Wild Failure: Stories

by Zoe Whittall

In these raucous and poignant short stories, bestselling novelist Zoe Whittall contends with the meaning of desire for both intimacy and danger in a world that questions the validity of femininity and queerness.

In “Oh, El” a dominant woman can’t stop herself from toying with a tender heart. In “Half Pipe” a teen girl’s heterosexual ambivalence gets her in trouble at a skate park. The title story, “Wild Failure,” is about the doomed love between an agoraphobic and a wilderness hiker trapped in a passionate relationship that might ruin them both—if a mountain lion doesn’t kill them first. Living collectively in a rental house, a group of bisexual roommates find themselves the subject of a true crime podcast in “Murder at the Elm Street Collective House.” In “The Sex Castle Lunch Buffet” a femme reflects on her brief stint at a strip club in the 90s when she learns of the death of a regular client. “The Sell-Out" is a satirical look at the role of literary ambition at a time when making a living as an artist has never been more difficult.

Whittall’s characters navigate shame, attachment, and disconnection in this collection of outsider stories. Through playful prose and dark humor, Whittall’s subjects challenge what we mean by a beautiful life in this addition to the genre of outlaw literature.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Queer, LGBT, Contemporary, Canada, Feminism

224 pages, Hardcover

Published May 14, 2024

About the author

Zoe Whittall's latest novel, The Best Kind of People, spent 26 consecutive weeks on the Globe bestseller list, was shortlisted for the Giller Prize, was Indigo Best Book of the Year, Heather's Pick, Globe and Mail Best Book, Toronto Life Best Book of 2016, Walrus Magazine Best Book of 2016 . The film/TV rights have been optioned by Sarah Polley who will write and direct. She has two previous novels and three collections of poetry, and has written for the televisions shows Degrassi, Schitt's Creek, and The Baroness Von Sketch Show. She won the KM Hunter award for literature, and a Lamda Literary award for her second novel, Holding Still for as Long as Possible. Her debut, Bottle Rocket Hearts, was named one of the top ten novels of the decade by CBC Canada Reads, and one of the Best Books of 2007 by The Globe and Mail and Quill & Quire magazine. She has published three books of poetry, Precordial Thump, (exile, 08) The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life (McGilligan Books, 01) and The Emily Valentine Poems (Snare Books, 06.) The Globe and Mail called her "the cockiest, brashest, funniest, toughest, most life-affirming, elegant, scruffy, no-holds-barred writer to emerge from Montreal since Mordecai Richler…”. She was born in South Durham, Quebec, resided in Montreal during the early 1990s and has lived in Toronto since 1997.

Reviews

[Zoë · Rating 2 out of 5]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[RatGrrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

CN. I forget, but if you think you might need them, definitely look them up

I wish I wasn't so AuDHD and didn't have so much going on at the moment, so I could give this a proper review, but I absolutely loved this collection and it fully kicked my arse.

I am just going to have to read this again and do a proper review in the future. I just know I put it on a list with some of my other favourite collections:

- Managing and Other Lies by Willow Heath 
- Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez 
- Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado 
- Your Utopia by Bora Chung 
- Nineteen Claws and a Black Bird by Augustina Bazterrica 
- Reservoir Bitches by Dahlia de la Cerda 

***

Just finished before heading out, so more thoughts later, but I loved this!

[Raaven💖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was a weird little short story collection. All of the stories revolved around different experiences of queer women. Some of them got under my skin. I appreciated the way it explored aging and being queer. Most of the stories were centered around women in their mid thirties and how aging has affected them. It also explored bisexuality, being trans, and being how people few different sexualities. It had been a long time since I’ve read a short story collection and I enjoyed these. I don’t think I had a solid favorite of the bunch.

[Manleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know what made me read a book about short stories? I think I just liked the cover. Some of the stories were interesting others seemed pointless to me. I like how most of them were set in Canada and I could recognize places!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird and gay. Good.

I liked that many stories were Toronto-based. It’s fun to realize “hey, I know that place!” when reading a book - pretty rare as a Canadian.

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big Zoe Whittall fan here, and not just because she writes about things so close to my heart. Like being a queer woman, and mental health struggles, and living in Ontario!

This was a really great collection of short stories. I would like to meet Zoe and say wow holy shit you made me feel so seen, the way you write about living with anxiety felt pulled from my own brain.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the e-arc. I will continue to read everything Whittall writes and feel bummed that I'm out of the province for the Kingston Writers Fest.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of these stories just didn’t leave me with a lasting impression - they felt more like character studies that were vaguely interesting but ultimately didn’t build and release tension. There are what I assumed to be autobiographical elements throughout the collection, which sort of made the main characters across stories blend together a bit. At the same time, a point in the collection’s favour is that it feels thematically consistent. I enjoyed the subject matter and appreciated Whittall’s frank portrayals of the lives and desires of queer girls and young and aging women, and the west end of Toronto.

[Jesaka Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Zoe Whittall's books and could not wait to read her short story collection WILD FAILURE. It delivers. The 10 stories in this collection offer a range of characters who make mistakes and mess things up, but feel like people who could be the local skate park or live in your neighborhood, and so on. I pre-ordered this book after reading the second short story and can't wait to use this in one of my fiction classes this fall.

[Kelsi H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't even like short stories, but I love Zoe Whittall!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, author Zoe Whittall, and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I always forget how much I adore short story collections until I pick up one after a long time!! This was an absolute treat that I devoured in less than 24 hours. Don't get me wrong, Whittall definitely deals with a lot of serious and tough themes throughout each story, and these definitely do not have happy endings. However, each story was perfectly crafted in terms of pacing and description. I left each one wanting MORE while also being so satisfied with what I had just read, which is hard to do! Whittall also included the perfect number of stories that were easily readable and not too long. I will definitely be checking out other work by Whittall because she did an excellent job of writing complex characters, especially queer ones. There was authenticity in this collection that I was pleasantly surprised by, and I know that several of these stories I will be thinking about for days to come.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned about Zoe Whittall’s short story collection Wild Failure through her publisher on social media. I was really excited to receive a copy for review. While the stories are varied in nature, I was hoping for a more central theme to help tie everything together. While I think there is a deep sense of cleverness to many of her concepts, they lacked on execution. I personally don’t enjoy reading stories focused on trauma and was immediately put off by the opening story “Half Pipe.” The story concept I was most looking forward to was “Wild Failure,” a tale of an agoraphobic woman and her wilderness hiker partner, but I found the story anticlimactic, and really needing more background and buildup. I think many of Whittall’s ideas have potential, but I don’t think I will be returning to her writing anytime soon.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for providing me with this short story collection in exchange for my honest option.

[Stroop · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, engrossing, and often heartbreaking collection of 10 short stories. I’ve enjoyed previous works by the author and this was no exception.

Each story offers us a glimpse of a woman dealing with the realities of living in a man’s world. There is violence, disregard, disrespect and the women depicted manage to cope and sometimes persevere. The writing is full of compassion and dry humor. There isn’t always a clear resolution which adds to the beauty of the storytelling.

Thank you very much to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

[jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the breathless careening journey I’ve been craving.


Thanks to the publisher for a free review copy of this book, but also my opinions are entirely my own.


You’re going to read this book with such enthusiasm.

[Atalia Israeli-Nevo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gem! Following different queer women, in different contexts, breakups, romances and ages, Whittall's beautiful short story collection brings forth various queer experiences in a funny, sad and delicate voice. I particularly like "Wild Failure", which was heartbreaking, "This is Carrie's Whole Like" devastated me, and "A Patch of Bright Flowers" was super funny and hot. Generally speaking, her writing goes on a fine line between hilarious and truthful and hard, which is a hard balance to achieve.

[Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

Whew this was heavy. I liked it, but I felt like I needed to sit with my discomfort after a few of these stories. These vignettes into the lives of different (mostly queer) women left me feeling like I wanted more, but that I also didn’t. Often dark, and emotionally messy, these were interesting stories of complicated feelings. I won’t lie - I’m glad I read this in the summer and not during dark and dreary winter evenings.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoe Whittall is an absolute gem. I loved all of them but favourites are: Half-Pipe, Sex Castle Lunch Buffet, Murder at the Elm Street Collective House.

[Hannah Agpoon]

I wanted to write a review to explain my DNF tag. This book is written beautifully and the stories within it are engaging and I can feel how these women felt while reading it. I just cannot finish this book because of how much the stories make me feel, I would love to return to this title eventually when I am able to enjoy the stories without choking up while reading them. Zoe Whittall is an author anyone should pick up and I will be looking forwards to reading her other works.

[Lilia Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent excellent short story collection! I don’t read a lot of queer lit and would recommend it to anyone looking to read some. I read a novel by Whittall last month and it was very good - fun to read more

[Perri W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not typically a reader of short stories but this anthology was incredible. The first one started off with a bang and I was hooked until the end.

[Sam Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so thankful to PRHAudio, Ballantine Books, and Zoe Whittall for granting me advanced audio access (#free audiobook) before this collection hits shelves on August 20, 2024. I am a fan of Whittall's work and was stoked to see her create this short story collection, and trust me, I devoured it.

Told from multiple queer POVs, these stories tell tales of relationships gone awry, personalities chameleoning themselves into existence, and several coming-of-age realizations that are so eloquently positioned.

I couldn't get enough of her writing and look forward to more of her work to come.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this collection of queer short stories. It was an up-and-down collection, with some really stellar stories, and some which didn’t quite land for me.

Whittall is a good writer, but quite a few of the stories simply did not manage to capture my attention or remain terribly memorable after I read them. Some, however, are really very good; the best in the collection, I think, is the opener “Half Dome.” Some of the entries felt like they didn’t quite work in the format they were written -- the closing story, for instance, is formatted as a transcript of a podcast interview, but doesn’t read as particularly conversational, or like the way that anyone would actually talk.

In general, if you like queer literary fiction short stories, this is probably worth the read; it wasn’t my favorite, but I’ll certainly consider reading more of the author’s work.

[Bianca Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Wild Failure, Zoe Whittall delivers a bold collection of vignettes that delve into the lives of primarily queer women grappling with aging, identity, and relationships. Through standout stories like "Murder at the Elm Street Collective House," "Wild Failure," and "This Is Carrie's Whole Life," Whittall explores bisexuality, transgender experiences, and the nuanced ways different sexualities are perceived. Her unflinching portrayal of emotionally messy and dark narratives paints an intimate portrait of queer women in their mid-thirties confronting how time has shaped their lives and perspectives.
While the collection’s short story format means some pieces resonate more than others, Whittall’s cohesive vision ties them together. These stories leave readers both curious for more and satisfied with the glimpses they provide. The raw, complicated emotions throughout make for an engaging read, though potential readers should note that the content includes triggering material. Ultimately, Wild Failure stands as a weird yet captivating contribution to queer literature, authentically highlighting experiences rarely seen in mainstream fiction.

[Dorothy · Rating 2 out of 5]

These stories would likely get a B in a Creative Writing 101 class, but they are not well developed. Here’s an example: In the title story, Teprine & Jasper are on a road trip into the desert. We eventually learn that Teprine knew Jasper before they began the trip, that the relationship is basically over & they’ll break up. Why do they go through with the plan, then? Seemingly from boredom or inertia. The relationship began when they bumped into each other in a grocery store & reconnect. They’d dated when they were much younger & have both recently gone through divorce. We learn that Jasper is a trans man. Later Teprine remembers telling a friend that she’d always wanted to date a trans man. A great premise for a story: Meeting someone you once dated & who’s meanwhile transitioned. The attraction is still there. Presumably Jasper’s transition would change something in their renewed affair, but how much of any change would be this change in Jasper? How much would be because they’ve both grown older, have more life experience & perhaps maturity?
But the story doesn’t go there. The story’s events, through Teprine’s eyes, are flat. She seems filled with ennui: at this late date in their affair they still have a strong physical connection but nothing else. She & Jasper are utterly flat, empty characters who drift through their meaningless lives with almost no self-awareness except for their sexuality. There’s so little else here for a reader to connect with. Teprine doesn’t seem to to be very interested in her life & so neither are we.

[Tyra Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)
Given the reviews I wish I liked this more. However, only a few short stories stood out to me whereas others fell flat. I feel as if the first few stories are very strong and the last few seem to lose that spark. However, I enjoyed that the author explored themes of aging, queerness, femininity, SA, mental illness and death with a fresh outlook. I especially enjoyed the story ‘Half Pipe’ and ‘Wild Failure’. ‘I’m Still Your Fag’ and ‘Murder at the Elm Street Collective House’ were among the ones that just didn’t seem to stand out to me.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5*

[YourBookishLife · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this latest collection of short stories, Zoe gives us a window into the honest and interesting lives of some amazing characters.

I’m embarrassed to admit this is my first Zoe Whittall book. She’s been on my list for years, but I just never got around to it. I saw her speak once at a literary festival, so I had a hunch I would fall head over heels for her work. I was not wrong. This book is perfection. I loved every single story in it.

I always forget how much I love reading short stories. I have no idea why. The art of crafting a good short story is, in many ways, harder than a full book. You need to develop the characters enough that we understand something about them; we need enough plot to draw us in, but not so much that we’re overwhelmed, and all in short order. I can say with confidence that Zoe is a master. Reading her short stories is like being air-dropped into the characters’ lives and getting a delirious glimpse of their world.

It’s hard to pick a favourite amongst the collection, but the title story, “Wild Failure” is up there. Teprine is agoraphobic and she’s dating Jasper, a nature lover. They have little in common but their passionate sex life and a desire to not be alone. We follow them on their trip to Tucson and things do indeed, get wild, while on a hike.

In all of her stories, Zoe’s work feels unfiltered and raw. There is a shocking honesty about it. And the words, my gosh the words, are put together in such beautiful configurations, I nearly wept over many sentences.

If you love words and queer stories, definitely put this one on your list. Now, please excuse me as I go order Zoe’s entire back catalogue.

Click on the link to read more of our reviews on our blog: https://yourbookishlife.com/book-revi...

[Sapphire Detective · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really isn't the year for me to actually do short story collections in the way that I used to, because I don't really want to focus on any of the stories in here either. Not that they were bad, just that none were jump out memorable as I hoped they'd be. Best one I think was "Murder at the Elm Street Collective House," but even that wasn't the greatest. Maybe it's because I put nearly two weeks since finishing this before writing this review, but I barely remember most of these stories anyways. Was it worth the reading? Sure. And I'll probably read more of her books too. But I'm unsure if I'd ever read this again. Also, looking back I think there's a story missing but I can't remember what that story'd be.

Half-Pipe - 3/5
Wild Failure - 4/5
More Holy - 3/5
Oh, El - 3/5
A Patch of Bright Flowers - 4/5
This Is Carrie's Whole Life - 4/5
The Sex Castle Lunch Buffet - 5/5
I Need a Miracle - 4/5
I'm Still Your Fag - 3/5
Murder at the Elm Street Collective House - 5/5

My rating: 3.8/5 (rounded up)
Would I own/re-read?: Probably not.
TW: Death, Murder, Abuse, Grooming, CSA, Prostitution
Does the animal die?: There's a reference to a lamb in one of the stories, but I don't remember any stories focusing on the death of animals.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of the stories are well-written, but it took me a while to push past the first few stories, all of which involved some manner of sexual assault/threat of violence toward a queer person (I at least appreciated that they were all complex queer characters). It just wasn't what I was in the mood to read at this particularly fraught moment in time. But I'm glad I kept reading because after about the halfway point the stories picked up and had some interesting things to say about mental health, ambition (or lack thereof), and sense of self. There's kind of a funny meta moment in the story "A Patch of Bright Flowers" that alludes to how some readers may view Whittall's stories (in an ungenerous mood, of course). "I Need a Miracle" is probably the strongest story of the bunch.

On a side note, I was delighted to get to the author bio at the end of the book and learn that Whittall wrote on Schitt's Creek and Degrassi: The Next Generation (!!). Canada truly does seem like the smallest world.

[Elizabeth Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Content Warnings: Unhealthy Relationships, Assault (Physical, Sexual), Mental Health (OCD, Agoraphobia, Anxiety, Panic Attacks), Miscarriage

For the sex repulsed, many stories feature graphic sexual content.

Whittall's collection of short stories succeeds at representing numerous queer identities and types of relationships, as well as complex and messy characters. However, when judging a collection, there are always going to be one or more stories you may like. I tend to rate collections based on how many I liked and I remembered after reading. Based on that, I'm rating this as a middling collection. There were really only 2 stories that stuck with me: "A Patch of Bright Flowers" and "Murder at the Elm Street Collective House." "A Patch of Bright Flowers" exploration of writing, aging, and lesbian dynamics was great, and "Murder at the Elm Street Collective House" offered both an intriguing story and a good critique of the True Crime genre.

[Kenzie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normally when I read a collection of short stories I’ll stumble across a few I hate and a few I love. When I say I didn’t like a single story… I DIDN’T LIKE A SINGLE STORY! They were all uncomfortable to say the least with a common theme of young x old couples. Over 18 is one thing, but 12 years old? NAHH Not for me!

The craziest part about this entire read is that I actually finished it. I simply could not add another novella to the DNF pile. It was literally under 200 pages. I forced myself to prevail. No matter how uncomfortable I was. Probably the first book I’ve ever given a 1/5-star rating. For a little bit I suggested maybe a 2/5-star rating, but the longer I read the harder it became to grant that mercy.

My thanks to Random House Publishing (Ballantine) and NetGalley for the Digital ARC. This book is ALREADY OUT!!! Go check it out for yourself and see what you think!