Customer Reviews

Lust and Other Stories

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I preface my review by noting that I am a guy. So if you totally disagree with my point of view, then you can conclude I just don't get it. Fair enough, because I just don't get it.

I'd heard so much buzz about this collection that I picked up a copy and gave it a couple reads. It's short enough to read several times. The collection includes three sections, each section has four stories. Each story averages seven smallish pages. So the stories are definitely minimal. I would consider roughly 10 of the 12 to be sketches or vignettes rather than short short-stories. There is no plot, no sense of place, no characterization, and no character development in most of the pieces.

Eleven of the stories focus primarily or exclusively on female characters, one of the stories has a significant but unexceptional and largely uninteresting male character. The typical character is female, twenty-seven, works as a writer, has been through one or more bad relationships, and is in another bad relationship and feeling bad about it. However many of the characters are just "the woman" with no other substantial details given.

The central premise of most of the stories is that men (unemotional, detached, and always looking for the next sex partner) benefit greatly from numerous sexual relationships; women (emotional, inescapably drawn to obviously emotionally distant men, and always trying to build a permanent relationship) suffer from the same relationships. If that meshes with your world view then you'll probably like this collection. Otherwise, the writing will engage you with its technical proficiency, the linguistic construction will astound you with its beautiful crafting, some of the passages will nail you between the eyes, some of the ideas will interest you, but the entire collection will leave you looking for a more engaging read.

I might note the title is pretty fierce compared to the contents. There's no big sex scene or anything like that. In fact, there's not much discussion of actual lust.

When I usually purchase collections of short stories, its with the intention that the book will be a series of easy reading to spread out over a long period of time. However, the first time I opened Lust, I was hooked. The first story was so real, I felt like I was telling it myself of listening to a good friend. It articulates the young 20's culture of today perfectly--why we use sex, drugs, alcohol, friends, family in the way that only this generation does. I've loaned this book to every one of my friends, and strongly encourage every young woman to read it and enjoy.

i first read the title story in this collection during high school. it was included in some kind of short fiction anthology used for an english class, but this particular selection was not assigned by our teacher. regardless, and intrigued by the title, i delved in one night. i have never made a better literary decision. the author's phrasing is sparse and careful, and it stays with you. i could not shake my mental images of the story after walking away from the book, and certain elements resonated even though i had not yet gained enough life experience to fully understand them. such is the power of susan minot's pen.

i purchased the entire collection at city lights bookstore in san francisco some months later, and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the selections. "lust" is definitely the cornerstone, written in a more illustrative and almost instructive manner than the other pieces, but there is grace and gravity to each tale. "sparks" and "blow" are continual favorites, not only of mine, but of all my friends who have read the book. many times, i have reread a story and gained an entirely different perspective on its meaning. there is enough space left in the writing to allow the reader to superimpose him/herself in the situation (often featuring much less action than dialogue), and of course that reader's perspective will change over time. the beauty of "lust & other stories" is that it travels well. the stories stay with you. it is a unique piece, perhaps impossible to top, and the author seems to understand this, having returned to writing novels since the release of this collection.

i also find the cover art on my copy to be very unique and interesting. it features a slightly dated, 80s style photograph of a woman standing with her back to the viewer, arms crossed, looking down and slightly away. in other words: rough road ahead.

there simply are not enough words to express the indelible imprint that ms. minot's work has left on my psyche. short stories are like tattoos. and susan minot's work is subtle, intense, artful ink.

After reading this (and this feeling followed suit after reading each of her books) I wanted to simultaneously call the author every female-related curse word I could muster and crawl into her lap and just bawl. What I actually did was throw the book at the wall.

This is a collection of short stories / snippets that as one reviewer (professional, I believe) put it, "small moments that yield larger truths". Each piece will stir something within you, whether you've been there or not. Its so blatantly human and yet its difficult to believe that someone else can feel something only you thought yourself capable of. Emotion runs high. Understatement of the year.

She's so poetic yet so devastatingly honest you can't help but love it. I mean, who wants to be depressed? Yes. Its THAT good.

If you purchase this book and fall head over heels in love with it, read all of her other books. You will not be disappointed. What will disappoint you is that she cannot seem to crank out these little gems fast enough.

Also, as a bit of trivia and perhaps interesting tidbit, she wrote the screenplay for the film Stealing Beauty. I loved the film because you may have a wonderful imagination but its amazing to see a film that so captures all the emotion with which she writes.

Susan Minot's prose is spellbinding as always, gutting in its minimalist style. However, I think that beautiful style that works so well in novels actually works against her in the short story setting. Because there is so little time in a short story to set up a character's life and the world in which they live, and therefore so little time for the reader to get to know these women, Minot's protagonists come off distant and cold more often than I think she intends them to. This is a worthwhile buy for a true Minot fan, but more casual readers would do better to purchase her outstanding novel, Evening.

This is a book I always recommend to girlfriends. I have given my personal copy away to a friend, as well. Susan Minot is a beautiful writer, and Lust, the title story of this book is one of my favorites of all time. Every woman who has ever loved, lost, or been hurt will find resonance in this story.

If you like Lust, definitely read Monkeys, and check out other amazing female writers, such as Lorrie Moore. Her short stories are masterful. Also, Raymond Carver is sort of the male parallel to Minot or Moore. Enjoy!

Lust and Other Short Stories is one of the greatest books I've ever read. I highly recommend it to everyone and especially to women!

I have wanted to read a Susan Minot book after reading Rapture. Lust and Other Stories is one of the most beautiful short-story collections I have read. The theme is centered on women and their bad choices with men. The stories are to the point and hit close to home in more than one occasion. I was enthralled by Ms. Minot's precise characterization and dark, compelling language. My favorite stories are "Sparks," "The Knot," "The Swan in the Garden," "The Man Who Would Not Go Away," and "The Breakup." These stories have beautiful prose that borderline at being poetic at times. And, as said earlier, a lot of the subjects here hit very close to home. Don't let the title of the book mislead you, for you'll get more than you'd bargained for with this collection. I cannot recommend Lust and Other Stories enough.

Susan is a very accomplished writer, with
a true understanding of her subject.
The title says it all.

wonderful book...edgy, tense stories that explore lives where people are not necessarily comfortable in their own skins. of all the short stories in this book, the title story "lust" has stuck with me the most. the perfect book for delving into on a gloomy day...