Girls of a Certain Age

November 15, 2020
Young women eye their futures with the practiced skepticism of people who have already seen far too much. The stories in Adelmann's debut collection feature women and girls adrift in the world. From broken homes, broken relationships, broken senses of their own identities, the narrators of these stories explore worlds marked by a bleak sense of anonymity--in these largely urban tales, all faces seem to be faces in the crowd. Many of the stories capture their narrators' inner monologues in a way that is both believable and illuminating. In "Pets Are for Rich Kids," Ashley's friendship with the gratingly precocious Willa is marked by the inequalities of their social situations. Willa is the pampered daughter of wealthy parents who buy her pets to teach her lessons about responsibility and, inevitably, power while Ashley is the child of a struggling newly single mother who can't understand why no one else sees "how dumb it [is] that the things you [are] supposed to love are always running away or dying." Willa tries to teach Ashley not to be so "callous" by giving her the unasked-for responsibility of a guinea pig, and the resulting conflict between the girls focuses on the dynamics of real rage and performative kindness. Similarly, "Middlemen," another standout piece, explores the narrator's relationship with her roommate, Grace, the pampered daughter of emotionally abusive parents, who instigates a sexual aspect to their friendship--but only when someone else is looking. Many of the narrators are in the middle of what seem likely to be their lives' defining crises. There is a young wife who has run over her abusive husband's dog ("The Replacements"); a young wife whose husband is leaving to go to war ("How To Wait"); and a lonely 20-something, set adrift by trauma, looking for solace in too much alcohol and too many women ("Human Bonding"). The similarity among the subjects can sometimes overwhelm the experience of reading the individual pieces. But when read independently, the stories linger, clearly illuminated by their artistry, honesty, and pervasive courage. A strong debut from a writer who probes the inner lives of her female subjects with both purpose and humor.

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December 15, 2020
In this dark and tender debut, Adelmann explores various struggles that twenty-first-century women face in their daily realities. The unnamed narrator of "Only the Good" has a complicated relationship with men who take advantage of her seemingly easygoing approach to life. When a one-night stand threatens to turn into a permanent responsibility, she reflects on human existence and the powerful effects people can have on one another. In "Elegy," short snippets from each age of a woman's life reflect her journey, showcasing the cycle of the inevitable changes she faces to form an understanding and acceptance of her body. In "Middlemen," the narrator and her wealthier roommate seem to be attracted to each other, but she is quickly disappointed when she realizes her roommate just wants her body for the purpose of pleasing men. Pregnancy, the female body, abuse, sexuality--these deep and often terrifying aspects of womens' lives are beautifully portrayed in this collection of stories as Adelmann's characters grapple with making sense of their world.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 21, 2020
Adelmann’s uneven debut collection focuses on young women facing difficult choices to varying degrees of impact. In “Elegy,” one of the most powerful pieces, a young woman who’s just had a double mastectomy reflects on the death of her aunt from breast cancer, and the near death of her mother as well. In “First Aid,” the narrator details her self-harm, referring to her cuts as gills “because they help me breathe.” In “Pets Are for Rich Kids,” a young girl contrasts her own life and relative poverty with that of a wealthy friend while also trying to understand why her father abandoned her. Less successful are stories about 20-somethings, whether searching for meaning after a job layoff (“None of These Will Bring Disaster”) or having relationship troubles (“Middlemen” and “Human Bonding”), though a standout among these is the lyrical and whimsical “Unattached,” in which a young woman suddenly finds herself and her world turned literally upside down. While some stories could have been left on the cutting room floor, Adelmann offers an abundance of insights on the vicissitudes of life. Agent: Jenni Ferrari-Adler, Union Literary.