Show Don't Tell - by Curtis Sittenfeld (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In her second story collection, Sittenfeld shows why she's as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels. In these ... stories, she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends, laying bare the moments when their long-held beliefs are overturned. In 'The Patron Saints of Middle Age,' a woman visits two friends she hasn't seen since her divorce. In 'A for Alone,' a married middle-aged artist embarks on a creative project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can't spend time alone without lusting after each other. And in 'Lost but Not Forgotten,' Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a window into the world of her ... character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an alumni reunion at her boarding school"

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - The bestselling author of Eligible and Romantic Comedy "blends acerbic wit, shrewd insight and sharp-eyed observation [in this] bravura collection" (The Washington Post), including a story that revisits the main character from her iconic novel Prep

"Each of these witty, intelligent stories is a slice of modern life."--People

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice - A Denver Public Library Best Book Of the Year

In her second story collection, Sittenfeld shows why she's as beloved for her short fiction as she is for her novels. In these dazzling stories, she conjures up characters so real that they seem like old friends, laying bare the moments when their long held beliefs are overturned.

In "The Patron Saints of Middle Age," a woman visits two friends she hasn't seen since her divorce. In "A for Alone," a married artist embarks on a creative project intended to disprove the so-called Mike Pence Rule, which suggests that women and men can't spend time alone together without lusting after each other. And in "Lost but Not Forgotten," Sittenfeld gives readers of her novel Prep a window into the world of her beloved character Lee Fiora, decades later, when Lee attends an alumni reunion at her boarding school.

Hilarious, thought-provoking, and full of tenderness for her characters, Sittenfeld's stories peel back layer after layer of our inner lives, keeping us riveted to the page with her utterly distinctive voice.

Review Quotes

"A bit like sitting down with a good friend who's about to dish on some major life business.... messy, delicious, spun through with bits of quotable wisdom . . . and complete with endings that will make you sit and think. . . . Showcasing the glory of her characters' complicated lives and allowing them to speak with voices all their own is a kind of rebellion, and it's exhilarating."--The New York Times Book Review

"Utterly diverting . . . Sittenfeld's worldview is more utopian than dystopian; Jane Austen-like, she treats her characters with humanity, even when their actions are cringe-inducing. . . . Sittenfeld is a sharp observer of social mores and an astute judge of character."--The Los Angeles Times

"A bravura collection [that] blends acerbic wit, shrewd insight and sharp-eyed observation to explore frustrated lives and the thornier, messier and grittier aspects of human relationships. . . . Expertly crafted and hugely engaging . . . supremely accomplished storytelling."--The Washington Post

"Each of these witty, intelligent stories is a slice of modern life, with complications created by finances, race, aging bodies, cooling marriages and growing children."--People

"Sittenfeld here wraps her comforting fictional embrace around a variety of awkward, uncomfortable topics. . . . You are going to like these stories."--The Boston Globe

"A hugely entertaining and formidably intelligent tour through the psyche of mostly middle-aged mothers (and a few fathers), moderately content and successful and still yearning for more. Sittenfeld's prose has astonishing ease, and her fleet, brisk dialogue sparkles with humor and mischief."--Vogue

"You won't be able to put down Curtis Sittenfeld's second short story collection. Sittenfeld's mastery of a comedy of manners remains on display."--Town & Country

"Warm and insightful . . . blends nostalgia and hard-won wisdom through its funny, affectionate stories of middle-aged characters negotiating family and fame."--Shelf Awareness

"Sittenfeld never misses . . . [she] interrogates delightfully topical subjects like 'the Mike Pence rule, ' postdivorce social dynamics, and monogamy."--Bustle

"An eclectic collection of stories . . . many featuring beautifully drawn middle-age characters."--AARP

"Brilliant . . . If you're not into short stories, you're just reading the wrong ones. Read these."--Financial Times

"[Show Don't Tell] celebrates regular, flawed, complicated people--in other words, all of us. . . . You'll want to get this poignant and hilarious collection into the hands of everyone you know."--Real Simple

"A funny and poignant collection of stories about marriage, friendship, fame and art . . . Witty and moving, Show Don't Tell is Sittenfeld at her best."--PureWow

"Sittenfeld's fiction is perennially inhalable--smart, barbed, and wickedly funny."--Lit Hub

About the Author

Curtis Sittenfeld's New York Times bestselling books have been translated into thirty languages and twice selected as Reese's Book Club picks. They include the novels Prep, American Wife, Eligible, Rodham, and Romantic Comedy, and the story collection You Think It, I'll Say It. Sittenfeld's stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The Best American Short Stories, of which she was the 2020 guest editor. She lives with her family in Minneapolis.