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So Much a Part of You
Two young women who've dated the same man navigate love, destiny, loss, and choice in this powerful debut.
Peter Herring was the center of Anne's universe in college, and now, a few years later, he's become the center of Anna's, and merely a minor player in his ex-girlfriend's world. That is, until Peter and Anna are invited into Anne's parents' home to visit with her dying mother, and he finds himself drawn back into her orbit.
Years later, when her own mother is dying, Anna will find herself yearning to reach out to Anne, with whom she had shared such a brief but intimate bond, and find solace in that moment from long ago. Perspective evolves with time, and so with time, what Peter means to each woman -- as lover, as friend, as connection to the past -- also evolves.
Through exploring Anne's and Anna's ties to Peter and unfolding the narratives of the people who weave meaningfully in and out of their lives, Polly Dugan reveals the power of family secrets, the ripple effects of her characters' emotional choices, and how poignantly their intertwined relationships shape who they are and how they love.
Possessing that rare ability to write the sweep of emotion with tenderness, Polly Dugan invites readers to witness the moments that define her characters -- the moments that come back full circle to comfort or haunt them, or both. So Much a Part of You will break your heart and still have you asking for more.
Peter Herring was the center of Anne's universe in college, and now, a few years later, he's become the center of Anna's, and merely a minor player in his ex-girlfriend's world. That is, until Peter and Anna are invited into Anne's parents' home to visit with her dying mother, and he finds himself drawn back into her orbit.
Years later, when her own mother is dying, Anna will find herself yearning to reach out to Anne, with whom she had shared such a brief but intimate bond, and find solace in that moment from long ago. Perspective evolves with time, and so with time, what Peter means to each woman -- as lover, as friend, as connection to the past -- also evolves.
Through exploring Anne's and Anna's ties to Peter and unfolding the narratives of the people who weave meaningfully in and out of their lives, Polly Dugan reveals the power of family secrets, the ripple effects of her characters' emotional choices, and how poignantly their intertwined relationships shape who they are and how they love.
Possessing that rare ability to write the sweep of emotion with tenderness, Polly Dugan invites readers to witness the moments that define her characters -- the moments that come back full circle to comfort or haunt them, or both. So Much a Part of You will break your heart and still have you asking for more.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published June 10, 2014
6 people are currently reading
751 people want to read
About the author
Polly Dugan
8 books20 followersFollow Polly on Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/PollyDuganAu...
Polly Dugan's writing captures a moment in time and follows it as the afterward unfolds. Her predominantly Irish Catholic characters are challenged by their flaws, faith, morality, mortality and circumstances. Although animals often appear in her stories, she does not write animal stories.
Polly Dugan is a graduate of Dickinson College, and a four-time attendee of the Tin House Writers Workshop where she worked with Steve Almond, Elissa Schappell, Meg Storey and Joy Williams. Her stories have appeared in Line Zero and Narrative and received Honorable Mention recognition in Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers August 2009.
She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two sons, two black Labrador Retrievers and a brown tabby cat. Her collection of ten linked stories, SO MUCH A PART OF YOU, was published by Little, Brown in 2014. In 2015 Little, Brown published her novel, THE SWEETHEART DEAL, in which a confirmed bachelor is forced to honor a drunken pact made twelve years earlier to marry his best friend’s wife if he dies.
About SO MUCH A PART OF YOU:
From the Depression to the present, the emotional and moral burdens of alcoholism, abortion, infidelity, and the losses of friends, parents and children are seamlessly woven together in Dugan's stark and powerful writing. The ten linked stories in So Much a Part of You revolve around Anna Riley and Anne Cavanaugh, two women with a common lover, Peter Herring. While following the lives of Anna and Anne, and revisiting familiar characters, friendships are tested and family secrets are exposed, and the ripple effects of their emotional choices poignantly rise to the surface.
Her new novel, THE HOUSE OF CAVANAUGH, revisits a family who appear in five stories in SO MUCH A PART OF YOU, and will be published by Sibylline Press in October 2025.
In the novel, 50 years after an affair between Joan Cavanaugh and Peter Hutchinson in New York, and 25 years after Joan's death, the paternity of her middle daughter is revealed and two best friends in Portland discover they share a sister.
https://www.facebook.com/PollyDuganAu...
Polly Dugan's writing captures a moment in time and follows it as the afterward unfolds. Her predominantly Irish Catholic characters are challenged by their flaws, faith, morality, mortality and circumstances. Although animals often appear in her stories, she does not write animal stories.
Polly Dugan is a graduate of Dickinson College, and a four-time attendee of the Tin House Writers Workshop where she worked with Steve Almond, Elissa Schappell, Meg Storey and Joy Williams. Her stories have appeared in Line Zero and Narrative and received Honorable Mention recognition in Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers August 2009.
She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two sons, two black Labrador Retrievers and a brown tabby cat. Her collection of ten linked stories, SO MUCH A PART OF YOU, was published by Little, Brown in 2014. In 2015 Little, Brown published her novel, THE SWEETHEART DEAL, in which a confirmed bachelor is forced to honor a drunken pact made twelve years earlier to marry his best friend’s wife if he dies.
About SO MUCH A PART OF YOU:
From the Depression to the present, the emotional and moral burdens of alcoholism, abortion, infidelity, and the losses of friends, parents and children are seamlessly woven together in Dugan's stark and powerful writing. The ten linked stories in So Much a Part of You revolve around Anna Riley and Anne Cavanaugh, two women with a common lover, Peter Herring. While following the lives of Anna and Anne, and revisiting familiar characters, friendships are tested and family secrets are exposed, and the ripple effects of their emotional choices poignantly rise to the surface.
Her new novel, THE HOUSE OF CAVANAUGH, revisits a family who appear in five stories in SO MUCH A PART OF YOU, and will be published by Sibylline Press in October 2025.
In the novel, 50 years after an affair between Joan Cavanaugh and Peter Hutchinson in New York, and 25 years after Joan's death, the paternity of her middle daughter is revealed and two best friends in Portland discover they share a sister.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
December 28, 2018
I received this as an ARC paperback from the Goodreads Giveaway program, and...
It was an excellent read. Did it all in one day. At first I thought, this is an 'okay' story, (the first one,) but as I read one after another I got hooked. The stories are linked in an intriguing way, which I don't want to give away. It's a simple idea, but one that eases the reader from one story ... into ... the ... next. (And sometimes the connections are not so obvious.)
And if taken separately, each story is a little gem packed with ideas and emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and will be looking for more from this author. Reminiscent of Alice Munro, one of my favorite short story authors.
It was an excellent read. Did it all in one day. At first I thought, this is an 'okay' story, (the first one,) but as I read one after another I got hooked. The stories are linked in an intriguing way, which I don't want to give away. It's a simple idea, but one that eases the reader from one story ... into ... the ... next. (And sometimes the connections are not so obvious.)
And if taken separately, each story is a little gem packed with ideas and emotions. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and will be looking for more from this author. Reminiscent of Alice Munro, one of my favorite short story authors.
February 27, 2018
This book was a miss for me. My 9 yr old daughter knows how much I love reading and love collecting books, so when for Christmas I took her to Dollar Tree to buy gifts for everyone on her list, and she ended up buying and wrapping this gift for me, I knew I had to read it - and tell her I loved it - because it was given in love. However, in this audience, I can say that this book was 228 pages of pointless reading. The synopsis is one of the most misleading pieces of drivel I have ever read.
It is six separate short stories, though I use "short story" loosely because as chapters they are very long and slow to read. The author thought that she was writing a story about 6 separate characters that all interweave into showing how people come in and out of your life for a purpose, but I didn't get that.
First is John as a child growing up with an alcoholic father and throughout the chapter, he is growing into a mean and verbally abusive teenager.
The second and third chapter is about Anna, a girl who likes to ride horses and has a crush on a boy in school. She has an alcoholic father who is very mean and it isn't until later in the third chapter you realize this is John from Chapter 1. How he got someone to marry him is lost on me, because there was nothing redeeming in his character.
Then we meet Caitlin, who is new to college and has a week-long affair with a boy and then has an abortion without ever telling him. Later on, you find out her college roommate is Anne (not to be confused with Anna - because Lord knows all of the characters aren't confusing enough the author needed to throw in an Anne/Anna spin). Anne goes abroad her Junior year and meets a boy who falls in love with her. Low and behold it is the same boy that Caitlin met Freshman year. Anne also gets pregnant and has an abortion without telling him.
Then we meet Peter, who is the boy in question, and he is in NY getting over his broken heart from Anne, when he meets Anna, from chapters 2 & 3. But then Anne comes back to tell Peter that her mom is dying and her mom wants to see him again. There is no love triangle. Anne and Anna become friendly. There is no drama whatsoever. Anne's mother dies and she goes by the wayside.
Then we meet Carolyn at 31, who's the sister of Anne though when Anne's mother was dying everyone called her Cici so you don't know it's her sister until later. She has premature twin babies who are born too early and die and she and her husband are on the verge of divorce but just maybe they'll work it out. You never find out if they do.
Then we meed Lindsey who works at an animal shelter euthanizing the animals. She pretty much hates all people. But Anna and Peter come in with their sons to have their dead dog cremated. This is how you find out Anna and Peter (not Anne and Peter) get married and have kids. See, no drama with Anne. Anna's mom died the very same way Anne's did. Now Anna's father is dead too. She's having a panic attack but thinks she's dying so they call a paramedic and we, the reader, find out he had an affair with his dead best friend's wife but it made him love his own wife more so it's ok. Anna is not dying. She just needs to breathe. The End.
If you read all that and went "what the f***" don't worry, I did too the entire time I was reading the book. All of the stories are told in the third person with a dry monotone tone of voice. It's all told so clinically, and yet with crass language. Everyone wants to have sex, is having sex, is having an abortion because of sex, or has stopped having sex. The f-word to describe sex is thrown about so cavalierly that it is off-putting. Example because I don't care enough for verbatim "Caitlin knows (the boy whose name I can't remember) has a girlfriend, but it's ok to f*** him anyway because she has nothing better to do and he is kind of cute. " "Anne didn't want to marry Peter, and she didn't want to have his baby, but this is what she get's for wanting a good f***."
I mean, really? Am I supposed to care about these characters? Nothing is told from their point of view. Reading this story is like having your neighbor tell you a three-hour story about her acquaintance's best friend, someone she has never met that you have REALLY never met, but you hear all about her life story and the story of her family members in great detail. You walk away with no additional care for these people than when you went in, and you just lost three hours of your life for nothing. That was this story. It was a creative writing class assignment gone wrong. I never ever give bad reviews, but with this one, I am clearly the odd man out because there are a ton of 4 & 5-star reviews, but for me... I can see why this book was on a Dollar Tree shelf 3 years after publication. Save yourself. Don't waste your time. As for my 9 yr old, all she'll ever hear was that this was the greatest book ever!
P.S. I won't apologize for the spoilers because if you know what's going to happen - newsflash! NOTHING!! - then maybe it will have helped you decide not to bother.
It is six separate short stories, though I use "short story" loosely because as chapters they are very long and slow to read. The author thought that she was writing a story about 6 separate characters that all interweave into showing how people come in and out of your life for a purpose, but I didn't get that.
First is John as a child growing up with an alcoholic father and throughout the chapter, he is growing into a mean and verbally abusive teenager.
The second and third chapter is about Anna, a girl who likes to ride horses and has a crush on a boy in school. She has an alcoholic father who is very mean and it isn't until later in the third chapter you realize this is John from Chapter 1. How he got someone to marry him is lost on me, because there was nothing redeeming in his character.
Then we meet Caitlin, who is new to college and has a week-long affair with a boy and then has an abortion without ever telling him. Later on, you find out her college roommate is Anne (not to be confused with Anna - because Lord knows all of the characters aren't confusing enough the author needed to throw in an Anne/Anna spin). Anne goes abroad her Junior year and meets a boy who falls in love with her. Low and behold it is the same boy that Caitlin met Freshman year. Anne also gets pregnant and has an abortion without telling him.
Then we meet Peter, who is the boy in question, and he is in NY getting over his broken heart from Anne, when he meets Anna, from chapters 2 & 3. But then Anne comes back to tell Peter that her mom is dying and her mom wants to see him again. There is no love triangle. Anne and Anna become friendly. There is no drama whatsoever. Anne's mother dies and she goes by the wayside.
Then we meet Carolyn at 31, who's the sister of Anne though when Anne's mother was dying everyone called her Cici so you don't know it's her sister until later. She has premature twin babies who are born too early and die and she and her husband are on the verge of divorce but just maybe they'll work it out. You never find out if they do.
Then we meed Lindsey who works at an animal shelter euthanizing the animals. She pretty much hates all people. But Anna and Peter come in with their sons to have their dead dog cremated. This is how you find out Anna and Peter (not Anne and Peter) get married and have kids. See, no drama with Anne. Anna's mom died the very same way Anne's did. Now Anna's father is dead too. She's having a panic attack but thinks she's dying so they call a paramedic and we, the reader, find out he had an affair with his dead best friend's wife but it made him love his own wife more so it's ok. Anna is not dying. She just needs to breathe. The End.
If you read all that and went "what the f***" don't worry, I did too the entire time I was reading the book. All of the stories are told in the third person with a dry monotone tone of voice. It's all told so clinically, and yet with crass language. Everyone wants to have sex, is having sex, is having an abortion because of sex, or has stopped having sex. The f-word to describe sex is thrown about so cavalierly that it is off-putting. Example because I don't care enough for verbatim "Caitlin knows (the boy whose name I can't remember) has a girlfriend, but it's ok to f*** him anyway because she has nothing better to do and he is kind of cute. " "Anne didn't want to marry Peter, and she didn't want to have his baby, but this is what she get's for wanting a good f***."
I mean, really? Am I supposed to care about these characters? Nothing is told from their point of view. Reading this story is like having your neighbor tell you a three-hour story about her acquaintance's best friend, someone she has never met that you have REALLY never met, but you hear all about her life story and the story of her family members in great detail. You walk away with no additional care for these people than when you went in, and you just lost three hours of your life for nothing. That was this story. It was a creative writing class assignment gone wrong. I never ever give bad reviews, but with this one, I am clearly the odd man out because there are a ton of 4 & 5-star reviews, but for me... I can see why this book was on a Dollar Tree shelf 3 years after publication. Save yourself. Don't waste your time. As for my 9 yr old, all she'll ever hear was that this was the greatest book ever!
P.S. I won't apologize for the spoilers because if you know what's going to happen - newsflash! NOTHING!! - then maybe it will have helped you decide not to bother.
October 31, 2021
I picked this book up in the most serendipitous of ways: a blind buy at a used bookstore. The cover artwork caught my eye, and I was drawn in by Dugan's unusual structure (ten standalone short stories, throughout which many of the characters connect).
There were interesting elements of So Much a Part of You that worked for me. The narrative and pacing are done very well, and I found myself curious enough after each story to continue reading and learn how the characters I just read about will interweave in future stories.
Dugan has a sort of unblinking, wide-eyed way of writing about tender, emotional moments without overdosing on sentimental prose, from childhood anger toward parents to the heaviest moments of adulthood death and loss. The most obvious comparison is to Sally Rooney; the stylistic similarities are hard to miss (and perhaps notable, So Much a Part of You came out in 2014, predating any work of Rooney's). Some of the writing — on the sentence and paragraph level — lept off the page when this was done particularly well. For example, she writes of a tense father-daughter car ride after a fight: "Anna sits with her hands folded in her lap while the heat presses against her face and silence inside the car engulfs her. The backs of her bare arms stick to the car's vinyl, and she feels the sweat slick between her shoulder blades. She looks out her window for the whole trip," (p 28).
Overall though, I came away from this book wanting more. There are moments when Dugan fires on all cylinders and there are moments where this felt a little like reading a pulpy young adult novel. The connections between the stories didn't always work for me, either. The ones that interweave the best don't exactly work as standalone stories; they seem like chapters of an unfinished novel. The connections between the stories that do really stand on their own felt forced. For example, a story about a woman who works at a humane society (which I enjoyed! It has a satirized workplace sitcom vibe, while giving the reader a window into the grisly reality of a job at an animal shelter, which involves regular decisions about which animals are adoptable and which ones should be killed) only 'connects' to another story through a single paragraph when a family from a different story comes in to schedule a pet's cremation.
There were interesting elements of So Much a Part of You that worked for me. The narrative and pacing are done very well, and I found myself curious enough after each story to continue reading and learn how the characters I just read about will interweave in future stories.
Dugan has a sort of unblinking, wide-eyed way of writing about tender, emotional moments without overdosing on sentimental prose, from childhood anger toward parents to the heaviest moments of adulthood death and loss. The most obvious comparison is to Sally Rooney; the stylistic similarities are hard to miss (and perhaps notable, So Much a Part of You came out in 2014, predating any work of Rooney's). Some of the writing — on the sentence and paragraph level — lept off the page when this was done particularly well. For example, she writes of a tense father-daughter car ride after a fight: "Anna sits with her hands folded in her lap while the heat presses against her face and silence inside the car engulfs her. The backs of her bare arms stick to the car's vinyl, and she feels the sweat slick between her shoulder blades. She looks out her window for the whole trip," (p 28).
Overall though, I came away from this book wanting more. There are moments when Dugan fires on all cylinders and there are moments where this felt a little like reading a pulpy young adult novel. The connections between the stories didn't always work for me, either. The ones that interweave the best don't exactly work as standalone stories; they seem like chapters of an unfinished novel. The connections between the stories that do really stand on their own felt forced. For example, a story about a woman who works at a humane society (which I enjoyed! It has a satirized workplace sitcom vibe, while giving the reader a window into the grisly reality of a job at an animal shelter, which involves regular decisions about which animals are adoptable and which ones should be killed) only 'connects' to another story through a single paragraph when a family from a different story comes in to schedule a pet's cremation.
March 8, 2015
I received this book as a Goodreads First-Reads giveaway. I entered the contest thinking I would receive a collection of short stories. I did, but after reading for a while I realized that the characters were connected to those in subsequent stories in various ways. The entries are arranged chronologically, starting with a Depression era tale and continuing to the present.
The end result is to bring together Peter, Anna and Anne, a young man of questionable moral compass and two young women who have loved him. Through these three young people Dugan explores the dynamics of families, relationships, love, any loyalty.
I found it hard to connect with Dugan's characters; I felt they were lightly sketched rather than fully drawn, perhaps the result of the short story format as opposed to a more traditional novel. Because of this I found myself reading one story at a time, putting the book down between vignettes then restarting later. I never got deeply involved with any of the tales, a must for me to really enjoy a book.
Not a bad read, but rather light fare. This would be a good book to read in snippets such as a lunch hour.
The end result is to bring together Peter, Anna and Anne, a young man of questionable moral compass and two young women who have loved him. Through these three young people Dugan explores the dynamics of families, relationships, love, any loyalty.
I found it hard to connect with Dugan's characters; I felt they were lightly sketched rather than fully drawn, perhaps the result of the short story format as opposed to a more traditional novel. Because of this I found myself reading one story at a time, putting the book down between vignettes then restarting later. I never got deeply involved with any of the tales, a must for me to really enjoy a book.
Not a bad read, but rather light fare. This would be a good book to read in snippets such as a lunch hour.
April 7, 2014
23rd book read in 2014.
Number 179 out of 367 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0txS...
Number 179 out of 367 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0txS...
January 17, 2016
Book Description...
"Two young women who've dated the same man navigate love, destiny, loss, and choice in this powerful debut.
Anna Riley and Anne Cavanaugh have had a lover in common, but it's not until a pivotal moment in one of their lives that their paths unforgettably converge. "Beautiful and connected in unexpected ways...." (Jodi Angel), the linked stories in So Much a Part of You "read like whispered secrets." (Scott Nadelson)
Peter Herring was the center of Anne's universe in college, and now, a few years later, he's become the center of Anna's, and merely a minor player in his ex-girlfriend's world. That is, until Peter and Anna are invited into Anne's parents' home to visit with her dying mother, and he finds himself drawn back into her orbit. Years later, when her own mother is dying, Anna will find herself yearning to reach out to Anne, with whom she had shared such a brief but intimate bond, and find solace in that moment from long ago.
Perspective evolves with time, and so with time, what Peter means to each woman-as lover, as friend, as connection to the past-also evolves. Through exploring Anne's and Anna's ties to Peter and unfolding the narratives of the people who weave meaningfully in and out of their lives, Polly Dugan reveals the power of family secrets, the ripple effects of her characters' emotional choices, and how poignantly their intertwined relationships shape who they are and how they love.
Possessing that rare ability to write the sweep of emotion with tenderness, Polly Dugan invites readers to witness the moments that define her characters-the moments that come back full circle to comfort or haunt them, or both. So Much a Part of You will break your heart and still have you asking for more."
Title: So Much a Part of You
Author: Polly Dugan
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Review
"So Much a Part of You" by Polly Dugan
What I thought about this novel...
This author presents to the reader a collection of tales where the story will connect to one another in one way or another. I will say I did have a little trouble understanding some parts of this novel's connection however, before I had finished reading the novel I was able to understand and see its connection. Most of these stories took place around the 1980's during the depression era where we found life somewhat much simpler and then it weaves on to the present time. The story was well written as the author give us a story of Peter who had quite a moral issue with two women that loved him. All the way through the read all these issues will find that these three will explore relationships, loyalty, families and even love. I found it interesting how this author was able to give the reader stories that weaved the past and present together as they are interconnected together giving the reader a look at their emotional, physical and psychological lives. As you read from each short story you will see how the characters that are well presented having been weaved into the very next story which was very well done by the author. Be ready for a collection of stories that are linked together that will have a little bit of it all from some tragedies, from accidents, grief, anxiety, to one night stands, friendships, alcoholism to even an abortion. Now, will all these stories be something you can identify with in your life?...Well, you will have to pick up this read to see if this collection to see. It will be a interesting read that may still leave you wondering.
January 14, 2015
ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
This book was a miss for me. I admit, at first I was intrigued to see how all the stories intersected, but at the end I think this is where the book fell short. It left me asking, "what is this story really about?" As the previous reviewers mentioned, the book description is misleading as the Peter, Anne, Anna love triangle was not what this entire book was about. Instead, I think Dugan's connected stories tried to show how our family history and secrets can effect and haunt the decisions and life we intend to live. The problem with using multiple short stories is that the characters were never fully developed and as a reader, I never felt a connection to any of them. The overall intent had potential but I was left uninterested and unimpressed.
Also, why would the author name two of the characters Anna and Anne? It seemed unnecessary and became annoying at times. If there was a deeper symbolism to this, it was definitely lost on me.
This book was a miss for me. I admit, at first I was intrigued to see how all the stories intersected, but at the end I think this is where the book fell short. It left me asking, "what is this story really about?" As the previous reviewers mentioned, the book description is misleading as the Peter, Anne, Anna love triangle was not what this entire book was about. Instead, I think Dugan's connected stories tried to show how our family history and secrets can effect and haunt the decisions and life we intend to live. The problem with using multiple short stories is that the characters were never fully developed and as a reader, I never felt a connection to any of them. The overall intent had potential but I was left uninterested and unimpressed.
Also, why would the author name two of the characters Anna and Anne? It seemed unnecessary and became annoying at times. If there was a deeper symbolism to this, it was definitely lost on me.
January 18, 2015
So Much a Part of You masterfully captures the physical, emotional, and psychological interconnectedness of human lives: the book reflects on the ways people insert themselves into others' lives and raises the question of whether the model of consent recognized in the book's sexual relationships might also be appropriate at the psychological and emotional level. For example, Joan intrudes into Peter's life by burdening him with the story of her adulterous past. However, unlike Joan's daughter who aborted Peter's child, Peter is unable to abort this kind of intrusion. The interplay of character narratives is mirrored at the level of genre: what, at first glance, appears to be a set of individual short stories, actually takes the form of a novel, once again raising the question of whether our lives could ever be the separable narratives they, at first glance, appear to be.
August 23, 2014
As an avid reader I'm always looking for something new and different. Some authors stories blend together and get lost in my mind over time. They tend to follow the same patterns and usually the end is predictable. Where as other authors surprise you with a story that have you wondering. So Much a Part of you is a book I will read again and again. There was never a moment where I felt like I wanted to skip a page because it started getting to dry. I wanted to read every word. This novel is so powerfully written I cannot wait for Dugans next novel. If you are looking for something fresh, new, intriguing and relatable this is the book. I give Polly Dugan a lot of credit in writing this novel.
March 21, 2014
I received this ARC in the mail today, and I'm already finished. This is a collection of stories that are connected and weaved together by reappearing characters and the themes of life, loss and love. I was immediately grabbed by the book because the author, Polly Dugan, has a way of making you feel frightened, like the 12 year old boy afraid of his alcoholic father, in the first chapter, "The Third Rail." As the stories move forward in time, Dugan makes you feel the pain and anguish of her characters over and over again! This is definitely not an uplifting read, but there is something really satisfying in how Dugan narrates the lives of her characters. Highly recommend.
May 27, 2014
I received this book as a Good Reads Giveaway. I read it all in one day. Have to admit, as I started reading it, I wasn't sold on it. But after the second story as I could begin to see the connection between the stories and the characters, I really loved it. As the stories develop it is amazing to see the character growth and how their stories mesh with each other. If you are looking for an easy read book that will keep you involved until the end, you really will enjoy this book.
March 3, 2017
its a novel writing as short stories , I love the writing style but its very dark and you feel all over the place until you connect the 10 stories together I enjoyed and would recommend it if you want to try some thing different .
Note : its has the style of Haruki Murakami short stories
Note : its has the style of Haruki Murakami short stories
March 16, 2014
If you love Adelle Waldman, you'll love this book!
July 17, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. The short stories are interconnected and leave you wanting more details about the characters. This book is at times heart breaking but I highly highly recommend it.
September 13, 2014
P.S., the Audible version's narrator is great.
July 17, 2014
Linked stories of family, secrets, friendships, love and death. Unsentimental but extremely moving.
October 17, 2014
Connected short stories. Each one is good on its own but more enjyable as you put together the connections.
September 6, 2016
I was listening. If I can't figure out what's going on after over an hour of driving, I quit. Life's too short to read / listen to bad books.
October 29, 2018
Very interesting book. I wonder why it isn’t popular! I liked the characters and the whole plot. I think it would be a very compelling TV series😍.
April 25, 2015
Interwoven short stories like Olive Kittridge. Simple, real, tender and honest.
October 27, 2015
Must read.....
May 15, 2025
This book, while slightly frustrating to read with its switching perspectives constantly, really makes you think deeper of what it is to be human.
We all make terrible mistakes, but each and every one of us is a person with stories underneath us that not everyone will know. We make judgements based on the stories we know, whether they are good or bad, but we will never ever fully understand someone. The only person that we know every story of is ourself.
We all keep our secrets, and only give people the information we want them to have, but there is experiences and memories that make each of us much deeper.
While these ideas do not defend terrible mistakes or treating people very poorly, this book does make one consider what leads each person to make their own personal decisions.
If you had interacted with that dog 10 minutes later, would it still have wanted to kill you? If someone else had been the one interacting with that dog would it still want to kill? Would that dog be put down if the situation had been slightly different, and is it your fault?
Each interaction we have contains the potential to change the course of your entire life.
We all make terrible mistakes, but each and every one of us is a person with stories underneath us that not everyone will know. We make judgements based on the stories we know, whether they are good or bad, but we will never ever fully understand someone. The only person that we know every story of is ourself.
We all keep our secrets, and only give people the information we want them to have, but there is experiences and memories that make each of us much deeper.
While these ideas do not defend terrible mistakes or treating people very poorly, this book does make one consider what leads each person to make their own personal decisions.
If you had interacted with that dog 10 minutes later, would it still have wanted to kill you? If someone else had been the one interacting with that dog would it still want to kill? Would that dog be put down if the situation had been slightly different, and is it your fault?
Each interaction we have contains the potential to change the course of your entire life.
June 1, 2017
This is a collection of related stories about a group of people who meet in college and are connected in a multitude of ways. I don't often enjoy short story collections, but when I do they are exactly like this one. I related to these stories in many ways and I thought that the characters and the ways in which we see them at different points in their lives are realistic and really well written. Besides the inclusion of one story that felt out of place, I think this is one of the better short story collections that I have read in recent years. I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 15, 2017
This was a good read. The first couple of chapters really don't reconcile with the book until towards the very end of the book. I felt as if those couple of chapters could have been the start of an entirely different book. However, the story-telling was really good, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Also, I kept getting confused with the character names and the different characters in general. There were a lot of characters mentioned throughout the book which helped further my confusion at times.
October 10, 2020
I saw this on librariesni I and I thought I'd pick it up as it seemed light hearted and not very well known.
It was a enjoyable read but I felt the connections between the 6 "short" stories were sometimes hard to connect and by the time you did you'd disengaged from the story being told. Despite this I did feel like it was a clever way to tell the story although I was unsure what the message/central character was as it didn't seem even. Some characters were mentionned much more than others so it was difficult to decide who you cared most about.
It was a enjoyable read but I felt the connections between the 6 "short" stories were sometimes hard to connect and by the time you did you'd disengaged from the story being told. Despite this I did feel like it was a clever way to tell the story although I was unsure what the message/central character was as it didn't seem even. Some characters were mentionned much more than others so it was difficult to decide who you cared most about.
April 9, 2025
I usually read novels and memoirs and must say after reading Polly Dugan’s “So Much A Part of You” I have fallen in love with short stories. I was instantly engaged in Dugan’s powerful writing skills, the mesmerizing story lines, and the characters who came to life on the page. Dugan intertwines and braids family secrets and conflicts in such a way, the reader is often caught unaware, making the twists and turns in these stories thoroughly delightful. I will not forget these characters and stories for a long time. Such a great read!
February 22, 2018
I appreciate what Polly was trying to do but it just didn't work for me. Personally, I've never been a fan of books with rotating perspectives, so that made it hard to read in itself. The book was also very slow and dragged. There was nothing going on and once I saw the connections, that became the only thing to look forward to: How the next story would connect. Reading "So Much a Part of You" felt like listening to that one friend's story who you just want to stop talking.
August 16, 2018
I would have given this four stars except for the ninth chapter that takes place in an animal shelter. I feel like it was an unnecessary and very upsetting chapter; I’m not immune to the world of pet overpopulation and know very well what a day in a shelter involves, but this seemingly had no real significance to the book. It left me feeling gutted and took so much away from an otherwise beautiful book.
July 8, 2024
This book was well written but it wasn't really for me. I love getting connected to my characters but this breezed through the characters so quickly that I never felt connected to any of them. I think Joan was my favorite character!! It was fun to see how every story intertwined but I wanted more from every story, it just felt so unfinished even though I really liked the ending. I am just so torn about my feelings here... overall, it gets a solid 3.
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