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Because They Wanted To

By Mary Gaitskill
Series: Penguin Modern Classics
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Because They Wanted To, Mary Gaitskill explores the complexities of human relationships and desires through a collection of incisive short stories. Each narrative delves into the emotional labyrinths of love, loss, and longing, revealing the characters' vulnerabilities and the often-unexpected outcomes of their choices. With her characteristic sharp prose, Gaitskill offers a vivid exploration of the human condition.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2400
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate stories that delve into the complex emotions and intricate relationships of everyday life, woven together with Mary Gaitskill's sharp, insightful prose. Her exploration of raw, often poignant moments with an unflinching gaze may appeal to readers who relish character-driven narratives and are drawn to tales that reveal the hidden depths of human experience.

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Because They Wanted To

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A bestselling collection of short stories from the American master storyteller Mary Gaitskill, author of Bad Behavior.

First published in the late 1990s and a bestseller at the time, this incisive collection of short stories explores connection and disconnection in families, between ex-lovers and friends. From a father reflecting on the daughter whose lesbianism he cannot accept, to two people who were once young together stumbling over the foundations of their past, inside are twelve portraits of heart-rending emotional intimacy and the delicacy of relationships.

Because They Wanted To is a perfectly formed set of stories about alienation in modern times.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Mary Gaitskill's Because They Wanted To is highly praised for its complex and humane exploration of problematic themes, steering clear of fashionable moralising. The book is likened to Edith Wharton in its precise depiction of social nuances, with a distinctive combination of intellectual lyricism and incisive commentary. Gaitskill's talent for evoking the hidden dimensions of inner life is noted as a particularly exciting aspect of her writing.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241464144

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 November 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 1.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 189g

Pages: 256

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Mary Gaitskill Penguin Books Penguin Classics Series: Penguin Modern Classics

About the Author

Mary Gaitskill is the author of the story collections Bad Behavior, Because They Wanted To (nominated for the PEN/Faulkner Award), and Don't Cry, the novels The Mare, Veronica (nominated for the National Book Award), Two Girls, Fat and Thin, and a collection of essays, Somebody with A Little Hammer. Her stories and essays have appeared in the New Yorker, Harper's, Artforum, and Granta, among many other journals, as well as in The Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Prize Stories.

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