Author:A.L. Kennedy
'Kennedy is a superb writer and the canniness of her observation keeps you reading' Sunday Times
Humour, fantasy, rage and despair both help and hinder the protagonists of these stories as they navigate changing circumstances, accumulating losses, moments of comprehension and tenderness. Here is the woman, hoping for a quiet day at the zoo, who finally snaps at a white man's racist tirade and vents years of fury; the micro-celebrity who practises lines for a chat show on which he'll never appear; and the woman who walks out of her honeymoon suite at midnight, perhaps for good. Unsparing in her close examination of human relationships, A. L. Kennedy proves once again why she is regarded as one of our great storytellers.
'Kennedy dissects the small intimacies of inner thoughts... Her prose is typically direct, her sentences clear-cut and yet capable of great tenderness' Observer
'An author with a proven ability to see - truly see - and whose prose can fire like gunshots across the page' New Statesman
Quite astonishing... A masterclass in the possibilities of the short story form.
—— ScotsmanAL Kennedy’s latest collection of wise, funny, human short stories came at just the right time. I...emerged feeling better about the world than I had in a while... Kennedy is brilliant at subtly shifting the ground of her stories, gently rotating your perspective so that by the end you’re facing in quite the other direction, not sure of how you got there… [There is] waspish intelligence at work here.
—— Alex Preston , ObserverStriking, expertly constructed… Kennedy’s exquisite blending of the limits of pain and courage recall Primo Levi.
—— Catherine Taylor , Financial TimesAL Kennedy’s seventh collection of stories is a quite astonishing…clear-eyed…masterclass in the possibilities of the short story form; comical, plangent… Words indeed for our times.
—— Stuart Kelly , ScotsmanKennedy is a superb writer and the canniness of her observation keeps you reading.
—— Phil Baker , Sunday TimesConnoisseurs of short stories that pack an emotional punch will find plenty to admire in this fine new collection.
—— Max Davidson , Mail on SundayEach story invites the reader to enter a very particular struggle with characters who not only feel real, but whose aching vulnerability will resonate long after the moment has ended… Formidably insightful, A.L. Kennedy’s latest collection…is a shrewd examination of life’s defining moments.
—— UK Press Syndication[The] title and tone of [We Are Attempting to Survive Our Time] fit our current situation like a bespoke suit… Perfectly judged and moving.
—— Rosemary Goring , Herald Scotland[A] dark, dangerously funny collection.
—— Eithne Farry , Daily MailFrom the brilliant AL Kennedy...a collection of unforgettable short stories about ordinary people wrestling with the lives they have been given as the world spins around them.
—— Katy Thompsett , Refinery29Every story is a smasher…thrums with contemporary resonance… If you’re looking to survive your time, you could do a lot worse than cling to these stories.
—— BookmunchRoupenian offers an audacious take on human relations in all their awkward and weird glory, putting some of these stories in mind of Curtis Sittenfeld or even, on occasion, Sally Rooney. There's no doubt that Roupenian is a wellspring of original ideas… And if Roupenian can continue to mine the heart of darkness with the same sort of daring, her future as one of our great literary truth-tellers could very well materialise.
—— Tanya Sweeney , Irish Independent[There's] a huge amount of variety in You Know You Want This. Magical realism rubs up against full fantasy, narrative formats chop and change, the first and third person are used with equal and impressive skill… This is a highly accomplished collection.
—— Holly Baxter , IndependentI found the stories exceptionally compelling; I love the way they create a world that is both familiar and deeply unsettling, showing – in strange and surprising ways – the interplay of disgust, fear and desire. Images from the book keep coming back to me: its narratives feel both mythical and completely modern.
—— Megan HunterIn an age that needs a wrecking ball, You Know You Want This provides one. This is a raucous, visceral page-turner that tunnels into the heart of relationships gone awry, modern-day miscommunications, and other horrors of being human. Not polite. Suffers no fools. Takes no prisoners. Read it.
—— Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times bestselling authorThese transgressive and darkly electric stories announce the arrival of a bold, new, necessary voice in American short fiction.
—— Claire Vaye WatkinsThe 11 new stories [in You Know You Want This] are equally compulsive, equally repellent [as Cat Person]. You’ll be left longing for the bygone days of courtship.
—— Hephzibah Anderson , Mail on Sunday *The Best New Fiction*The stories in You Know You Want This are wildly strange and deeply human. When it comes to the secret hurt and twisted desires that lurk in seemingly mundane encounters between men and women, Kristen Roupenian is a super genius. I loved every single word of this freaky, fantastic book.
—— Julie BuntinIn Roupenian’s debut, You Know You Want This, she establishes herself as a raucous and bloodthirsty storyteller… She slathers even the most innocuous pastoral imagery with erotic Baudelairean macabre… it’ll have you covering your eyes and reading through your fingers.
—— Tony Tulathimutte , New RepublicIt's a new literary genre. Preorder You Know You Want This, the eagerly awaited short-story collection from Cat Person author Kristen Roupenian. Supernatural horror meets bedroom politics.
—— Laura Atkinson , Sunday Times Style[Roupenian's] writing exists in that nebulous dimension just before desire turns into repulsion. It hits a pinpoint target of an unspeakable discomfort. Seen one way, it’s a relief to have recognition; in another, like the title itself, it’s an indictment.
—— Elle MagazineIt's unheard of for a short story to go viral, but Cat Person – through a combination of impossibly sharp writing and impossibly good timing – had done it. A year later, Roupenian's debut collection proves that [Cat Person's] success wasn't a fluke. The 12 visceral stories here range from uncomfortable to truly horrifying and are often – though not always – focused on the vicious contradictions of being female… Unsettling, memorable, and – maybe perversely – very, very fun.
—— Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewMoments of startling insight into the hidden – and often uncomfortable – truths underneath modern relationships… there are some stellar moments of pithy clarity: In 'Scarred,' upon summoning a way to cheat desire, the protagonist muses, ‘I had everything that could be wanted. I invented new needs just to satisfy.’ This is a promising debut.
—— Publishers WeeklyRoupenian’s tales from the frontline of modern relationships are perfect for an alternative Valentine’s Day display.
—— BooksellerA collection of short stories which cover the same murky waters of attraction as "Cat Person".
—— Olivia Ovenden , Harper's Bazaar, The books we can't wait to read in 2019There is always some anxiety following such a short, steep rise to recognition, but in this collection Roupenian lives up to those high expectations. The stories are wonderfully varied in execution, from realist to surreal, staying fresh while circling one primary concern: how men and women relate to one another, and how often that relationship can go wrong.
—— Vanity Fair[A] sharp, powerful and uncomfortable debut collection of stories… [Roupenian] is always in narrative control.
—— Kathryn Maris , Times Literary SupplementAbrasive, painfully aware accounts of relationships in turmoil… You know you want this collection.
—— Sarah Gilmartin , Irish TimesYou Know You Want This seems to touch on conversations that the country has yet to have — often using horror and magical realism to illuminate the darker corners of our world.
—— Elisabeth Garber-Paul , Rolling StoneIn Look at Your Game, Girl and The Boy in the Pool, naïve female desire is so brilliantly and lushly evoked… [Biter] shows a flair for satire and comic timing… I look forward to Roupenian’s next book.
—— Nicole Flattery , Guardian WeeklyThe best fiction leaves us thinking about it long after turning the last page, and with [Cat Person], author Kristen Roupenian established herself as a writer to watch. Her short-story collection, You Know You Want This, includes that story and others, all of which will have you talking about them long after finishing.
—— PopSugarIn her highly anticipated debut collection, the author behind the viral Cat Person story offers up a host of strange, fascinating, and downright delightful narratives you won't be able to stop talking about. Spanning a range of genres and topics, it is equal parts dark, uncomfortable, and funny.
—— BustleReaders who are looking for more uncomfortably realistic renderings of awkward romantic encounters won’t be disappointed, but this collection is so much more than that, offering an array of biting (sometimes literally!) looks at the ways our most hidden perversions manifest in our lives. It’s a razor-sharp, often ruthless, never less than relentless examination of the way we are now. Scary, right? But you know you want it.
—— NYLON[You Know You Want This captures] the torturous and complicated justifications for untoward behaviour in the search for closeness and connection.
—— Eithne Farry , Daily MailWhat unites the collection is less her [Roupenian’s] gender politics than her interest in the way fantasies become distorted, disappointing, even dangerous when they approach reality… narrative twist[s] changes the direction of a story and leads it somewhere new. Roupenian’s desire to have her moral and reject it too could be said to put a twist on the twist.
—— Lauren Oyler , London Review of BooksRoupenian remains rooted in realism, she gives pause by exposing the sinister side of sexuality, and one looks forward to seeing what she might accomplish with the novel form.
—— Mia Levitin , Financial TimesKristen Roupenian's debut short stories fulfil all expectations… she infuses mundane reality with a thrilling layer of menace.
—— Emily Rhodes , SpectatorOne of the most anticipated story collections of the year.
—— ElleViolence, cruelty or misunderstanding are never far away in these 12 stories, which are by turns, unsettling, ruthless and often funny.
—— UK Press SyndicationWalker’s laconic, Hemingway-esque prose style perfectly complements his low-key approach to his material: the matter-of-fact tone in which he recalls his most horrific experiences in Iraq makes them seem all the more horrible. It works equally well with deadpan humour.
—— Jake Kerridge , Sunday TimesRoupenian is a wizard of provocative, psychological fiction, exploring the dark side of the human psyche. Each of her short stories is terrifyingly relatable, making the reader fear something much more relevant than more supernatural horror stories.
—— The MancunionA fascinating and repugnant series of stories, all tremendous examples of what this unsung hero of a literary form can do.
—— Culture CallingRoupenian’s wildly discomfiting new collection, You Know You Want This… is often wonderfully, if grotesquely, physical… This book isn’t bedtime reading.
—— Ruth Franklin , New York Review of BooksThese are stories that make you feel fascinated but repelled, scared but delighted, revolted but aroused.
—— GlamourYou Know You Want This is an alarming but compelling book. Roupenian’s short stories, weaving together science fiction, confession and fantasy, are like infections spreading across the senses, blocking out everything except the compulsion to read on… Roupenian achieves something few other writers have: providing a balanced reflection on a very difficult subject.
—— Ella Whelan , SpikedThere isn't enough ink on the internet to recommend this collection highly enough; I urge you to experience not only the viral hit ‘Cat Person' but the sheer abundance summarised in the ‘and other stories'… Her ability as a short story writer is absolute, and in her hands the form returns to what it is in the works of writers like Poe, Kafka, Shirley Jackson: they're provocations.
—— Foyles