Things You Should Know: A Collection of Stories

I was blown away with The Safety of Objects and decided to give Things You Should Know a whirl right after reading the former book. A.M. Homes's tales of the untold side of suburbia are dark, disturbing and insightful. Holmes does not sugarcoat the stories with mindless narration and dialogue -- the author gets down to the subject matter with no pretenses. My favorite stories are "The Chinese Lesson," "Remedy," "Georgia," "Things You Should Know," and "Do Not Disturb." All of the stories in this collection don't contain as much content for shock value as The Safety of Objects, but this book, like the aforementioned one, is quite disturbing at times. They are not for the faint at heart. If you enjoy thought-provoking short-story collections, I suggest you give A.M. Homes a whirl. This author's work is a keeper!

Emotional trainwrecks are served up as only A. M. Homes can; clever staging and just enough room to bloom.Homes will introduce you to relationships that have only tattered buttons to push, relationships that are beyond broken.Strangely, the battered participants have no choice but to continue on, no tease of a resolution, it doesn't come.In keeping with her other books, Homes predictably drops the whole mess in your lap which can leave you feeling burdened and oddly responsible.

I feel a little sorry for people who think of themselves as intellectuals but don't know how to read a book. This is a collection of stories about how little we can ever be prepared for what life throws up in our faces, so it is logical that several characters have this common trait: the obsession with being prepared for what we can never prepare for. ... There's an essential bluntness to Homes's writing. There always has been. She writes like a surgeon performing triage. She opens up her characters vulnerabilities for examination. And she has a wicked sense of humor. But her stories are the kind that will make some uncomfortable. Not everyone's cup of tea, but isn't that what writing literature is meant to be?

Not for the delicate minded, A.M. Homes returns after a twelve year absence with a collection of short stories that show the human condition rubbed raw to the bone.These are not happy people, but so compelling in their various life crisis' that you can't help but feel like you're sucked into a vacuum. Two in particular are just plain brilliant: The first about a woman who's a shape shifter, and the second an imagined account of life for the former First Lady Nancy Reagan as she copes with her husbands alzheimer condition. These last two stories alone are worth the price of the book.

I have waited a long time for the new collection of stories from A.M. Homes and it was certainly worth it. Once again Homes has captured the complexities of interpersonal relationships and the humor and tragedy of modern life. Engaging characters and compelling situations make this book a great read. I highly recommend it.