With a wink to every writing teacher鈥檚 favorite adage, Curtis Sittenfeld鈥檚 鈥淪how Don鈥檛 Tell鈥� delivers a dozen short stories that will make you think, smile, and often nod your head in agreement. Featuring mostly middle-aged characters from the middle of the country, it鈥檚 an assortment of stories focused on people either looking back and reconsidering formative moments in their lives, or in situations that force them to challenge their long-held beliefs.
My favorite of the bunch was 鈥淐reative Differences,鈥� an 18-page gem about a photographer in Wichita, Kansas, who got Internet famous for a couple photo series she did and is now being interviewed by a freelance production crew on behalf of a conglomerate that sells a 72-year-old toothpaste. When she refuses to be filmed actually brushing her teeth, the story sets up a standoff between the corporate sponsor that flew a dozen people from the coasts to Wichita and our hero, Melissa, who tells them: 鈥淎ll you care about is getting me to do whatever you鈥檝e already decided I should do on camera.鈥�
鈥淐reative Differences,鈥� and the other 11 stories in the collection, are heavy on inner monologues. Sittenfeld has a knack for getting inside her characters鈥� heads and really articulating what makes them tick. Here鈥檚 the narrator of 鈥淟ost But Not Forgotten鈥� thinking back on her failed marriage at her prep school鈥檚 30th anniversary: 鈥淚n a way, to describe that marriage is like describing having gone to boarding school. Is there an infinite amount to share, or does a sentence or two suffice? I guess it depends who you鈥檙e telling the story to.鈥� Sittenfeld fans will recognize the narrator as Lee Fiora, star of her 2005 novel 鈥淧rep.鈥�
There are many other stories in the collection about friends connecting after a long time apart, with characters questioning their behavior from years ago or pondering what constitutes 鈥渁n enviable life.鈥� It鈥檚 thought-provoking stuff, delivered in short stories that are perfect for readers of a certain age, just before they turn off their bedside table lamp.
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AP book reviews:
Rob Merrill, The Associated Press
