Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls [Paperback]

Alissa Nutting (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2010

Fiction. Winner of the 6th Starcherone Prize for Innovative Fiction, chosen by Ben Marcus. In this darkly hilarious debut collection, misfit women and girls in every strata of society are investigated through various ill-fated jobs. One is the main course of dinner, another the porn star contracted to copulate in space for a reality TV show. They become futuristic ant farms, get knocked up by the star high school quarterback and have secret abortions, use parakeets to reverse amputations, make love to garden gnomes, go into air conditioning ducts to confront their mother's ghost, and do so in settings that range from Hell to the local white-supremacist bowling alley. These fine stories, anthropologically thorough in their view of the contemporary person, illuminate how people hide behind their pursuits, concealing what matters most to them while striving, and usually failing, to be loved - Ben Marcus.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Alissa Nutting was born in rural Michigan. She received a BA degree from the University of Florida and an MFA degree from the University of Alabama, where she served as Editor for the Black Warrior Review. Her writing has appeared in Tin House, Fence, BOMB, the fairy tale anthology My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me, as well as many other journals. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she has received Cobain and Schaeffer Fellowships in Fiction. She is fiction editor of the literary journal Witness and managing editor of Fairy Tale Review.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Starcherone Books (October 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984213325
• ISBN-13: 978-0984213320
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #203,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alissa Nutting is a writer, editor, instructor, cuteologist, true crime aficionado, and chihuahua mother. She received a BA degree from the University of Florida and an MFA degree from the University of Alabama, where she served as Editor for the Black Warrior Review. Her writing has appeared in Tin House, Fence, BOMB, the fairy tale anthology My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me, as well as many other journals. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she has received Cobain and Schaeffer Fellowships in Fiction. She is the fiction editor of Witness magazine and the managing editor of Fairy Tale Review.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprising! April 18, 2013

By Alison J. Grinter

Format:Kindle Edition

I am not normally a fan of short story collections, but this one was unexpectedly different. It is flat and honest, but in the way of a comic without a straight man. If there were a new wave of feminine neo-existentialist comic fiction, it would vote Alissa Nutting to the office of Treasurer or higher.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Bravo! December 8, 2012

By J. Wainwright

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This selection of smart, surreal short stories is unpredictable and exciting to read. I prefer the longer stories that develop characters and stretch the imagination, rather than the one to two page segments. Its a dark read, layered and explorative of metaphor and an altered universe for women, but well worth diving into. If you enjoy poetry and the short story genre, this book is right up your alley.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely NEW innovative fiction January 5, 2011

By VegasLibrarian

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book for myself and a friend for Christmas. It was delightful and I hope to read many more books from Ms. Nutting. It was sitting on a shelf while another friend was visiting and she asked if she could borrow it because she picked it up, read the first story and wanted to read the whole thing. The "Panda" story is only two pages and you feel as if you have walked in the world of another person within those two pages. That is talent. Totally new and creative. I've never read anything like it.