You Would Have Told Me Not To
Stories
Christopher Coake
- A
- “gripping,
- beautiful,
- emotionally
- raw”
- collection
- of
- stories
- about
- the
- things
- that
- go
- wrong
- between
- men
- and
- women
- from
- a
- PEN
- Award
- winner.Arriving
- in
- the
- midst
- of
- the
- #MeToo
- era,
- these
- stories
- examine
- the
- fallout
- from
- failed
- relationships
- between
- men
- and
- women—partnerships
- that
- have
- crumbled
- under
- the
- weight
- of
- betrayal,
- misplaced
- hopes,
- illness,
- and
- particularly
- masculinity
- at
- its
- most
- toxic
- and
- misguided.A
- man
- in
- his
- mid-thirties
- receives
- a
- call
- from
- a
- woman
- he
- barely
- knows,
- who
- informs
- him
- that
- a
- girl
- he
- bedded
- and
- dumped
- in
- high
- school
- has
- died
- of
- cancer.
- A
- man
- who
- had
- an
- affair
- and
- left
- the
- woman
- without
- any
- warning
- finds
- himself
- working
- on
- a
- demolition
- job
- with
- a
- younger
- man
- who
- might
- be
- their
- son.
- Yet
- another
- man,
- obese
- for
- years,
- is
- left
- by
- his
- wife,
- loses
- weight,
- and
- drunk
- with
- the
- power
- of
- finally
- being
- fit,
- tries
- to
- reconnect
- with
- his
- former
- spouse—to
- disastrous
- ends.
- And
- in
- the
- title
- story,
- a
- woman
- summoned
- to
- the
- bedside
- of
- her
- son,
- who
- has
- suffered
- a
- gunshot
- wound,
- must
- finally
- come
- to
- terms
- with
- the
- serial
- infidelities
- of
- her
- charming
- ex-husband.These
- fictions
- ask
- very
- contemporary
- questions:
- How
- do
- ex-spouses
- learn
- to
- live
- again
- in
- proximity
- to
- one
- another?
- How
- do
- we
- make
- peace
- with
- our
- bodies
- and
- their
- own
- worst
- impulses?
- How
- do
- we
- learn
- to
- turn
- and
- face,
- head-on,
- the
- worst
- mistakes
- of
- our
- younger
- selves?“One
- of
- our
- best
- American
- short
- story
- writers,
- on
- par
- with
- Tobias
- Wolff
- and
- Andre
- Dubus.”
- —Dan
- Chaon,
- author
- of
- Ill
- Will“Engaging
- .
- .
- .
- rich
- prose
- and
- sharp
- dialogue.”
- —Publishers
- Weekly“The
- stories
- in
- You
- Would
- Have
- Told
- Me
- Not
- To
- read
- like
- miniature
- thrillers
- .
- .
- .
- expertly
- suspenseful,
- emotionally
- powerful,
- and
- delightfully
- dark.
- The
- last
- one,
- in
- particular,
- punched
- me
- in
- the
- heart.”
- —Kristin
- Roupenian,
- author
- of
- You
- Know
- You
- Want
- This:
- “Cat
- Person"
- and
- Other Stories
