A Selfie as Big as the Ritz: Stories

Williams, Lara

ISBN 10: 1250126622 / ISBN 13: 9781250126627

Published by Flatiron Books, 2017

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Selfie as Big as the Ritz: Stories
• Publisher: Flatiron Books
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1250126622
• ISBN 13: 9781250126627
• Binding: hardcover
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

“Lara Williams makes a bold debut with this razor-sharp, magnificently humane story collection.” ―Entertainment Weekly

She finds herself single, twenty-nine, partially-employed, and about a half a stone overweight. Roller dexter of eligible friends rattling thin. Thirties breathing down her neck like an inappropriate uncle. She jogs. Looks good in turquoise. Finds herself punctuating gas “better out than in!” patting her stomach like a department store Santa. This is who I am, she thinks.

The women in Lara Williams’ debut story collection, A Selfie as Big as the Ritz, navigate the tumultuous interval between early twenties and middle age. In the title story, a relationship implodes against the romantic backdrop of Paris. In “One of Those Life Things,” a young woman struggles to say the right thing at her best friend’s abortion. In “Penguins,” a girlfriend tries to accept her boyfriend’s bizarre sexual fantasy. In “Treats,” a single woman comes to terms with her loneliness. As Williams’ characters attempt to lean in, fall in love, hold together a family, fend off loneliness, and build a meaningful life, we see them alternating between expectation and resignation, giddiness and melancholy, the rollercoaster we all find ourselves on.

About the Author

Lara Williams is a writer based in Manchester, England. Her writing has been featured in The Guardian, The Independent, Vice, the Times Literary Supplement, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and featured in Best British Short Stories 2017. She writes and teaches Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. A Selfie as Big as the Ritz is her debut.