Books, Fiction

You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld

Worth a Read Yes
Length 256
Quick Review A collection of short stories chronicling and eviscerating characters navigating everyday problems of the modern era and socioeconomic status, gender, and love.

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You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld | Dress | Earrings | Basket | Watch | Flower Crown
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You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld in a basket of flowers.
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You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld | Dress | Earrings | Basket | Watch | Flower Crown

Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my favorite authors; I have several of her novels sitting on my bookshelves – only one is unread. I came upon her writing in The New Yorker a few years ago, and I have been a huge fan ever since. In my opinion, she is one of the best contemporary writers. There is no hesitation in her stories to put words to thoughts, emotions, and judgements just about everyone can identify with. Her short story collection, You Think It, I’ll Say Itis no different.    

I was familiar with one of the stories in the book because The Prairie Wife had previously been published in The New Yorker, but that didn’t stop me from reading it again. 

Every story is told from the first person perspective. Sittenfeld has the ability to really bring the reader into the mindset of the character in that moment of their lives without having to spell everything or give an overwhelming amount of backstory. There is a rare artistry in the way she portrays each person with their own way of speaking, thinking, and processing the situations they find themselves in. Every story and character is a critique on the modern world and society; in one way or another, there is an essence of You Think It, I’ll Say It

Sittenfeld tackles the subjects of marriage, emotional infidelity, class, education, gender roles, sex, finances, and so much more. Each story creates a picture of what living in today’s world looks like and our unique ability to silently watch and judge the entire world’s actions from the comfort of our own homes. 

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You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld in a basket of flowers.

Relationships are at the center of You Think It, I’ll Say It, whether they are romantic or platonic relationships. Relationships are at the center of being human. Sittenfeld has no problem completely eviscerating her characters, their choices, and their motivations. It’s entertaining to read, but is entirely all too relatable. 

I really loved reading this collection of short stories. They’re beautifully told. Perfect for the moments you don’t have time to emotionally invest yourself in a novel, but you want something engaging and thought provoking. You Think It, I’ll Say It has everything I want in fiction. 

Memorable Quotes
“It’s not that she’s unaware that she’s an elitist asshole. She’s aware! She’s just powerless not to be one.”
“It turned out that simply by celebrating this particular birthday, I’d crossed some border of nonconformity, and while I still could – can – turn around, retrace my steps, and assume citizenship in the nation of wedlock, the expectation seems to be that I won’t.”

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Title: You Think It, I’ll Say It
Author: Curtis Sittenfeld
Publisher: Random House
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780525508700

Books

The Bell Jar

Read Yes
Length 244
Quick Review A young woman’s coming of age story as she grapples with working, the big city, friendship, sexuality, mental illness, and growing up female.

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Literally anyone who has any knowledge of remarkable literary works knows about Sylvia Plath’s oven incident, as well as her writing. The Bell Jar is such a widely referenced book, it’s surprising how few people have actually read it. I, myself, thought it would an incredibly dense and arduous book to work through. It always seems the shorter the book the more wearisome the syntax. I am ashamed to say I made it to 25 without having ever attempted to read it. It has sat on my must read list for a decade without once glancing at a copy in a bookstore. With pen in hand, a quiet room, a cup of tea, I sat down with the most serious of intentions to delve into this onerous work.

Never have I been so wrong.

I read it in a day, an afternoon actually.

Esther Greenwood is a young and talented girl exploring the world around her as well as herself. The Bell Jar is known as a book about depression, but it is more than that. It is a book about self discovery and coming of age. It is intrinsically feminist without meaning to be. Though many decades ago, the trials Esther experiences are so in tune with the trials girls go through today: self confidence, body image, boys, sex, dating, career, education, and mental health.

The female version of The Catcher in the Rye, I’m beyond disappointed this novel has not made it onto the required reading lists for high schoolers. Though complexly nuanced, it is no more taboo than a swearing, hormonal teenage boy.

Plath is an incredible talent (Ariel at a later date; I must read it first), who has been turned into a compounded punch line of the crazy writer. She is best remembered for her clinical depression and infamous suicide than her startling talent as a poet and novelist.

Memorable Quotes
“If you expect nothing from somebody, you are never disappointed.”
“The silence depressed me. It wasn’t the silence of silence. It was my own silence.”
“The trouble was, I had been inadequate all along, I simply hadn’t thought about it.”
“There is nothing like puking with somebody to make you into old friends.”

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Title: The Bell Jar
Author: Sylvia Plath
Copyright: 2006
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ISBN: 9780061148514