love, appreciation and devotion your feel for your loves ones, especially your parents, while you still have the opportunity to do so.
So these last few months I have learned that a well-written story can stay with you for a long time, I am convinced that'll be the case with many of the ones included on Why They Run the Way They Do: Stories.
The characters of this lovely collection are memorable and sharp and the stories are outstanding because of how unique and unpredictable they are. Highly recommend it!
February 16, 2016
I have been blown away by the wonderful short story collections that I have read lately and this one joins their rank. Loved the tone of these, witty and tender, some lighter, some dark. Varied and interesting. The imagination of this author, showcasing people in many different situations and handling them in many different ways. I also found enjoyable her use of teenage narrators in many of these stories. All in all I can say there were only a few I didn't love but as a whole I found this collection pretty amazing.
ARC from Netgalley.
ARC from Netgalley.
January 18, 2016
Why They Run the Way They Do was a great little collection of short stories. I liked some stories more than others, but overall I loved the characters Susan Perabo creates. She has a quirky but very human sensibility. The writing is simple, but it's all about the characters and their perspective on the world. A couple of favourites: Life Off My E about two sisters who retreat from bad marriages to live together and play Scrabble, and Indulgence about a daughter whose mother appears to be relieved to be dying of brain cancer rather than lung cancer given that she was a lifetime smoker. There is a certain grimness to many of the stories, but Perabo has a great sense of humour and playfulness that permeates even some of the darkest stories. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
November 3, 2015
Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for making it available!
I choose to read a book for many different reasons—it's written by an author whose I work I enjoy, it was recommended by a friend or critic, it's one of the "buzzier" books out there at a current time, or it was recently adapted into a movie I missed. But other times my decision to read a book is purely a visual one—first I get intrigued by the cover design, then I pick it up (or look it up online) and see if the plot description draws me in. So while you can't judge a book by its cover, I do often select a book because of it.
All that babble to explain that it was the cover of Susan Perabo's soon-to-be-released story collection, Why They Run the Way They Do , that piqued my interest first. However, after devouring all 12 stories fairly quickly, I'm so thankful the cover design was so intriguing, because otherwise I might have missed an affecting, well-written, memorable collection by an author whose work I'm going to need to keep reading.
The characters in these stories face emotional crossroads of all kinds—spending time with their terminally ill mother, dealing with a serious infatuation with a childhood best friend, being confronted with evidence of an extramarital affair in an unusual way, or trying to help a friend escape a mental hospital so she can commit suicide, for starters. But so many of these stories are more complex than that, even surprising at times. (There's even one story called, of all things, "This is Not That Story," which opens up a number of intriguing plot twists but then cuts them off by saying, "But that is not this story.")
Perabo's voice is so deft; while the majority of her main characters are female, she is equally talented with male protagonists as well. She packs a tremendous amount of heart, character development, and plot into fairly short stories, but they don't ever feel confusing or unfinished. I've always said that for me, the sign of a great story collection is if I am interested and invested enough in the characters to wish that they were part of a full-length novel; I could see that with many of these.
Among my favorites in this collection (and it was hard to narrow it down to just a few to mention in this review) were: "Story Goes," which follows two young female residents of a mental hospital, when one asks the other to help her escape so she can commit suicide; the title story, in which a receptionist must deal with the affair she is having as well as the imminent departure of her best friend and companion; "The Payoff," about two eight graders who witness two teachers in a sexual act—and they make an interesting decision about how to handle it; "Michael the Armadillo," in which a couple must deal with an unusual reminder of one's infidelity; and "A Proper Burial," when a woman spends a weekend with her terminally ill mother before her condition starts to decline.
I've been so blown away by the quality of the short story collections I've read this year, and Why They Run the Way They Do is an excellent addition to that continuously growing list. Fans of short stories: here's another one for you to hopefully enjoy as much as I did!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
I choose to read a book for many different reasons—it's written by an author whose I work I enjoy, it was recommended by a friend or critic, it's one of the "buzzier" books out there at a current time, or it was recently adapted into a movie I missed. But other times my decision to read a book is purely a visual one—first I get intrigued by the cover design, then I pick it up (or look it up online) and see if the plot description draws me in. So while you can't judge a book by its cover, I do often select a book because of it.
All that babble to explain that it was the cover of Susan Perabo's soon-to-be-released story collection, Why They Run the Way They Do , that piqued my interest first. However, after devouring all 12 stories fairly quickly, I'm so thankful the cover design was so intriguing, because otherwise I might have missed an affecting, well-written, memorable collection by an author whose work I'm going to need to keep reading.
The characters in these stories face emotional crossroads of all kinds—spending time with their terminally ill mother, dealing with a serious infatuation with a childhood best friend, being confronted with evidence of an extramarital affair in an unusual way, or trying to help a friend escape a mental hospital so she can commit suicide, for starters. But so many of these stories are more complex than that, even surprising at times. (There's even one story called, of all things, "This is Not That Story," which opens up a number of intriguing plot twists but then cuts them off by saying, "But that is not this story.")
Perabo's voice is so deft; while the majority of her main characters are female, she is equally talented with male protagonists as well. She packs a tremendous amount of heart, character development, and plot into fairly short stories, but they don't ever feel confusing or unfinished. I've always said that for me, the sign of a great story collection is if I am interested and invested enough in the characters to wish that they were part of a full-length novel; I could see that with many of these.
Among my favorites in this collection (and it was hard to narrow it down to just a few to mention in this review) were: "Story Goes," which follows two young female residents of a mental hospital, when one asks the other to help her escape so she can commit suicide; the title story, in which a receptionist must deal with the affair she is having as well as the imminent departure of her best friend and companion; "The Payoff," about two eight graders who witness two teachers in a sexual act—and they make an interesting decision about how to handle it; "Michael the Armadillo," in which a couple must deal with an unusual reminder of one's infidelity; and "A Proper Burial," when a woman spends a weekend with her terminally ill mother before her condition starts to decline.
I've been so blown away by the quality of the short story collections I've read this year, and Why They Run the Way They Do is an excellent addition to that continuously growing list. Fans of short stories: here's another one for you to hopefully enjoy as much as I did!
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
February 28, 2016
One of my favorite classes in high school was the "Short Stories" elective I took senior year. I am thrilled that short stories are having a moment again and publishers are highlighting the talent of so many amazing authors, including Susan Perabo.
Perabo's latest collection, Why They Run the Way They Do, does not disappoint. Her creativity shines as she delivers unique, funny, heartfelt, and poignant stories in this collection. Some of the stories deal with major life issues, others are more "slice of life" stories. All are a pleasure to read. I'm sure each reader will have his/her favorites, and mine were "Michael the Armadillo" and "Indulgence".
This is a small volume -- perfect for someone who is wondering whether or not they might enjoy the genre. I savored it in one sitting.
4.5 stars
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Perabo's latest collection, Why They Run the Way They Do, does not disappoint. Her creativity shines as she delivers unique, funny, heartfelt, and poignant stories in this collection. Some of the stories deal with major life issues, others are more "slice of life" stories. All are a pleasure to read. I'm sure each reader will have his/her favorites, and mine were "Michael the Armadillo" and "Indulgence".
This is a small volume -- perfect for someone who is wondering whether or not they might enjoy the genre. I savored it in one sitting.
4.5 stars
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 8, 2016
Lately, I have this thing for short stories. The author has a limited writing canvas to get to the point, so to speak.
I truly enjoyed the ones in Why They Run the Way They Do, they are a bit dark, unpredictable and unsettling, but with a nice amount of amusement interspersed. Sometimes things happen quite unexpectedly, making you smile in a knowing way.
A great collection of stories that makes you embrace life!
Review copy supplied by publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a rating and/or review.
“Everybody gets to be a little pathetic. But you can’t have more than your share, or there’s not enough to go around. You can’t be a hog about it.”
I truly enjoyed the ones in Why They Run the Way They Do, they are a bit dark, unpredictable and unsettling, but with a nice amount of amusement interspersed. Sometimes things happen quite unexpectedly, making you smile in a knowing way.
A great collection of stories that makes you embrace life!
Review copy supplied by publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a rating and/or review.
March 1, 2016
Susan Perabo is a sly, slippery, and wise writer. Even the though the first story in this collection, "The Payoff," had an ending that not only took me by surprise, but gave me one of those rare transcendent glimpses of a whole-life experience, it took me one more story to realize I was in the hands of somebody who would never take the easy way out. By that I mean, even if the material she was dealing with—in the case of the first two stories, young adults and domestic turmoil—might easily become genre stuff (young adult cute angst, navel-gazing women's fiction), no way would Perabo reduce it to that. She has sly eyes that see every corkscrew turn of the psyche and her work can suddenly slip, careening into unexpected places.
By the third story, I realized there would be nothing vaguely generic in this book, and I surrendered all expectations and simply enjoyed being surprised, moved, entertained, and gobsmacked—over and over again. In fact I was surprised that I was so surprised. I was surprised that I found myself either completely neutral or feeling something akin to camaraderie with smokers! Me? A person who has never smoked and watched my mother die a slow, agonizing death from emphysema? Many of the characters in Perabo's stories are smokers, and the writing is so surprisingly good that it can change your embedded reactions. Surprise!
By the third story, I realized there would be nothing vaguely generic in this book, and I surrendered all expectations and simply enjoyed being surprised, moved, entertained, and gobsmacked—over and over again. In fact I was surprised that I was so surprised. I was surprised that I found myself either completely neutral or feeling something akin to camaraderie with smokers! Me? A person who has never smoked and watched my mother die a slow, agonizing death from emphysema? Many of the characters in Perabo's stories are smokers, and the writing is so surprisingly good that it can change your embedded reactions. Surprise!
February 25, 2016
Only recently have I become a fan of short stories; I don't think I started reading them until after college, when a collection was recommended to me by a friend (by author Alice Munro) and I fell in love with the format. For an avid reader, I think I have a relatively short attention span; this certainly poses a problem when a novel doesn't "grab" me in the beginning, and I often choose novels based on my initial reaction to the description. Short stories might seem to be the optimal solution but, again, it often depends on the subject matter.
I was initially attracted to Why They Run the Way They Do for the title since, as you probably know, I love running; secondarily, I was attracted to the fact that it is a collection of short stories and that Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation, wrote a glowing recommendation. This turned out to be a great decision, in spite of the fact that it has nothing to do with running; this is my first five-star read of 2016.
As I type this, I feel inadequately skilled to "review" this collection; to say that I was moved by these stories would be a monumental understatement. A few days after finishing, I was still thinking about a couple of the stories and I'd really like to go back and reread the entire collection; instead, I've limited myself to about three of the stories and I would love to be in a book club where I could discuss this with many other readers. At 208 pages, you have no excuse NOT to read this one; please, go read it, and then return and tell me what you think.
Read the remainder at runningnreading.com: http://wp.me/p4EAyf-1KX
I was initially attracted to Why They Run the Way They Do for the title since, as you probably know, I love running; secondarily, I was attracted to the fact that it is a collection of short stories and that Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation, wrote a glowing recommendation. This turned out to be a great decision, in spite of the fact that it has nothing to do with running; this is my first five-star read of 2016.
As I type this, I feel inadequately skilled to "review" this collection; to say that I was moved by these stories would be a monumental understatement. A few days after finishing, I was still thinking about a couple of the stories and I'd really like to go back and reread the entire collection; instead, I've limited myself to about three of the stories and I would love to be in a book club where I could discuss this with many other readers. At 208 pages, you have no excuse NOT to read this one; please, go read it, and then return and tell me what you think.
Read the remainder at runningnreading.com: http://wp.me/p4EAyf-1KX
February 19, 2016
Short stories have historically been a tough sell for me, but I’m trying to be more open to them after loving Nickolas Butler’s Beneath the Bonfire last year. I’m so glad I gave Why They Run the Way They Do a shot (or, more accurately, that Tara at Running N Reading convinced me to give it a shot) because it’s now only the second short story collection I’ve truly enjoyed from start to finish. On the surface, these stories are about mundane daily life…a harmless middle school prank, a child’s toy, spending time with your mother after some bad news…but, they have a darkness simmering just underneath. This combination makes them incredibly relatable, yet still eye-opening and unique.
There wasn’t a true dud in the bunch (a rarity for me with short stories!), but like with all short story collections, I did have my favorites. The Payoff perfectly encapsulates schoolgirl innocence gone wrong, Michael the Armadillo was whimsical yet sad, and Indulgence is just gorgeous and gut-punching. Why They Run the Way They Do would be a fantastic starter collection for anyone new to short stories or who usually finds it hard to connect with them and it’s going on my Great Books Under 300 Pages List.
Visit my blog, www.sarahsbookshelves.com, for more reviews.
There wasn’t a true dud in the bunch (a rarity for me with short stories!), but like with all short story collections, I did have my favorites. The Payoff perfectly encapsulates schoolgirl innocence gone wrong, Michael the Armadillo was whimsical yet sad, and Indulgence is just gorgeous and gut-punching. Why They Run the Way They Do would be a fantastic starter collection for anyone new to short stories or who usually finds it hard to connect with them and it’s going on my Great Books Under 300 Pages List.
Visit my blog, www.sarahsbookshelves.com, for more reviews.
December 20, 2015
I'm a huge fan of Raymond Carver and had increasingly heard Susan Perabo named in the same breath, so was intrigued to see how her writings would compare to one of the masters of the short story. I'm happy to report there is so much here to love!
With tales of ordinary lives and both the extraordinary and seemingly mundane things that can happen in them, Perabo excels in the short story form. weaving rich characters into deceptively simple tales that demonstrate depths beyond the arc of their narratives.
From a pair of schoolgirls trying to blackmail their teachers, to a woman having an affair with a married man at work who sponsors a child in an orphanage in Paraguay to give them a family via a bunch of school kids witnessing the last moments of a plane crash as the doomed craft hurtles over their heads, these are all ordinary lives made extraordinary by circumstances.
This is an awesome collection of short stories that I absolutely loved. Highly recommended.
With tales of ordinary lives and both the extraordinary and seemingly mundane things that can happen in them, Perabo excels in the short story form. weaving rich characters into deceptively simple tales that demonstrate depths beyond the arc of their narratives.
From a pair of schoolgirls trying to blackmail their teachers, to a woman having an affair with a married man at work who sponsors a child in an orphanage in Paraguay to give them a family via a bunch of school kids witnessing the last moments of a plane crash as the doomed craft hurtles over their heads, these are all ordinary lives made extraordinary by circumstances.
This is an awesome collection of short stories that I absolutely loved. Highly recommended.
October 28, 2015
Some stories in this collection are dark, some are sad. The blackmail going on in The Payoff makes the reader ashamed and sorry for the teacher. The young girl with no clue of her teacher's meaning when scheming goes wrong leaves you with a bitter aftertaste, because who should you feel worse for, the teacher or her students; those green girls who know nothing of what lies ahead in the their future adult love lives. In 'Switzerland' I felt the frustration of future selves never plucked some wives feel. "It's better if everything is perfect, so he can watch it all go to hell once I'm gone." Indulgence is a beautiful story about a mother and daughter at the edge of death, and it stands out as my favorite in the collection. "What I loved about smoking, after my first day as a smoker, maybe even after my first puff, was that a cigarette was a thing to reach for every singe time I wanted to reach for something. It was a permanent answer to the persistent question now what?"
I also found the 'spinster-like sister story' Life Off My E interesting with the best lines, "Maybe he was magic after all, I thought. Then I nearly threw up in my mouth." The final story is Treasure and oh how we understand (men, women) longing for someone or something to happen and how disappointing the reality when it finally does. We either miss it entirely or wish we had. Not for the beach readers looking for happy stories, this is for those who can handle the ugly days.
I also found the 'spinster-like sister story' Life Off My E interesting with the best lines, "Maybe he was magic after all, I thought. Then I nearly threw up in my mouth." The final story is Treasure and oh how we understand (men, women) longing for someone or something to happen and how disappointing the reality when it finally does. We either miss it entirely or wish we had. Not for the beach readers looking for happy stories, this is for those who can handle the ugly days.
August 15, 2018
Why they Run the Way that they Do is a book of about a dozen short stories. And while I do not normally seek out short stories to read, I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway which I had entered because the stories sounded interesting.
Perabo is really a master at writing short stories. This is coming from someone who, as noted, does not ordinarily read them. Several of the short stories, I thought, were particularly good. And the rest, I think, would have been liked by those who like short stories. What was good about them was that I thought each one could have been developed into a longer story, novella or novel with more character development, more leading up to the story and then continuing from where the short story ended.
Perabo is really a master at writing short stories. This is coming from someone who, as noted, does not ordinarily read them. Several of the short stories, I thought, were particularly good. And the rest, I think, would have been liked by those who like short stories. What was good about them was that I thought each one could have been developed into a longer story, novella or novel with more character development, more leading up to the story and then continuing from where the short story ended.
June 5, 2018
4 stars - It was great. I loved it.
Short story collections are perfect to keep on your phone for those quick minutes of reading at the end of a work break or while waiting at an appointment. I do not typically find as much joy with them as I do novels, but this one was a gem.
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Favorite Quote: If life really can be compared to a hand of cards, I’m fairly certain that those cards remain facedown until sixth or seventh grade and only then do you get to turn them over and see who you actually are.
First Sentence: When they gave us lumps of clay in art class, I made a pencil holder in the shape of a giraffe, and Louise made an ashtray.
Short story collections are perfect to keep on your phone for those quick minutes of reading at the end of a work break or while waiting at an appointment. I do not typically find as much joy with them as I do novels, but this one was a gem.
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Favorite Quote: If life really can be compared to a hand of cards, I’m fairly certain that those cards remain facedown until sixth or seventh grade and only then do you get to turn them over and see who you actually are.
First Sentence: When they gave us lumps of clay in art class, I made a pencil holder in the shape of a giraffe, and Louise made an ashtray.
July 6, 2017
This was AMAZING-I can't believe it wasn't on more "Best of" lists last year. The author writes well from the teenage point of view (The Payoff, Treasure) and about loss (Michael the Armadillo, A Proper Burial). But she really excels at writing about family: Life Off My E, about two sisters, and Indulgence (quite possibly one of the best short stories I’ve ever read), about the death of the narrator’s mother. Please check out this book just for that one story!
February 16, 2016
Short stories are my favorite. You can pick a chapter and read an entire story in minutes, from beginning to end.
Short stories usually have one character and one major event that's featured. In Susan's collection she has many different stories ranging from simple to bizarre. Some deal with cancer and pregnancy issues while other's deal with talking stuffed animals that bring back memories of an affair. Each story brought a unique character and plot that kept me reading for more. From the first story "The Payoff" I was hooked.
Why They Run The Way They Do is a dark collection of short stories that brought the humor and emotions. I loved Susan's dialogue. It brought realism and wit to her characters and their story. Even though the stories are short Susan develops each character perfectly to where I'm not confused at what's happening and I understand what's going on. The tone was lighter in some stories while dark in others, which kept my emotions on a roller coaster. Susan has a fantastic imagination that takes the reader into a world of unique people and the events that transpire in their life. I couldn't stop thinking about each story.
Should you read it? Yes! A great collection of stories full of humor and emotions. Brutally honest life stories that sometimes leave you breathless.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for sending a copy. In no way does this affected my opinion.
Short stories usually have one character and one major event that's featured. In Susan's collection she has many different stories ranging from simple to bizarre. Some deal with cancer and pregnancy issues while other's deal with talking stuffed animals that bring back memories of an affair. Each story brought a unique character and plot that kept me reading for more. From the first story "The Payoff" I was hooked.
Why They Run The Way They Do is a dark collection of short stories that brought the humor and emotions. I loved Susan's dialogue. It brought realism and wit to her characters and their story. Even though the stories are short Susan develops each character perfectly to where I'm not confused at what's happening and I understand what's going on. The tone was lighter in some stories while dark in others, which kept my emotions on a roller coaster. Susan has a fantastic imagination that takes the reader into a world of unique people and the events that transpire in their life. I couldn't stop thinking about each story.
Should you read it? Yes! A great collection of stories full of humor and emotions. Brutally honest life stories that sometimes leave you breathless.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for sending a copy. In no way does this affected my opinion.
March 30, 2016
Breathtaking. Probably my favorite book of 2016 so far. I had so much fun reading Why They Run They Way They Do, and had a lot of trouble putting it down! If I had been able to read it in one sitting, I would have. I've never really been one to seek out short stories, and this collection has made me wonder why not. The characters in these stories were more fully realized than those in many of the novels I've read lately— to be able to convey so much to the reader in such a compact form shows Perabo's true mastery of the craft of writing, and the excellence of this collection has made me eager to pick up more from the genre! These stories are simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking; I laughed and cried and did everything in between while reading this book. "Indulgence" in particular is going to be in my thoughts for a long time. This is a must-read!
March 5, 2016
I love Susan Perabo's stories.
February 14, 2016
Why They Run The Way They Do is a collection of a dozen or so dark, witty and poignant stories about ordinary people facing ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary) challenges. Each story stands well on its own, and the subjects range from teenaged girls to spinsters, from witnesses to tragedy to participants in illicit affairs, and families that break apart and come together.
The twelve stories cover pre-teens who dabble in blackmail; a haunting stuffed animal; spinster sisters who while their days away with scrabble; a daring escape from a psych ward; several sad, neglected and heartbreaking dogs; a plane crash; terribly damaged relationships and a whole lot of cigarettes. Even a story that’s only three pages long (“Switzerland”) has enough of a punch to it to move you. When it comes to short stories, being able to create a character real enough for the reader’s empathy to kick in is the sign of true artistry, and Perabo makes it look easy.
I had a few favourites in this anthology: I loved “Michael the Armadillo”, where their toddler’s stuffed animal brings back memories of a couple’s dark past. It was full of suspense and yet at the same time just absurd enough to be quite funny. I also liked “This Is Not That Story”, which toyed with plot and building suspense, and felt pretty meta-textual and self-aware. It was like reading a bunch of clippings and piecing a story together, and when you don’t have all the pieces and have to fill in the blanks yourself, that opens it up to a lot of interpretation. It is a story that begs to be re-read, picked apart and played with.
The stories feel a lot like Raymond Carver; they match his “brevity and intensity”, focus on slices of everyday life, and deal with people who feel isolated, or marginalised. However, there is also a streak of humour in the stories that prevents them from sucking you down into a Carver-esque pit of despair at the human condition; furthermore, there’s more of a sense of plot in these stories, with clear climaxes and twists, and some incredible character development. For instance, “Indulgence” depicts the last moments shared between a daughter and her dying mother, and despite the presence of death in every word, it is warm with humour and life. It made me cry and smile at the same time.
Susan Perabo has a voice that is so sincere that it felt like eavesdropping on someone’s inner monologue; I forgot I was reading stories and instead felt like I knew these people. I felt like a voyeur, but I couldn’t look away. Her characters are evoked with a few words, a few actions; she wastes nothing on description but each word drips with nuance and it has an authenticity that is perfectly balanced – it never felt forced. Sometimes you can get a vivid sense of the author’s hand guiding the text, but in Perabo’s case the author disappears and it feels like the words were there to begin with, uncovered like Michelangelo’s sculptures hidden in their marble husks. She chips away until the minimum elements remain to create the barest truth of the story.
This is an excellent collection of stories. Each story is stunningly written. Perhaps my only complaint was that the ordering of them in the anthology didn’t seem to make much sense, except in the connection of certain images between them, such as the cigarettes and the dogs. But the stories were excellent and I may return to them, and re-read them again and again, as each time I find something I missed the first time that makes me love them a little bit more.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. You can read more of my reviews on Literogo.
She feared that seeing the boy would remind her husband of all the other things he had seen and worked so hard to forget, all the other things they’d been running from for so many years. There’s a story there. But that is not this story.
The twelve stories cover pre-teens who dabble in blackmail; a haunting stuffed animal; spinster sisters who while their days away with scrabble; a daring escape from a psych ward; several sad, neglected and heartbreaking dogs; a plane crash; terribly damaged relationships and a whole lot of cigarettes. Even a story that’s only three pages long (“Switzerland”) has enough of a punch to it to move you. When it comes to short stories, being able to create a character real enough for the reader’s empathy to kick in is the sign of true artistry, and Perabo makes it look easy.
Then, at once, we both exploded into riotous laughter and burst into motion away from the scene of the crime, ran full blast down the hall and up the stairs, laughing and gasping for air. by the time we slid into the backseat of my mother’s paneled station wagon we had our poker faces set, but the image of what we’d witnessed was so vivid in my mind I couldn’t believe my mother couldn’t see it herself, reflected with perfect detail in the pools of my eyes.
I had a few favourites in this anthology: I loved “Michael the Armadillo”, where their toddler’s stuffed animal brings back memories of a couple’s dark past. It was full of suspense and yet at the same time just absurd enough to be quite funny. I also liked “This Is Not That Story”, which toyed with plot and building suspense, and felt pretty meta-textual and self-aware. It was like reading a bunch of clippings and piecing a story together, and when you don’t have all the pieces and have to fill in the blanks yourself, that opens it up to a lot of interpretation. It is a story that begs to be re-read, picked apart and played with.
You think it’s just going to be one strap, but it’s three, one like a belt around you, and then one on each side of the belt strapping you to the bedframe, so not only can you not get out of bed, but you can’t look anywhere but straight up. It was just one night, but int the morning only the top layer of me got up, peeled in a thin strip from the softball player, who stayed in the bed forever.
The stories feel a lot like Raymond Carver; they match his “brevity and intensity”, focus on slices of everyday life, and deal with people who feel isolated, or marginalised. However, there is also a streak of humour in the stories that prevents them from sucking you down into a Carver-esque pit of despair at the human condition; furthermore, there’s more of a sense of plot in these stories, with clear climaxes and twists, and some incredible character development. For instance, “Indulgence” depicts the last moments shared between a daughter and her dying mother, and despite the presence of death in every word, it is warm with humour and life. It made me cry and smile at the same time.
“The truth escapes me,” people say, though surely we are willing accomplices to its flight. We loosen its chains, leave its cell door slightly ajar, allow ourselves to become distracted as it lumbers off into the waning light.
Susan Perabo has a voice that is so sincere that it felt like eavesdropping on someone’s inner monologue; I forgot I was reading stories and instead felt like I knew these people. I felt like a voyeur, but I couldn’t look away. Her characters are evoked with a few words, a few actions; she wastes nothing on description but each word drips with nuance and it has an authenticity that is perfectly balanced – it never felt forced. Sometimes you can get a vivid sense of the author’s hand guiding the text, but in Perabo’s case the author disappears and it feels like the words were there to begin with, uncovered like Michelangelo’s sculptures hidden in their marble husks. She chips away until the minimum elements remain to create the barest truth of the story.
At this stage in our careers (if you could call them that) there was no such thing as friendly encouragement; there was only nail-biting, hair-whitening, heartburn-inducing pressure. Each of us teetered minute by minute on the line between undiscovered genius and complete loser.
This is an excellent collection of stories. Each story is stunningly written. Perhaps my only complaint was that the ordering of them in the anthology didn’t seem to make much sense, except in the connection of certain images between them, such as the cigarettes and the dogs. But the stories were excellent and I may return to them, and re-read them again and again, as each time I find something I missed the first time that makes me love them a little bit more.
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. You can read more of my reviews on Literogo.
September 22, 2017
A librarian suggested I read this out of the blue, reinforcing my rule 'always listen to people who read broadly'. The stories captivated me, defied my expectations and left me ultimately both piqued and charmed. It's a perfect little collection.
April 17, 2022
Susan Perabo never fails to amaze me. I think she is one of America's best and most inventive short story writers. I never know what to expect, and yet her stories are so emotionally rich as well. I just wished she published more books!
August 30, 2022
Surprisingly enjoyable .. actually really enjoyable. I don't' gravitate to short stories but this one grabbed my attention for some reason. There are some very poignant and quirky stories but what I really loved were the opening lines... such as "It had been three days the the dog was still in the freezer" or "My mother was thrilled to be dying of brain cancer after a lifetime of smoking" (the latter quote from the best of the bunch .. "Indulgence". It's an easy book to wind your way through in a leisurely fashion.. reading a story every now and again. Really well done.
February 17, 2016
Thank You to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced copy of Susan Perabo's short story collection, Why They Run the Way They Do, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT- Susan Perabo's short story collection, Why They Run the Way They Do, is filled with mentally unbalanced, secretive, and lonely characters. They face cancer, torrid affairs, and accidental deaths. One story even has a child choosing to name her stuffed armadillo; Michael, a name that sends chills through her parent's, which the reader will learn is the name of a man that her mother had an affair with many years in the past. Until this reveal, the story has the air of a ghost tale and is unsettling. Although the stories involve heavy subjects, irony and wit dominate in Perabo's writing.
LIKE- Perabo writes in a direct, almost confrontational manner. Many of her stories are told in first person. Combining this narrative choice and strong voice, her characters were daring me to be judgmental. They demand to be heard. These characters often make odd, if not terrible decisions. For example, in the title story, co-workers are having an affair and they decide to pay a monthly fee to "adopt" a needy child from Africa to be "their baby". As they stay late in the office, they become overly invested in this child living on another continent, relying on her to fill a gap in their relationship.
In The Payoff, two sixth grade girls witness a sexual act between their art teacher and the school principal. They decide to blackmail the principal, multiple times. With each blackmail letter, they become more willing to insert their personal feelings towards the situation. Neither girl realizes that they are too young to understand the complexities of this adult relationship or the damage that they are inflicting.
Although I enjoyed all of the stories, one reigns supreme. Indulgence begins with a mom thrilled to have dodged lung cancer after years of being a smoker. She does however, have brain cancer. Her adult daughter returns home for a weekend to be with her mom before the cancer diminishes her. During this weekend, the daughter tries to tell her mother all of the things that she needs to say, but her mother cuts her off, letting her know that some things have to remain a secret and go unresolved. Indulgence was a punch to my gut. My mom died of cancer and Perabo's story made me long to have taken the opportunity to have those tough conversations with my mom. I want a redo. The real kicker is the twist at the end. I was left sobbing.
DISLIKE- Nothing. Perabo's collection is riveting. Her stories are haunting and tragic, often taking me to places that I didn't want to visit, but felt compelled to stay.
RECOMMEND- Yes! In Why They Run the Way They Do, Perabo tackles uncomfortable, taboo topics with humor and grace. Her talent for creating memorable characters is undeniable.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
PLOT- Susan Perabo's short story collection, Why They Run the Way They Do, is filled with mentally unbalanced, secretive, and lonely characters. They face cancer, torrid affairs, and accidental deaths. One story even has a child choosing to name her stuffed armadillo; Michael, a name that sends chills through her parent's, which the reader will learn is the name of a man that her mother had an affair with many years in the past. Until this reveal, the story has the air of a ghost tale and is unsettling. Although the stories involve heavy subjects, irony and wit dominate in Perabo's writing.
LIKE- Perabo writes in a direct, almost confrontational manner. Many of her stories are told in first person. Combining this narrative choice and strong voice, her characters were daring me to be judgmental. They demand to be heard. These characters often make odd, if not terrible decisions. For example, in the title story, co-workers are having an affair and they decide to pay a monthly fee to "adopt" a needy child from Africa to be "their baby". As they stay late in the office, they become overly invested in this child living on another continent, relying on her to fill a gap in their relationship.
In The Payoff, two sixth grade girls witness a sexual act between their art teacher and the school principal. They decide to blackmail the principal, multiple times. With each blackmail letter, they become more willing to insert their personal feelings towards the situation. Neither girl realizes that they are too young to understand the complexities of this adult relationship or the damage that they are inflicting.
Although I enjoyed all of the stories, one reigns supreme. Indulgence begins with a mom thrilled to have dodged lung cancer after years of being a smoker. She does however, have brain cancer. Her adult daughter returns home for a weekend to be with her mom before the cancer diminishes her. During this weekend, the daughter tries to tell her mother all of the things that she needs to say, but her mother cuts her off, letting her know that some things have to remain a secret and go unresolved. Indulgence was a punch to my gut. My mom died of cancer and Perabo's story made me long to have taken the opportunity to have those tough conversations with my mom. I want a redo. The real kicker is the twist at the end. I was left sobbing.
DISLIKE- Nothing. Perabo's collection is riveting. Her stories are haunting and tragic, often taking me to places that I didn't want to visit, but felt compelled to stay.
RECOMMEND- Yes! In Why They Run the Way They Do, Perabo tackles uncomfortable, taboo topics with humor and grace. Her talent for creating memorable characters is undeniable.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
February 24, 2016
I'm reading a lot of short stories lately along with my non-fiction. Perhaps this is because it's so easy to find places to leave the book and come back later, or maybe the short story is making a comeback. I tend to think it's a bit of both, as I don't necessarily read for long stretches at a time and short stories are great for that sort of duck out, come back 20 minutes later kind of reading. But in the last few years, it seems as if there are a great many short story collections being published. Not just being published, but winning some major awards. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan comes to mind, as does Phil Clay's Deployment.
I requested this ARC because I am both in a short story mood and I liked the cover of this one-- Scrabble tiles! My review would be the same on this one, ARC or not. It's a damn fine collection.
In any case, Why They Run the Way They Do was a truly remarkable collection of stories. While they didn't have the thread running through them that would make it a "stories as novel" type of read, there were some excellent thematic similarities in the stories but they weren't so similar it all seemed like it was the same story with the same narrator. There was a mix of first person and third person narrative. There were male and female perspectives. There was a comfortable age range as well, with a story about 13 year olds, a story about high school seniors, one about about grad school age people, then at least one of someone who is 50ish or 60ish. It's a nice, diverse, mix, in other words.
There's nothing particularly odd or strange in any of the stories, just a honest portrayal of what life, death, and the spaces in between (and all the bad choices we can and do make) with a nice mastery of language.
I won't go into specifics on titles-- I loved "Life Off E," "Indulgence," and "This is Not That Story." If I'm honest, I loved pretty much all of them. I initially wanted to complain because there was a story about MFA students in the collection and I tend to feel like that's navel gazing to some degree, but when I consider the story, I think it's well done, it's an honest story that doesn't really have any pretension, I also think it captures some of the frustration of going through a program like that and then coming out into the world.
There was a story that when I read it (I won't give a name because I don't want to ruin the experience) that I almost felt cheated by the end, but when I slept on it and thought about it fresh, I get why it ended that way and feel it was really quite cleverly done. So, my complaints are pretty well on zero on this one!
I'd highly recommend this debut work by Susan Perabo. I think (and hope) we will hear more from her!
I requested this ARC because I am both in a short story mood and I liked the cover of this one-- Scrabble tiles! My review would be the same on this one, ARC or not. It's a damn fine collection.
In any case, Why They Run the Way They Do was a truly remarkable collection of stories. While they didn't have the thread running through them that would make it a "stories as novel" type of read, there were some excellent thematic similarities in the stories but they weren't so similar it all seemed like it was the same story with the same narrator. There was a mix of first person and third person narrative. There were male and female perspectives. There was a comfortable age range as well, with a story about 13 year olds, a story about high school seniors, one about about grad school age people, then at least one of someone who is 50ish or 60ish. It's a nice, diverse, mix, in other words.
There's nothing particularly odd or strange in any of the stories, just a honest portrayal of what life, death, and the spaces in between (and all the bad choices we can and do make) with a nice mastery of language.
I won't go into specifics on titles-- I loved "Life Off E," "Indulgence," and "This is Not That Story." If I'm honest, I loved pretty much all of them. I initially wanted to complain because there was a story about MFA students in the collection and I tend to feel like that's navel gazing to some degree, but when I consider the story, I think it's well done, it's an honest story that doesn't really have any pretension, I also think it captures some of the frustration of going through a program like that and then coming out into the world.
There was a story that when I read it (I won't give a name because I don't want to ruin the experience) that I almost felt cheated by the end, but when I slept on it and thought about it fresh, I get why it ended that way and feel it was really quite cleverly done. So, my complaints are pretty well on zero on this one!
I'd highly recommend this debut work by Susan Perabo. I think (and hope) we will hear more from her!
December 21, 2015
Why They Run The Way They Do captured my attetion because of its title and cover. I just had to find out what it was about!
This collection of short stories not only has an interesting aspect but also an interesting content. Susan Perabo's writting makes you want to find out everything about the story you're reading right from the first few lines, just like a short story is supposed to! Each of this characters has their own strenght and their situtations often captures your heart right from the beggining.
In Why They Run The Way They Do you can read about characters with very diverse ages and even though I could understand every story's plot, I do want to come back to this book once I'm older because there where a few (adult) characters I was unable to relate as much as with others. Nevertheless, this was a book that got me thinking a lot since every situtation is so truthfully described and realistic.
All in all, this is quite a worthy read, speacially if you're into brutally honest daily life stories that will make you think about your own.
This collection of short stories not only has an interesting aspect but also an interesting content. Susan Perabo's writting makes you want to find out everything about the story you're reading right from the first few lines, just like a short story is supposed to! Each of this characters has their own strenght and their situtations often captures your heart right from the beggining.
In Why They Run The Way They Do you can read about characters with very diverse ages and even though I could understand every story's plot, I do want to come back to this book once I'm older because there where a few (adult) characters I was unable to relate as much as with others. Nevertheless, this was a book that got me thinking a lot since every situtation is so truthfully described and realistic.
All in all, this is quite a worthy read, speacially if you're into brutally honest daily life stories that will make you think about your own.
January 6, 2016
...my dear cousin Edith who was so distraught over a man that the only word she'd spoken for a year was 'pecan.' " That is a line from the first ("The Payoff") of 12 short stories from a wittily and richly written book. From that sentence on, the wonderfully mundane and slightly bizarre worlds of the author came to life. "This Is Not That Story" "Switzerland" "Life Off My E" and "Indulgence" were a few of my favorites. Each story has something unique to offer, the opposite of what is often offered up in repetitive, bland story collections. There is something magic in the quick finality of the tales and the occasional knife sharp endings that make it both a satisfying and flinching read. That is what makes a well written short story, and Susan Perabo offers you an assortment to choose from. I would also like to fervently thank Ms. Perabo for writing the words "...pee soaked babushka..." I read the paragraph so many times my eyes crossed. This author has a new fan. *received from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
September 1, 2016
Reading short stories is not a genre I would gravitate to. I like a well structured narrative centered-around a few characters with a conclusion that ends with that familiar feeling I receive when I cross a races' finish line. But the cosmos this past month has led me to several excellent collections of short stories. Why They Run The Way They Do is such a collection that has not led me astray.
Susan Perabo’s collection ranges from major life issues, death, sickness, love to the mundane. Indulgence , is such a story close to my own heart. I was in tears at the conclusion. The story focuses on a daughter-mother connection. It is a reminder of the importance of sharing love and appreciation you feel for your loved ones every opportunity you get. Life can turn itself upside down in a split second.
The collection is a fast read. I strongly recommend this collection.
I am grateful to have received this collection of short stories in a Goodreads giveaway in an exchange for an honest review. Thank you Susan Perabo.
Susan Perabo’s collection ranges from major life issues, death, sickness, love to the mundane. Indulgence , is such a story close to my own heart. I was in tears at the conclusion. The story focuses on a daughter-mother connection. It is a reminder of the importance of sharing love and appreciation you feel for your loved ones every opportunity you get. Life can turn itself upside down in a split second.
The collection is a fast read. I strongly recommend this collection.
I am grateful to have received this collection of short stories in a Goodreads giveaway in an exchange for an honest review. Thank you Susan Perabo.
May 4, 2017
Every story in this book was good and I rarely say that about any book. This was by far one of my all-time favorites. Every sentence was relevant to moving the plots along, the fragile humanity of the intricate characters was exposed in such beautiful ways, and some parts were laugh-out-loud funny. The situations were often ordinary, but about things we usually don't take the time to notice. The endings were gorgeously untidy, the fabric between characters woven strong and delicate at the same time. Each story made me fall more in love with her style. And several of the stories featured dogs which only made the stories even more meaningful for me. I'm so glad I picked up this book. And I normally never read a book twice, but I'm going read these stories again right away.
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