What Counts as Love

by Marian Crotty

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Pub Date Oct 15 2017 | Archive Date Oct 15 2017

University of Iowa Press | University Of Iowa Press

General Fiction (Adult)

Description

In these nine stories, Marian Crotty inhabits the lives of people searching for human connection. Her characters, most often young women, are honest, troubled, and filled with longing. In the title story, a young woman begins a job on a construction site after leaving an abusive marriage. In “Crazy for You,” two girls spy on a neighbor’s sex life, while their own sexuality hovers in the distance. In “A Real Marriage,” a college student marries a boyfriend to help him stay in the United States. In “The Fourth Fattest Girl at Cutting Horse Ranch,” the daily life of a residential treatment center for eating disorders is disrupted by the arrival of a celebrity. The stories are set in Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Persian Gulf, and often touch on themes of addiction, class, sexuality, and gender. What Counts as Love is a poignant, often funny collection that asks us to take it and its characters seriously.

Advance Praise

“With sensual, brave, and wonderfully evocative prose, Marian Crotty explores the seemingly tattered nature of love, taking us deeply into the varied lives of her characters and making us care for them all. They are as alive for me as people I know and root for, and now I’m rooting for Marian Crotty, a compelling and important new voice among us. What Counts as Love is a superb and truly moving collection.”—Andre Dubus III, judge, John Simmons Short Fiction Award

“Marian Crotty’s bold, fresh young voice is a welcome addition to the literary scene.”—Jennifer Egan, author, A Visit from the Goon Squad

“Marian Crotty’s stories are never imprecise. Instead, they bring us a world that is described exactly, down to the smallest details, and their headlong pace keeps us reading breathlessly. She writes about desperadoes of love, caught in moments when desperation may require uncommon bravery. I found this book to be truthful and amazing. It is a beautiful collection.”—Charles Baxter

“In this riveting debut, Marian Crotty’s characters illuminate the improbably beautiful space between knowing exactly what’s wrong and being powerless to fix it.”—Alicia Erian, author, The Brutal Language of Love

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9781609385163
PRICE	$17.00 (USD)
PAGES	134

Additional Information

Average rating from 12 members

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Featured Reviews

Kathleen D, Reviewer

Jenny was divorced with two kids. She had many theories about relationships, most of which came from the Oprah Network that she watched on small monitors at the dental office while she cleaned teeth. “I couldn’t tell you his love language, but I’d guess it’s not words of affirmation. Does he buy you gifts?”

Love, all we think we know and all we guess at, the insecurities, regrets, longings. Love as friendships, physical love, broken love, rough love, love as a haven- Marian Crotty has written stories about love in all it’s faces, ugly, beautiful, tortured- you name it. “Crazy For You” was fantastic, girls on the verge of sexual awakening, the dawning of awareness of their effect on grown men (welcome or not), witness to the ugly truth of love before they’ve even scratched the surface of their sexuality, while spying on a beautiful neighbor’s sexual exploits. In “A New Life” the tragedy of loss consuming a woman, her husband’s seeming ease with getting over it, moving on. Love spent, broken, and bled dry- terrified of her marriage ending at any moment, instead moving to Abu Dhabi and discovering betrayal. Some characters are fledglings, others battered veterans of love leaving abuse, recovering from loss, but each are trying to find something solid to anchor them. Sometimes the reader will laugh at their characters, other times feel their crushing defeat. There are so many stories about love, not all of them happy and safe. Some take whatever they can get and others discard the garbage they never should have let in! An insightful collection!

Publication Date: October 15, 2017

University of Iowa Press

John Simmons Short Fiction Award

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Kimberly O, Educator

What Counts as Love is a nine story anthology that unflinchingly looks at love and the knots we tie ourselves into as we look for it. These stories take place in locations as familiar as Arizona and exotic as the Persian Gulf. Some of the stories are funny, some are absurd, several have traces of tragedy. All of them have characters who want to be taken seriously as they navigate love.
I enjoyed dipping into each of the stories. Thank you Netgalley and University of Iowa Press for the introduction to Marian Crotty, whose work I look forward to exploring further.

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Chelsea C, Reviewer

What Counts as Loves definitely held my attention with the nine, wonderful stories packed into this short read. Each of the characters was searching for "something" and I found myself actually hoping they would find what they were looking for!

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Maren R, Reviewer

an unflinchingly honest view into love, what it means to most of us, why we are so desperate to find it and how it can end -endlessly happy or utterly heartbroken... - this book covers it all in its stories. I enjoyed it very much! Highly recommend!