You Think It, I'll Say It

I read “Prep” as a teenager and hadn't thought about this author since. This book was suggested to me by Goodreads, and I was finally able to read it as a quick book for an airplane ride. I don't gravitate towards short story collections, but I found the wistful and inquisitive tone of the stories throughout very compelling. To me, many of the characters were meant to be portrayed as morally neutral - more of a observation on the eccentricities of being human than a judgment. At times, the complex and surprising relationships and revelations reminded me a lot of the Amazon Prime series “Modern Love” based on the NYTimes column. The stories are quick and always leave you wanting a bit more, while not leaving you feeling unsatisfied. A great for anyone who likes to people watch....or needs a quick book to get them through a plane ride.

I really enjoyed these stories and their commentary on relationships. They were funny, sad, and really intimate. Great portraits of characters, and they felt just the right pace and length. The political commentary worked in felt a little jarring and set it in a specific time period, which pulled me out of an otherwise fascinating series of stories.

There are three stories in this that don't make me want to buy copies of the book an burn them. And those three stories range from mildly interesting to modestly intriguing.

But the language and composition are good. The characterization is strong... assuming the author intended to make most of the characters loathsome and small.

You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld is a collection of short stories. The reason why this book is a good read is that even in a short story the writer makes the characters multidimensional. In a span of a couple of pages you see that the characters aren't just plot points but human.