Because They Wanted To: Stories
MARY GAITSKILL
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Book Description |
In stories set on airplanes, in restaurants, at parties, and in assorted bedrooms, the bestselling author of "Bad Behavior" entices readers to "listen in" on characters whom they may not want to know--but whose secrets are irresistibly intriguing. QPBC Alternate National print publicity & ads. . |
Amazon.com Review |
Reading a Mary Gaitskill short story is like getting into a no-holds-barred fight: mean, raw, and dangerous. She's fond of portraying characters who seem strangely comfortable living in emotional extremity. She never takes the safe route through a story; in fact, she'll choose the low road every time. The title story places a runaway girl in care of abandoned children. Where many writers would seek out some faint ray of redemption or hope, Gaitskill concentrates on the grime in the cracks of the linoleum. In "The Girl on the Plane," a bitter man confesses his participation in a brutal act to a stranger, but the confession brings no solace. These stories practically shake with tension. In the final long story of this collection, "The Wrong Thing," Gaitskill picks up the tale after the breaking point, as she gracefully illuminates the life of a woman piecing together the fragments of her sexual and emotional history. Because They Wanted not only fulfills the promise of her previous short-story collection Bad Behavior and the novel Two Girls, Fat and Thin, it takes us to a higher place. |
Other Award Winning Books by Mary Gaitskill |
Mary Gaitskill Award Stats |
Major Prize* Nominations |
4 |
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Unique Books Nominated for a Major Prize* |
2 |
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Pulitzer Prize Wins |
0 |
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Pulitzer Prize Nominations |
0 |
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National Book Critics Circle Award Wins |
0 |
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National Book Critics Circle Award Nominations |
1 |
Veronica · |
National Book Award Wins |
0 |
|
National Book Award Nominations |
1 |
Veronica · |
Man Booker Prize Wins |
0 |
|
Man Booker Prize Nominations |
0 |
|
PEN/Faulkner Award Wins |
0 |
|
PEN/Faulkner Award Nominations |
1 |
Because They Wanted To: Stories · |
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*Major Prize = Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, National Book Award, Man Booker Prize, and PEN/Faulkner Award
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