What do you think?
Rate this book
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
WINNER OF THE BBC NATIONAL SHORT STORY AWARD In my life, I had always been a good woman; controlling what it was that I wanted. But recently, I had started to notice my bad energy, and I began to follow it, wondering where it would take me . . . A woman has an unexpected outburst at a corporate therapy session for working mothers. A couple find some long-overdue time to rekindle their relationship and make an ill-advised home movie. A pregnant film director plots revenge on the actress who betrayed her. An ex-wife deliberately causes conflict at her ex-husband's wedding. This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things illuminates the lives of malicious, subversive and untamed women. Exploring failed sisterhood, dubious parenting and the dark side of modern love, this powerful and funny collection exposes how society wants women to behave, and shows what happens when they refuse.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 26, 2024
123 people are currently reading
7791 people want to read
About the author
Naomi Wood
16 books215 followersNaomi Wood was born in 1983 and lives in London. She studied at Cambridge and at UEA for her MA in Creative Writing. Originally from York, she has gone on to live in Hong Kong, Paris and Washington DC. She is the author of The Godless Boys, Mrs. Hemingway and The Hiding Game. This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things is her first short story collection, and is coming out in April 2024.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
March 8, 2025
This is a collection of very different stories with one thing in common — all of them touch on the theme of motherhood. I’m not a mom, but as a woman in my thirties who has watched friends deal with the huge societal pressures that come along with becoming a mother, I still feel like I got a lot out of this.
Some of these stories will undoubtedly resonate more with readers who are parents, like the first one, which deals with returning to work after having a baby. The ones I found myself drawn to were the weirder stories, like the one about the toxic friendship between a pregnant film director and her muse, or the absolutely bonkers and amazing one about a mother-daughter reality show set in a dinosaur habitat (yes, really!).
If you’re a fan of short stories, I think this collection is worth a read!
Some of these stories will undoubtedly resonate more with readers who are parents, like the first one, which deals with returning to work after having a baby. The ones I found myself drawn to were the weirder stories, like the one about the toxic friendship between a pregnant film director and her muse, or the absolutely bonkers and amazing one about a mother-daughter reality show set in a dinosaur habitat (yes, really!).
If you’re a fan of short stories, I think this collection is worth a read!
February 13, 2024
1.5 stars
I like the writing style, but couldn't really seem to connect with the stories. They're all very similar and monotone in the sense that they're all about mothers who have issues. And I'm all for female rage and rebellion, but this wasn't it. My favorite story was Wedding Day, though.
Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for this book.
I like the writing style, but couldn't really seem to connect with the stories. They're all very similar and monotone in the sense that they're all about mothers who have issues. And I'm all for female rage and rebellion, but this wasn't it. My favorite story was Wedding Day, though.
Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for this book.
April 30, 2024
(2.75) I requested this because a) I had enjoyed Wood’s novels Mrs. Hemingway and The Hiding Game and b) I couldn’t resist the title. These nine contemporary stories (five in the first person and four in the third person) all feature women who are pregnant and/or mothers of young children. Three dwell on work–life balance in particular, with the female protagonists of “Lesley, in Therapy” and “Dracula at the Movies” an animator and a filmmaker, respectively. The third, “Hurt Feelings,” in which a medical emergency forces a choice between career and motherhood, was my favourite. Claudia is working on an advertising campaign for a large pharmaceutical company whose newest product targets chronic pain. Although she suspects it’s a placebo, she knows how valuable it is for these people to have their pain acknowledged given it’s as invisible as her history of pregnancy loss.
Other highlights included “Peek-a-Boo,” in which pregnant twin sisters fly to Italy to remonstrate with their father, who refuses to cede a holiday flat to the next renters; and “Wedding Day,” about a woman bitter enough to try to sabotage her ex’s big day by demanding he bring their daughter, the flower girl, home by bedtime. “Flatten the Curve” is about restrictions and desires during Covid lockdown. Family, neighbour, and co-worker dynamics fuel the drama. In a few cases, Wood imagined promising situations but didn’t deliver on them. I could hardly believe “Comorbidities,” about a mother who films a sex tape with her husband to distract from her eco-anxiety, won the 2023 BBC National Short Story Award. If Wood was aiming for edgy, she landed on peevish instead. “Dino Moms,” the final story, was worst, with its absurd dinosaur-vet reality-TV setup. Overall, the collection is too one-note because of the obsession with motherhood (“It is not very interesting to be in love with your child; it’s commonplace, this sacrificial love”). Back to novels soon, please.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
Other highlights included “Peek-a-Boo,” in which pregnant twin sisters fly to Italy to remonstrate with their father, who refuses to cede a holiday flat to the next renters; and “Wedding Day,” about a woman bitter enough to try to sabotage her ex’s big day by demanding he bring their daughter, the flower girl, home by bedtime. “Flatten the Curve” is about restrictions and desires during Covid lockdown. Family, neighbour, and co-worker dynamics fuel the drama. In a few cases, Wood imagined promising situations but didn’t deliver on them. I could hardly believe “Comorbidities,” about a mother who films a sex tape with her husband to distract from her eco-anxiety, won the 2023 BBC National Short Story Award. If Wood was aiming for edgy, she landed on peevish instead. “Dino Moms,” the final story, was worst, with its absurd dinosaur-vet reality-TV setup. Overall, the collection is too one-note because of the obsession with motherhood (“It is not very interesting to be in love with your child; it’s commonplace, this sacrificial love”). Back to novels soon, please.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
January 16, 2025
I was expecting short stories about unhinged female rage and got miserable and bitter women :/
November 15, 2024
(3.5/5, rounded up)
The very last story saved this from just being 'meh' (bumped it from 3 to 3.5), made my jaw drop, and brought my hand to my forehead. I'm a sucker for a good full circle moment and Naomi Wood is clearly full of them - she nails it, but not in cheesy, obvious ways. & That's rarely done, IMO.
The insights on motherhood are refreshing and raw, sometimes unconventionally so - which I enjoyed even more.
I wish I could have read this before becoming a mom so that I'd be able to revisit it again after having my son; I'm so curious what I'd have identified with even before sharing this role with the characters.
My one major complaint is that I have 0 clue what almost all of the French words/sentences/phrases meant, and for once I felt like it really did make me miss out on fairly important pieces (can't be sure though, for obvious reasons).
{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Naomi Wood and publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!}
The very last story saved this from just being 'meh' (bumped it from 3 to 3.5), made my jaw drop, and brought my hand to my forehead. I'm a sucker for a good full circle moment and Naomi Wood is clearly full of them - she nails it, but not in cheesy, obvious ways. & That's rarely done, IMO.
The insights on motherhood are refreshing and raw, sometimes unconventionally so - which I enjoyed even more.
I wish I could have read this before becoming a mom so that I'd be able to revisit it again after having my son; I'm so curious what I'd have identified with even before sharing this role with the characters.
My one major complaint is that I have 0 clue what almost all of the French words/sentences/phrases meant, and for once I felt like it really did make me miss out on fairly important pieces (can't be sure though, for obvious reasons).
{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Naomi Wood and publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!}
April 7, 2024
This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things is a pretty intimate look into the depths of motherhood - the thread that binds this short story collection together being stories about pregnancy, children, and how the emotional and physical brunt of that tends to fall onto the mothers.
In each story, we see men getting away from it - the partners physically distancing themselves (or straight up leaving), work colleagues who can slowly push them out of the picture as they prepare for maternity leave, the discomfort of pregnancy, the responsibility of children.
The stories are needle sharp, sometimes bringing up quite discomforting thoughts. The woman are flawed, as are we all, although some more outwardly than others - a pregnant director chipping away at her leading actress to try and discover the truths of her past trauma in ‘Dracula at the Movies’, or the mother in the last story ‘Dino Moms’, where they live in a bizarre Jurassic Park-esq reality show, come to mind.
Covid is another theme that runs through quite a few of these stories - so if you don’t like the pandemic appearing in your fiction, maybe give this one a miss. If, however, you’re like me, and like the reminder that it’s something we all had to live through - this book does a good job of highlighting that, with ‘Flatten the Curve’ being the most claustrophobic reminder.
The writing is sharp, the women multi-faceted, and I found myself quite deeply invested in each story. I’m looking forward to reading more from Naomi Wood in the future.
Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.
In each story, we see men getting away from it - the partners physically distancing themselves (or straight up leaving), work colleagues who can slowly push them out of the picture as they prepare for maternity leave, the discomfort of pregnancy, the responsibility of children.
The stories are needle sharp, sometimes bringing up quite discomforting thoughts. The woman are flawed, as are we all, although some more outwardly than others - a pregnant director chipping away at her leading actress to try and discover the truths of her past trauma in ‘Dracula at the Movies’, or the mother in the last story ‘Dino Moms’, where they live in a bizarre Jurassic Park-esq reality show, come to mind.
Covid is another theme that runs through quite a few of these stories - so if you don’t like the pandemic appearing in your fiction, maybe give this one a miss. If, however, you’re like me, and like the reminder that it’s something we all had to live through - this book does a good job of highlighting that, with ‘Flatten the Curve’ being the most claustrophobic reminder.
The writing is sharp, the women multi-faceted, and I found myself quite deeply invested in each story. I’m looking forward to reading more from Naomi Wood in the future.
Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.
April 19, 2025
verbitterte millenial moms, die schwanger wein trinken und sechsjährige sexualisieren
June 20, 2024
ARC for review. To be published November 26, 2024.
A short volume of nine short stories. COVID informs most of them, which I could get with, but most were stories of pregnancy and/or involved new mothers so I couldn’t really relate. Not bad at all, I’m just not the target audience here.
My favorite was “Dino Moms” which follows a woman and her daughter who live in a real life “Jurassic Park” reality show. Some nice quotes: “Wasn’t she meant to be our diversity intern.” “She’s South African.” “She’s WHITE.” “Cal was vegan. There was little that could be done about that either.”
A short volume of nine short stories. COVID informs most of them, which I could get with, but most were stories of pregnancy and/or involved new mothers so I couldn’t really relate. Not bad at all, I’m just not the target audience here.
My favorite was “Dino Moms” which follows a woman and her daughter who live in a real life “Jurassic Park” reality show. Some nice quotes: “Wasn’t she meant to be our diversity intern.” “She’s South African.” “She’s WHITE.” “Cal was vegan. There was little that could be done about that either.”
May 8, 2025
Really wanted to like it. But no.
January 16, 2025
wrong book for the wrong time
February 17, 2025
Do I research books before I read them? Nooo because I was delighted to find this to be a short story collection! Honestly I always find these to be generally good reads because I can be more forgiving since they’re short.
I will say the first two stories were my least favorite- too general and uninteresting, but wow the rest was packed with quirky characters and premises all centered around mothers of young (or in the womb) children. Dracula at the movies, Wedding Day, Dino Moms played with villainous women but in a balanced empathetic way. A/A/A was so enigmatic yet sad at the end, and Peekaboo dealt with the impossibility of trying to convince/save a toxic father.
Each story starts right in the action and ends right before closure as if we’re just glimpsing a life before blinking away. That said, the title is definitely swiftie bait with no actual connection to the stories
Received as an Arc!
I will say the first two stories were my least favorite- too general and uninteresting, but wow the rest was packed with quirky characters and premises all centered around mothers of young (or in the womb) children. Dracula at the movies, Wedding Day, Dino Moms played with villainous women but in a balanced empathetic way. A/A/A was so enigmatic yet sad at the end, and Peekaboo dealt with the impossibility of trying to convince/save a toxic father.
Each story starts right in the action and ends right before closure as if we’re just glimpsing a life before blinking away. That said, the title is definitely swiftie bait with no actual connection to the stories
Received as an Arc!
September 21, 2024
Voelt als of iemand dit geschreven heeft om zich beter te voelen over zichzelf. Snap dat het om vrouwen gaat die de verwachting van vrouwen tegen gaan, maar nu zijn de gewoon aso?
August 10, 2025
My first experience reading a collection of short stories. At first I was wanting more from each one, I wanted to find out what happened and how the story progressed. But then I took time to think about the meaning and message behind each story, and the impact was strong. An unexpected gem and intro in to the world of short stories! I finished in one day
February 5, 2024
I had listened to Naomi's short story "Cormobidties" on BBC sounds and really found it insightful, witty and heartwarming so I really looking forward to reading more of her short works.
This is a great collection of short works all of which reflected and examine the world we live in today, there is running theme of motherhood and pain throughout, am not a mother myself but I could still identify with the characters and themes. For short works each of the stories contain strong well developed characters. Each is the stories are unique are set in a variety of places. I liked the reflection on the Covid that was in some of the stories, the family stuck at home during the height of the pandemic was all too familiar. The writing is strong and has flair, there was real sense of wit and dark humour while making really important observations on life. Some of the characters within the stories were a little stereotypical but that was my only bug bear. The last works was mad but strangely was my favourite one.
Great book to carry in your handbag to dip in and out whilst travelling to and from work.
I will look out for more of the author writing both short and long
This is a great collection of short works all of which reflected and examine the world we live in today, there is running theme of motherhood and pain throughout, am not a mother myself but I could still identify with the characters and themes. For short works each of the stories contain strong well developed characters. Each is the stories are unique are set in a variety of places. I liked the reflection on the Covid that was in some of the stories, the family stuck at home during the height of the pandemic was all too familiar. The writing is strong and has flair, there was real sense of wit and dark humour while making really important observations on life. Some of the characters within the stories were a little stereotypical but that was my only bug bear. The last works was mad but strangely was my favourite one.
Great book to carry in your handbag to dip in and out whilst travelling to and from work.
I will look out for more of the author writing both short and long
February 28, 2024
Powerful, joyful and uncomfortably tense. And what a brilliant title.
From a Dino Ranch, to Italy, to suburban Britain on lockdown, this collection of stories explores the joys and difficulties of women’s lives while they are also (or are becoming) mothers.
The mother theme is the constant in all stories but the stories are about the lives of women whilst they are mothers or pregnant, giving each a layer of context but not defining the story arc or the woman. The themes explored are rage, family, anxiety and what makes someone a good person. And what does make a good person!?
Short story writing is an art form and this is a wonderful piece of art. The immediacy of the narrative and the characters is unfaltering. I enjoyed every single story and cared about every character during my short time with them.
A pure joy to read.
Thank you @netgalley for my review copy and @naomiwoodbooks for the stories
From a Dino Ranch, to Italy, to suburban Britain on lockdown, this collection of stories explores the joys and difficulties of women’s lives while they are also (or are becoming) mothers.
The mother theme is the constant in all stories but the stories are about the lives of women whilst they are mothers or pregnant, giving each a layer of context but not defining the story arc or the woman. The themes explored are rage, family, anxiety and what makes someone a good person. And what does make a good person!?
Short story writing is an art form and this is a wonderful piece of art. The immediacy of the narrative and the characters is unfaltering. I enjoyed every single story and cared about every character during my short time with them.
A pure joy to read.
Thank you @netgalley for my review copy and @naomiwoodbooks for the stories
January 25, 2025
The blurb on this collection of short stories -women behaving badly and following their dark desires- sounded so exciting and the content of the stories did not match up to my expectations. The characters did not feel complete, it was almost like reading an author's workbook of characters they were sketching out for a novel and then abandoned. I did enjoy the writing style and would give Wood's writing another chance but none of these stories really spoke to me. Stories included a mom returning to work after postpartum depression/rage; a scripted reality show of mothers, daughters, and dinosaurs; a woman being petty on her exboyfriend's wedding day, an actress with trauma being exploited by her female director, and others but none resonated with me.
July 26, 2024
I am new to Naomi Wood's writing and thoroughly enjoyed this collection of stories about bad mothers and wild women. Men are more or less an afterthought in these stories, and instead, women and all of their questionable choices take center stage. There's a lot to chew on here and even more to laugh (even if uncomfortably) about.
I enjoyed this whole collection while on vacation with both my kids and my mother, which was basically the perfect backdrop for these biting short stories. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to Mariner Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed this whole collection while on vacation with both my kids and my mother, which was basically the perfect backdrop for these biting short stories. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to Mariner Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
January 3, 2025
i was excited going into this, but i think the thing that ultimately disappointed me was poor marketing. to say this book “illuminates the lives of malicious, subversive, and untamed women” is definitely an exaggeration. there is not a feral girl in sight here! the stories were well written but i didn’t find much meaning with them - i also don’t think i’m the target audience since most are about motherhood and/or marriages . some fun ideas to be had, but overall i thought this collection was pretty unremarkable.
January 28, 2025
This collection of short stories was... not quite what I expected. I think saying this book "illuminates the lives of malicious, subversive, and untamed women" is a bit of an oversell.
September 30, 2024
I am obsessed with the BBC National Short Story award. I love discovering new British talent, or seeing fresh material from established masters (hello, two-time winner Sarah Hall). Writer Naomi Wood took home the award in 2023, and her debut short story collection is incredibly impressive.
Opening story, Lesley, In Therapy is brilliant. A mother returns to her job in the gaming industry after her second pregnancy, and has a minor meltdown during group therapy. This story totally captures the struggles of being a working mother who wants (and deserves) to be taken seriously.
To be honest, I wasn’t too impressed with Comorbidities the first time I read it, just before it won the 2023 National Short Story Award. But this time around I really enjoyed it. I think probably because I’m at the point in my life where juggling being a mother and a wife can seem impossible, and this story reflects this perfectly.
Dracula at the Movies is a really interesting story, about a pregnant woman directing a movie with a star who has a reputation for being “difficult”. There’s a really interesting quandary about whether it is worse to inflict horror upon someone, or have horror inflicted upon one’s self.
I’m not a big fan of covid fiction, but Peek-a-Book was really memorable. Pregnant twins go to Italy to convince their dad to leave a timeshare he's not supposed to be occupying. Covid is also addressed in Flatten the Curve, where a woman with two young children fantasizes about her neighbor. I like how this story conveyed just how monotonous covid lockdown was.
The most visceral story in this collection is Wedding Day, where a woman insists her ex brings their young daughter home in time for bed on his wedding day. There are some absolutely brutal scenes in this story. So powerful.
Every story in this collection reflects an element of my experience as a woman, wife, mother, friend, human. Wood writes with such clarity, and her characters are very well-formed. Highly recommended.
October 31, 2024
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, de Naomi Wood, es una colección de relatos sobre mujeres actuales que deciden vivir fuera de las expectativas sociales. Cada historia tiene un toque oscuro, divertido y directo, y al juntarlas te da una visión muy honesta del mundo moderno y de la maternidad.
Los relatos son complejos, pero están escritos de forma sencilla, logrando conectar con esas luchas de ser mujer y madre que pocas veces se hablan en voz alta. El libro te abre la mente con perspectivas inesperadas sobre la maternidad, el posparto, el matrimonio y la familia en general. Algunas historias atrapan más que otras, pero en general, me gustó mucho cómo te hace cuestionarte y preguntarte si realmente sabemos lo que implica la maternidad y si estamos listos para vivirla
Los relatos son complejos, pero están escritos de forma sencilla, logrando conectar con esas luchas de ser mujer y madre que pocas veces se hablan en voz alta. El libro te abre la mente con perspectivas inesperadas sobre la maternidad, el posparto, el matrimonio y la familia en general. Algunas historias atrapan más que otras, pero en general, me gustó mucho cómo te hace cuestionarte y preguntarte si realmente sabemos lo que implica la maternidad y si estamos listos para vivirla
June 26, 2024
(I received this book via NetGalley ARC). This is a refreshing anthology that highlight motherhood, womanhood, and the complexities of being pregnant in the workforce and in society. I enjoyed how Wood did not shy away from exploring all aspects of womanhood, and all types of women. My only critique is that the last short story, which features a mother and daughter reality show with dinos, feels just slightly too far out. I can appreciate that this story was an attempt to comment on the performative aspect of motherhood, but the difference of this story compared to the others, I believe makes it a little difficult to grasp.
January 30, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to review!
2 stars???
I was so ready for this. I loved the cover and the fact it was short stories I was really excited, but for some reason I just could not get invested in any story. I started skim reading at one points because nothing really grasped my attention. Maybe it's just not not relating or feeling compelled by any of the characters in the stories, but I really didn't connect well while reading this. However, I did enjoy how it was written.
2 stars???
I was so ready for this. I loved the cover and the fact it was short stories I was really excited, but for some reason I just could not get invested in any story. I started skim reading at one points because nothing really grasped my attention. Maybe it's just not not relating or feeling compelled by any of the characters in the stories, but I really didn't connect well while reading this. However, I did enjoy how it was written.
March 16, 2025
Solid 3.5 with a great witty voice and some decent premises. The theme of motherhood was well-defined though I found more similarities throughout the stories that I would’ve liked to. I enjoyed the style and humor though so I’m interested in more from this author.
May 9, 2025
The author said this book was about "untamed" women, but in reality, she should've just said that it's about pregnant women. It got to the point where I rolled my eyes every time one of the stories started with a pregnant main character.
Also, I found the women pretty tamed, to be honest. Nothing really crazy happens. The descriptions of the short stories set you to think that something crazy is going to happen— An outburst at therapy! Revenge! Conflict! —and it's just... quite disappointing.
2 stars because the only story I enjoyed was "Hurt feelings". Should be 1.5 stars, in reality.
Also, I found the women pretty tamed, to be honest. Nothing really crazy happens. The descriptions of the short stories set you to think that something crazy is going to happen— An outburst at therapy! Revenge! Conflict! —and it's just... quite disappointing.
2 stars because the only story I enjoyed was "Hurt feelings". Should be 1.5 stars, in reality.
Read
June 7, 2025dnf 16% so grateful I don't have kids
February 8, 2025
Det var alt for mange personer i hver novelle til at man klarte å holde styr. «Wedding story» var den eneste jeg synes var verdt å lese, og den eneste jeg vil huske.
July 11, 2025
Meh. A little weird. I only liked a couple of the stories and unfortunately it will have to be about 2045 before I’m ready to read anything involving Covid it feels too soon idk
July 20, 2025
a low goodreads rating hates to see me coming
January 5, 2025
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things – Naomi Wood – 2024 –
This is a sharply articulate and vivid collection of nine short stories that explores the problematic side of marriage and motherhood, pregnancy, childbirth, the care of infants and young children. Often, this is done with the help of family and friends who may or may not be helpful or supportive, leading to questionable outcomes and situations. Most of the stories take place in the U.K. and the European Union, during the Covid-19 pandemic, centering around the lives of working class 30 something women.
In the first story, “Lesley, in Therapy” Lesley had returned to a corporate work place without taking her full maternity leave. A company sponsored therapy was required, which she found unhelpful, and the probability of being laid off was evident. * Mason, a mental health nurse who specialized in working with troubled teens and his dutiful wife were both totally worn out by the demands of caring for their newborn and his older sister. * In “Peek-a-Boo”, two very pregnant identical twin sisters fly to Paris in an attempt to persuade their elderly father and his Korean mistress to vacate their timeshare. * Another story, a wife separated from her depressive husband, travels to Paris where he is staying with his mother, a psychoanalyst, and part of their troubled life. * As her former partner’s “Wedding Day” approached, a discarded single mother uses their young daughter as a way disrupt his wedding. * The last story in the collection, “Dino Moms” takes place in a scripted reality TV show, a young child’s director mother has died, and an actress talks about the uniqueness of life in the compound/ranch.
The story characters, narration, and themes were creatively done, and highlight the anxiety, fear, and distress during the Covid 19 pandemic during the global lockdown. Naomi Wood PhD is a multi-award-winning British novelist and short-story author, educator, and associate professor of creative writing at the University of East Anglia, she is also an educator at Goldsmiths University of London. (3* GOOD).
This is a sharply articulate and vivid collection of nine short stories that explores the problematic side of marriage and motherhood, pregnancy, childbirth, the care of infants and young children. Often, this is done with the help of family and friends who may or may not be helpful or supportive, leading to questionable outcomes and situations. Most of the stories take place in the U.K. and the European Union, during the Covid-19 pandemic, centering around the lives of working class 30 something women.
In the first story, “Lesley, in Therapy” Lesley had returned to a corporate work place without taking her full maternity leave. A company sponsored therapy was required, which she found unhelpful, and the probability of being laid off was evident. * Mason, a mental health nurse who specialized in working with troubled teens and his dutiful wife were both totally worn out by the demands of caring for their newborn and his older sister. * In “Peek-a-Boo”, two very pregnant identical twin sisters fly to Paris in an attempt to persuade their elderly father and his Korean mistress to vacate their timeshare. * Another story, a wife separated from her depressive husband, travels to Paris where he is staying with his mother, a psychoanalyst, and part of their troubled life. * As her former partner’s “Wedding Day” approached, a discarded single mother uses their young daughter as a way disrupt his wedding. * The last story in the collection, “Dino Moms” takes place in a scripted reality TV show, a young child’s director mother has died, and an actress talks about the uniqueness of life in the compound/ranch.
The story characters, narration, and themes were creatively done, and highlight the anxiety, fear, and distress during the Covid 19 pandemic during the global lockdown. Naomi Wood PhD is a multi-award-winning British novelist and short-story author, educator, and associate professor of creative writing at the University of East Anglia, she is also an educator at Goldsmiths University of London. (3* GOOD).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews