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Nunez's 'It Will Come Back to You': Erudition Meets Empathy
13 Jul
Summary
- Collection explores themes of failed parents and clinical therapy.
- Stories feature bright, sensitive women with melancholy and wit.
- Nunez maintains a mistrust of cultural hypersensitivity in her work.
Sigrid Nunez, renowned for her National Book Award-winning novel "The Friend," returns with her first collection of short stories, "It Will Come Back to You." The collection, featuring five superb opening stories, delves into Nunez's signature themes: parental failures, therapeutic introspection, and the intricate relationships between humans and animals.
The narratives are typically voiced by intelligent, sensitive women, often writers, who carry emotional burdens and possess a sharp, bruised wit. These protagonists navigate worlds populated by stylized and sometimes grotesque characters, reminiscent of Saul Steinberg's drawings. Nunez’s prose is praised for its clarity and understated elegance, making complex subjects accessible.
Throughout "It Will Come Back to You," Nunez continues to express a wariness of cultural hypersensitivity and ideological policing. Stories like "Philosophers" and "Greensleeves" tackle challenging social and personal issues with depth and introspection. Even in its less stellar pieces, the collection serves as a powerful reminder of Nunez's standing as a significant contemporary American voice.
