Why I Don't Write

And Other Stories

By: Susan Minot

Narrated by: Alex McKenna, Kristen Sieh, Andrew Eiden

Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

A superb collection of short fiction - her first in thirty years and spanning many geographies - from the critically acclaimed author of Monkeys, Evening, and Thirty Girls. A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK.

A writer dryly catalogs the myriad reasons she cannot write; an artist bicycles through a protest encampment in lower Manhattan and ruminates on an elusive lover; an old woman on her deathbed calls out for a man other than her husband; a hapless fifteen-year-old boy finds himself in sexual peril; two young people in the 1990s fall helplessly in love, then bicker just as helplessly, tortured by jealousy and mistrust. In each of these stories, Minot explores the difficult geometry of human relations, the lure of love and physical desire, and the lifelong quest for meaning and connection. Her characters are all searching for truth, in feeling and in action, as societal norms are upended and justice and coherence flounder. Urgent and immediate, precisely observed, deeply felt, and gorgeously written, the stories in Why I Don't Write showcase an author at the top of her form.

©2020 Susan Minot (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Searing... Minot's lyricism is all her own... Minot still has a poet’s instinct for the surprising volta, the striking image, the bracing final line. After 30 years away from the short story, it is good to have her back, cleareyed and fearless as ever, whispering difficult truths and ambiguities that a less assured writer would feel compelled to shout." (The New York Times)

"Sterling... Pristine... fully formed, often erotic, gorgeous, and searing...Minot isexceptionally attuned to forces intimate and social, and her gift for potent distillation yields stories that are stunning in every sense of the word." (Booklist)

Stories that stay with you

This the first book of short stories that I’ve read in many years, and I highly recommend it. Susan Minot writes very well, using spare, beautiful language, quickly and vividly sketched settings, and dialogue that sounds real. The women seem to be dominated by men, living protected, privileged, traditional lives, but drifting, unsure of who they are, often imprisoned by grief and painful memories, or coping with the fallout from divorce, death or addiction. Minot’s characters seem to drift through life, “encased” or trapped or self absorbed, until they are jolted into clarity by an event; or they are haunted by memories - strong memories of events that happen in the context of other disruptions - divorce, death, dislocation - which contributes to their power and helps explain how vulnerable, confused or disconnected the characters seem to be. While the performers did a great job with the stories, I also downloaded the kindle version, and found that a couple of the stories, namely “Why I don’t write,” and “Listen” are better read than listened to. I know I will come back to reread these stories, both to discover more layers of meaning and to simply experience the beauty of Minot’s writing.