No Wonder, Women

by Carissa Foo

A collection of stories about women in love, and the relief and sadness that comes with learning to love another and oneself

Two women bond over a balloon cactus. A mother steals glances at her teenage daughter in the rear-view mirror. A bride misses her best friend on the eve of her wedding. An open support group for women who think too much. What is woman’s love? No Wonder, Women is an ode to women—to hearts that love fiercely and feel deeply. A glimpse into the lives of women who are trying to love without unloving themselves.

Genres: Short Stories

178 pages, Paperback

Published September 26, 2023

About the author

Carissa Foo is a lecturer of writing and literature. She received her Ph.D. in English Studies from Durham University and is currently working at Yale-NUS College in Singapore. Apart from her research interest in modernist women's writing, she also plays the bass guitar and was part of the local band Tuzi, which won the national SuperBand competition and later produced their debut album Hey! When she is not teaching in the university, she teaches conversational English to migrant workers. If It Were Up to Mrs Dada is her first novel.

Reviews

[paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love reading stories about female friendships, motherhood, sisterhood, women longing each other, and their mundane lives that never cease to warm my heart.

[amber :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 peas🫛🫛🫛
i enjoyed some of the stories in this collection but some others were not as memorable to me or had abrupt resolutions! nonetheless i appreciate this book especially bc a good part of it was sapphic singlit which i feel is quite hard to come by. it was nice to see lily and pea in the last story again and i thought it was so endearing how pea’s name came about 🥹🥹

[Qy Low · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't seem to think of another words to describe this other than 'distilled' and 'quick'? The stories are compact and focused, and present a rather tidy and cleaned-up presentation of the various experiences and emotions associated with the act of loving, as a woman.

[Gabriellee Nicholette · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect read for women’s month !!! love this book so much i want to relive the moment that im reading it for the first time again !

[S S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! The stories were pretty short, but they were all beautifully-written and filled with distinct characters.

[manas · Rating 4 out of 5]

such beautiful poignant stories. the character relationships are soo beautifully displayed. especially loved the short story "love letters" like it was literary gold

[Ruby Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so beautifully and movingly sapphic! I enjoyed the first story the most. Some stories were lost on me and didn’t match up to the rest of the book

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

read on the mrt on my way to work & back and loved every moment!! i love women and i loved the way this beautiful book captured the nuances and the diversity of the magical ways women love. what a joy to read this!!!