In June we will spend time with Amy’s current obsession, All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews. It’s a novel that manages to be both devastating and unexpectedly funny.
For a short story pairing, we will read “A Manual for Cleaning Women” by Lucia Berlin. Here it is at the short story project.
At its center are two sisters: one a world-renowned pianist who wants to die, the other a writer trying—practically, stubbornly—to keep her alive. What follows is a deeply intimate exploration of love, obligation, and the limits of care. The book moves between hospital rooms, family history, and moments of absurd, almost slapstick humor that somehow heighten rather than soften the grief.
Here’s some compelling praise: “Irresistible… its intelligence, its honesty and, above all, its compassion provide a kind of existential balm-a comfort not unlike the sort you might find by opening a bottle of wine and having a long conversation with (yes, really) a true friend.” —Curtis Sittenfeld, The New York Times Book Review