In this collection of stories, critically acclaimed writer Cris Mazza shines a kleig light on the dark underside of relationships in a disturbing look at the ambiguous nature of our own desires. From women who foster their own abusive relationships, to failed suicide attempts, to furtive -- and horribly violent -- encounters in steamy basements, Mazza's stories cut to the heart of doomed human relationships, landing squarely in the murky territory between desire and despair, between freedom and loss of control.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Mazza's (Your Name Here, Coffee House, 1995) language in this short story collection cuts right to the bone. Observe what happens to the narrator in "Caught" when visiting a dance club: "The room breathed for me, pulled and pushed my diaphragm and ribs, prodded my heart with a heavy fist." The characters in these stories will beguile readers because most are willing to give up so much to get so little in return. They give up a job or don't bother to look for one in the first place ("Adrenaline," "The Career"), give up the ability to move around freely ("The Cram-It-In Method"), and give up self-respect ("The Something Bad"). For the bit of attention and pleasure they receive, did they pay too high a price? The stories are also linked by a noticeable lack of light, both figurative and literal, from the dank basement of a hospital laundry to shadowy bars to seedy motel rooms. With delicious satire, Mazza, a PEN Nelson Algren Award winner, illustrates our human frailties and oddities, showing us that keeping our eyes and hearts open is the best defense. For academic and medium to large public libraries.?Lisa S. Nussbaum, Euclid P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
A third collection from the ``postfeminist'' author whose previous works (Dog People, 1997, etc.) have established her as one of the quirkier voices on the scene today. As an editor of the Chick-Lit anthologies, Mazza has demonstrated great sensitivity to women's voices and women's cares, and these elements are certainly not overlooked here. Some of the pieces, like ``The Cram-It-In Method'' (which portrays a rather unworldly girl's preparations for her wedding to an even callower boy), examine feminine obsessions with men and families in tones that would be perfectly at home in Seventeen. Others, like ``The Career,'' which describes in a frank, harsh tone a naive teenager's extended affair with a brutish married man, will probably end up in one of Andrea Dworkin's footnotes somewhere along the line. ``The Something Bad'' follows a ``coupla-white-chicks-talking'' mode, in which three friends spend an afternoon ranting at each other about how their husbands have all turned out to be child molesters, and when will their boyfriends ever leave their wives, anyhow? Some of the works read more like fragments than stories: ``Dog & Girlfriend'' is the interior monologue of a girl dosing herself for a yeast infection she believes that she caught by sleeping with her best friend's father, while ``Laying Off the Secretary'' reads like the thought balloons for a comic strip on sexual harassment. The more ambitious stories work better: ``Adrenalin'' is an extraordinarily subtle portrait of how adultery saves the marriage of an unhappy young couple, and ``Copterport on Cowell's Mountain'' manages to make something out of the hopelessly overdone patient- and-shrink-scenario. A very mixed bag, but with some nice bits buried down deep. Mazza's talent can be striking when she chooses to exercise it. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kudos to Cris,
By A Customer
This review is from: Former Virgin (Paperback)
If I had to pick one phrase to describe the collection of short fiction stories in Cris Mazza's Former Virgin, it would have to be cutting edge. Some of the descriptions and dialogue were a tad shocking at first, but I loved it. It reminded me of "Sex in the City," only it was written before HBO aired the hit series. Former Virgin has an array of stories, some told in first person point of view, others in third person point of view. The vivid descriptions and details immediately capture the reader. I felt as if I was there watching the story take place. What I really liked most about her stories were the characters. In almost every story I read I could relate, either personally or through someone I know, to how the character felt or what he or she was going through. They were realistic and raw. Mazza manages to capture human behavior and experience in unique and new ways. She's not afraid to write what we all say and do behind closed doors. My only pet peeve was that some of the stories ended too abruptly or without a real ending. Kudos to Cris. ...
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
former virgin,
By Brenna (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Former Virgin (Paperback)
Former Virgin, written in 1997 is a collection of short stories written by Cris Mazza. These stories all take very interesting points of view, and are not typical by any means. My favorites of this collection are the stories that have a crazy twist at the end, and before that, the story builds and builds, you think its going one place, but then the plots goes another way. Hesitation begins with describing the characters, this guy and his punk rock girlfriend, and building up the relationship that they’re having. As the story went on, I realized that this guy was still married, and the wife walks in on her husband and the punk rock girl video-taping a sex fantasy. (spoiler)Let’s Play doctor is similar to Hesitation in that the story starts one way and ends up somewhere you never thought it would. Dee, the main character, has an operation done to remove a cyst. Then she falls asleep and has this horrifying dream about the doctor, and the bookstore, and the smell of baked things, all things she was talking to the nurse about right before she passed out during the operation. The descriptions in the dream are vivid and surreal(very much like an actual dream), especially the way Mazza describes the doctor reaching up inside her and feeling her insides, along with her smelling the bread. It’s really amazing, but terrifying at the same time. Then in the end she wakes up, and just starts crying. I was surprised and entertained by the second half of the story. To be honest, I haven’t read very much fiction like this. Compared to the books that I normally read this was way out there. It’s obviously important to read all different kinds of fiction to really grasp what’s out there, and know what you like. So many people are just stuck on one genre, like science fiction or mystery and romance. I enjoyed Former Virgin, because it opened my eyes to other types of stories, and now I know that I can like anything as long as its written well.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is Mazza at Her Finest,
By A Customer
This review is from: Former Virgin (Paperback)
These gripping, harrowing stories will stay with you a long time. Once again, Mazza deconstructs sexual and gender politics and lays her characters bare before her readers. "The Something Bad," is a particularly strong story, evocative and painful. Mazza manages a rare feat in this book: she writes memorable and resonant characters without compromising the book's edgy experimentalism, and she experiments with formal choices without compromising the depth of her characters. A great study for fiction writers, a great read for everyone.
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