Stripping by Pagan Kennedy
Stripping: and other stories by Pagan Kennedy
Pagan Kennedy seemed to write thoughts, instead of focusing on details about a person or their surroundings. All of those irrelevant events or pictures that pop into our minds when living life seem to tell the story better than any description of an embellished or well-illustrated tale. I remember things from childhood, from the associations and random connections of a child she writes about, that I thought my memory had banished a long time ago. Just small, trivial things, but they make life seem more lived-in.
I'd recommend this short story collection for anyone wanting to get a glimpse into the lives of these different people and the roles they're expected to grow into as young women. I loved how clear she writes about the character's world, clarity in how this person views it, at least. Even though it's often harsh or hard to swallow, it's the truth I occasionally see and can't express. To avoid a misunderstanding, it isn't the women who see things so clearly, they're often as lost and confused as the rest of us. The way the women's lives move along, I kept expecting Pagan's writing to become disjointed and stuttering, words erased and unsure ones put in their place, nervous breakdown approaching. But the writing remained fluid and clear through turmoil, though it still kept me holding my breath while reading, as if hoping she would keep the story together for me so that I could come to some closure with the story. She leaves you not fulfilled enough to move on, but not content enough to stop mulling over the ideas and taking them with you.