In this debut anthology of stories, newcomer Lauren Holmes explores the boundaries of family, friends, relationships and what it means to be young in 2015. She deftly portrays the murky territory of friendship, dating, sex, family relationships, short-term arrangements and the difficulty of starting your life when you are young.
In the title story, Barbara The Slut, a young girl in high school likes sex, although she has a rule about no more than once with the same guy as she is out of there in the fall when college starts. She is shunned and ridiculed, but the boys still seek her out. She doesn't really care about any of them. Her focus is on her new life at Princeton in the fall and her younger brother who depends on her.
In How Am I Supposed To Talk With You? a young woman goes to visit her mother who she hasn't seen in years. It explores the difficulties in sustaining such a relationship and the hurts and failed expectations. Mike Anonymous portrays the stunning damage that one night of passion can bring. I Will Crawl To Raleigh If I Have To describes the end of a romantic relationship and the difficulties family vacations can bring. Desert Hearts is about the difficulty of starting an independent life after school when one is searching for love and a career. Pearl And The Swiss Guy Fall In Love explores the start of a love affair and how it can quickly go bad through boredom and failed expectations.
These people are not optimistic, bubbly and happy. They are clawing their way to lives that fulfill them even though they are constantly sent on detours. They learn to navigate their own and others expectations although they also sometimes fail. Although this book sounds bleak, it wasn't at all. Holmes affection for her characters makes them likeable even when they are struggling. This book is recommended for readers of short stories and those interested in the emotional landscape of the young.
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