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Why Trees
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Expected 19 Jan 27“A brilliant, unexpected writer . . . Hannah Gold is giving the NYC creative class a treatment both brutal and tender in Why Trees, her genre-bending, almost irritatingly funny first collection of short stories . . . [as] if Tony Tulathimutte’s Rejection had a baby with Mary Gaitskill’s Bad Behavior.” —Lena Dunham
“The gigawattage of Hannah Gold's wit and intelligence could light up Manhattan—and in Why Trees they literally do. Read this book or I'll kill you!” —Tony Tulathimutte, author of Rejection
Accomplished critic Hannah Gold makes her fiction debut in this funny, wise, curious collection of stories exploring the glorious absurdities of life in New York City
“People suffering extreme emotional states can so easily fly under the radar in this city, don’t you find?”
Across the nine stories in Why Trees, New Yorkers find themselves spotlit on a beautiful, dysfunctional stage cluttered with artists, grifters, and eccentrics all attempting to secure increasingly scarce footholds for themselves before the curtains come down. A prolific night blogger for a feminist website uses her boyfriend as a writing chair. A reality TV family hailing from Soho meets their superfan. A journalist working for an insolvent local newsroom ventures out to an artists’ encampment on Ellis Island for one final scoop. These characters’ quests—for love, creative fulfillment, a steady paycheck, a sense of belonging—are only further complicated by the follies of city financial and emotional insecurity, vanity, propinquity, and pure chaos.
Precise but playful, wry but emotionally resonant, Why Trees introduces a charming, perceptive, original voice through these sharp and memorable portraits of characters performing for mercurial audiences, seeking connection, and straining against the boundaries that have been set for them.
“The gigawattage of Hannah Gold's wit and intelligence could light up Manhattan—and in Why Trees they literally do. Read this book or I'll kill you!” —Tony Tulathimutte, author of Rejection
Accomplished critic Hannah Gold makes her fiction debut in this funny, wise, curious collection of stories exploring the glorious absurdities of life in New York City
“People suffering extreme emotional states can so easily fly under the radar in this city, don’t you find?”
Across the nine stories in Why Trees, New Yorkers find themselves spotlit on a beautiful, dysfunctional stage cluttered with artists, grifters, and eccentrics all attempting to secure increasingly scarce footholds for themselves before the curtains come down. A prolific night blogger for a feminist website uses her boyfriend as a writing chair. A reality TV family hailing from Soho meets their superfan. A journalist working for an insolvent local newsroom ventures out to an artists’ encampment on Ellis Island for one final scoop. These characters’ quests—for love, creative fulfillment, a steady paycheck, a sense of belonging—are only further complicated by the follies of city financial and emotional insecurity, vanity, propinquity, and pure chaos.
Precise but playful, wry but emotionally resonant, Why Trees introduces a charming, perceptive, original voice through these sharp and memorable portraits of characters performing for mercurial audiences, seeking connection, and straining against the boundaries that have been set for them.
- GenresShort StoriesFiction
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication January 19, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Netgalley and Hogarth for the ebook. This is a very smart and charming book of short stories. There’s a young woman trying to cash in on being in an early version of a family reality show back when it was more of a documentary than a launching pad for influencers. A night blogger users her boyfriend as a chair one night to stand out from the sea of other bloggers. The book is filled with smart women living in New York who are trying to find their place in acting, the publishing world and even journalism. A really fun collection.
September 27, 2026
These were so boring and pedestrian, and I really struggled to finish. Each narrative felt more like a dutiful MFA exercise – the type of fiction someone would write after studying stories published by Harpers or the New Yorker – than a genuine story, by which I mean there was little to motivate the telling of them, nothing interesting happening either structurally or on the level of the sentence, and no real life either. The fact that everything was set in New York made it feel pretty parochial too. The characters are pitiful and unoriginal strivers, a little bit quirky but not at all transgressive; politics are tame; observations are plodding. I'm really not sure why this collection exists.
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
I really struggle with stream of consciousness writing, I can’t connect with it. I did find a few sentences sprinkled throughout that I rather enjoyed though.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Authors are often told "write what you know." But they should also be reminded to not ONLY write what they know. Reading through the first few stories of Hannah Gold's collection, I was convinced this was the Generation Z version of Gen X's Sex in the City or the Millennial's Girls. The protagonist only seemed to be a low-luck writer trying to make it big while hanging out with their similarly underemployed depressed friends. If you're out of that target demographic, the personality gets tiresome after a while.
Luckily Gold's repertoire seemed to enlarge as the book progressed. The book deals with difficult families, reality television, but then back to failing to make it as an artist (or author or actor or whatever). If you're stuck in late capitalism/early feudalism with a degree in the humanities and an age under thirty, these might fuel your dark sense of humor and your desperation. The rest of us might benefit from moving on.
Luckily Gold's repertoire seemed to enlarge as the book progressed. The book deals with difficult families, reality television, but then back to failing to make it as an artist (or author or actor or whatever). If you're stuck in late capitalism/early feudalism with a degree in the humanities and an age under thirty, these might fuel your dark sense of humor and your desperation. The rest of us might benefit from moving on.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"Their flimsy relationship operated on a timescale of eras coalescing into matters of historical record."
What does this mean? I have no idea but the language had a delightful taste so I enjoyed it without really absorbing the content.
"It’s overly complicated about simple things and dribbles casual down-and-out effrontery all over the carpet." Another direct quote that basically sums up this collection.
It's always funny to me when people in their late 20s are nostalgic for "when I was young", probably because I did the same thing at that age. A lot of the characters were grappling with this Saturn Return/quarter-life crisis. I made it through four short stories whose language was fun but whose plots were incomprehensible to me, both as I was reading them and especially afterward. By the end of the fourth story, I was rereading the same paragraph over and over, trying to force my brain to focus on what was being said. I couldn't get my brain to read the fifth story, so I decided to take a break.
I returned to "The Family Stan", probably my favorite of the collection. It had a plot which was understandable almost right up until the end, and included a beautiful callback tribute to the memory of the main character's father.
As with many short story collections I've read, the common thread between these tales seems to be grief. Many of the narrators have lost a parent, others are grieving a friendship or a career or simply a way of life that they've moved on from. The final story involves a middle-aged woman who has befriended the daughter of an old lover. Although she never had interest in being a mother herself, the narrator finds herself drawn to this young woman, helping her process her grief at her father's imminent death while the narrator makes peace with her own brief relationship with the man.
I admit that I am outside the target age range, so I don't expect to resonate much with the struggles of 20-something women in today's world. It's a lot different from the early-2000s world I inhabited in my 20s. But I can appreciate the struggles from a distance and wish these young women luck.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for access to a digital ARC. My honest review is my own opinion.
What does this mean? I have no idea but the language had a delightful taste so I enjoyed it without really absorbing the content.
"It’s overly complicated about simple things and dribbles casual down-and-out effrontery all over the carpet." Another direct quote that basically sums up this collection.
It's always funny to me when people in their late 20s are nostalgic for "when I was young", probably because I did the same thing at that age. A lot of the characters were grappling with this Saturn Return/quarter-life crisis. I made it through four short stories whose language was fun but whose plots were incomprehensible to me, both as I was reading them and especially afterward. By the end of the fourth story, I was rereading the same paragraph over and over, trying to force my brain to focus on what was being said. I couldn't get my brain to read the fifth story, so I decided to take a break.
I returned to "The Family Stan", probably my favorite of the collection. It had a plot which was understandable almost right up until the end, and included a beautiful callback tribute to the memory of the main character's father.
As with many short story collections I've read, the common thread between these tales seems to be grief. Many of the narrators have lost a parent, others are grieving a friendship or a career or simply a way of life that they've moved on from. The final story involves a middle-aged woman who has befriended the daughter of an old lover. Although she never had interest in being a mother herself, the narrator finds herself drawn to this young woman, helping her process her grief at her father's imminent death while the narrator makes peace with her own brief relationship with the man.
I admit that I am outside the target age range, so I don't expect to resonate much with the struggles of 20-something women in today's world. It's a lot different from the early-2000s world I inhabited in my 20s. But I can appreciate the struggles from a distance and wish these young women luck.
I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for access to a digital ARC. My honest review is my own opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to Hogarth (Will Lyman) and NetGalley for the egalley of this book.
Why Trees is an excellent collection of stories by Hannah Gold. In subject matter, the nine stories in the book share a fairly contemporary view of a segment of people in New York City struggling to make a living through creative work. We meet bloggers, writers, journalists, actors, people in publishing all hustling, struggling to make rent, cobbling together careers through odd jobs. There is almost an anthropological feel to these stories as we watch the characters negotiate a harsh environment, navigating the thin lines between success and failure, friend and foe, companionship and loneliness. They exist on the perimeter of a stable life and career doing what they love, but they can't seem to find a way to cross that line to a world of security and health insurance. There are no lucky breaks. In the story "Cute Animals," there's a sentence that could be used to describe the characters in Why Trees as people who "quietly nursed purposes much more ambitious and imaginative." There's a bit of heartbreak present in the line, an admission not of failure but of ambition thwarted. Because the struggle continues.
But that doesn't mean the stories are sad or downcast. The stories are all humorous, although they vary in the level of comedy. The first-person narrators we meet are whip-smart, sarcastic, funny, and self-deprecating but still capable of lobbing a pointed comment about someone else. All the stories convey a sense of deep observation, a sense of deep understanding of this world and how it functions, what it takes to get by. You can almost feel the effort and anxiety that it takes to live this way, and you can sense from Gold's lovingly acerbic writing that these characters wouldn't have it any other way.
Why Trees is an excellent collection of stories by Hannah Gold. In subject matter, the nine stories in the book share a fairly contemporary view of a segment of people in New York City struggling to make a living through creative work. We meet bloggers, writers, journalists, actors, people in publishing all hustling, struggling to make rent, cobbling together careers through odd jobs. There is almost an anthropological feel to these stories as we watch the characters negotiate a harsh environment, navigating the thin lines between success and failure, friend and foe, companionship and loneliness. They exist on the perimeter of a stable life and career doing what they love, but they can't seem to find a way to cross that line to a world of security and health insurance. There are no lucky breaks. In the story "Cute Animals," there's a sentence that could be used to describe the characters in Why Trees as people who "quietly nursed purposes much more ambitious and imaginative." There's a bit of heartbreak present in the line, an admission not of failure but of ambition thwarted. Because the struggle continues.
But that doesn't mean the stories are sad or downcast. The stories are all humorous, although they vary in the level of comedy. The first-person narrators we meet are whip-smart, sarcastic, funny, and self-deprecating but still capable of lobbing a pointed comment about someone else. All the stories convey a sense of deep observation, a sense of deep understanding of this world and how it functions, what it takes to get by. You can almost feel the effort and anxiety that it takes to live this way, and you can sense from Gold's lovingly acerbic writing that these characters wouldn't have it any other way.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As someone who's been in NYC for over the past decade, I enjoy reading works that center in this city, so "Why Trees" was an easy yes for me. This collection of stories is Hannah Gold's first published book and includes a myriad of narratives and characters, all told from the first person perspective of a woman.
While short stories aren't a frequently read genre of mine, I have to admit that I struggled with these - some were intriguing with unique premises ("Notes on the Boyfriend Chair" detailing the writer's use of her boyfriend as a writing seat, "The First Actor" where an actress is forced to work together with the daughter of a man she dated over two decades earlier) with characters that were dealing with a number of true-to-life circumstances: finding meaning or progressions in their careers, struggling with romantic relationships or friendships, and even just making ends meet in a capitalist society. Yet, I had difficulty connecting with any of the protagonists in these short stories and the plot and focus seemed to unfocused more often than not.
Perhaps this is just isn't the work for me, but I'm sure other readers will appreciate Gold's writing style and wit.
While short stories aren't a frequently read genre of mine, I have to admit that I struggled with these - some were intriguing with unique premises ("Notes on the Boyfriend Chair" detailing the writer's use of her boyfriend as a writing seat, "The First Actor" where an actress is forced to work together with the daughter of a man she dated over two decades earlier) with characters that were dealing with a number of true-to-life circumstances: finding meaning or progressions in their careers, struggling with romantic relationships or friendships, and even just making ends meet in a capitalist society. Yet, I had difficulty connecting with any of the protagonists in these short stories and the plot and focus seemed to unfocused more often than not.
Perhaps this is just isn't the work for me, but I'm sure other readers will appreciate Gold's writing style and wit.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
E-ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I want to thank Hogarth (Will Lyman) and NetGalley for this ARC.
Why trees is a collection of beautifully written short stories by Hannah gold that follows different people living in New York, each having a uniquely different experience.
While the writing in this book is beautiful, and the dysfunctional nature of each character feels deeply human in a way that is endearing, I unfortunately did not enjoy this book as much as I would have liked to. This is my first time reading a short story collection, so perhaps this style of writing is not meant for me, but I felt I could not connect to any character in particular and any time I came close to getting into the story, it ended. I’m definitely open and interested in reading other short story collections to explore the writing style, and would be interested in reading a novella or full length novel from this author, but this was just not for me.
Objectively, I would give this book a 3.5 stars but personally it is a 2 star read.
I want to thank Hogarth (Will Lyman) and NetGalley for this ARC.
Why trees is a collection of beautifully written short stories by Hannah gold that follows different people living in New York, each having a uniquely different experience.
While the writing in this book is beautiful, and the dysfunctional nature of each character feels deeply human in a way that is endearing, I unfortunately did not enjoy this book as much as I would have liked to. This is my first time reading a short story collection, so perhaps this style of writing is not meant for me, but I felt I could not connect to any character in particular and any time I came close to getting into the story, it ended. I’m definitely open and interested in reading other short story collections to explore the writing style, and would be interested in reading a novella or full length novel from this author, but this was just not for me.
Objectively, I would give this book a 3.5 stars but personally it is a 2 star read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I admired *Why Trees* more than I loved it. Hannah Gold has a wonderfully witty, observant voice, and there were plenty of sentences that made me stop and smile at how cleverly they captured the absurdities of modern life. The humor is dry, sharp, and often the strongest part of the collection.
That said, I never felt fully engaged by the stories themselves. While each one offers an interesting premise and keen social observations, I found myself appreciating the writing at the sentence level more than becoming invested in the characters or where the narratives were headed. The collection is consistently smart and funny, but it kept me at a slight emotional distance.
Still, if you enjoy literary fiction that prioritizes voice, wit, and incisive observations over plot, there's a lot to appreciate here. Even when a story didn't entirely resonate with me, Gold's prose almost always did.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
That said, I never felt fully engaged by the stories themselves. While each one offers an interesting premise and keen social observations, I found myself appreciating the writing at the sentence level more than becoming invested in the characters or where the narratives were headed. The collection is consistently smart and funny, but it kept me at a slight emotional distance.
Still, if you enjoy literary fiction that prioritizes voice, wit, and incisive observations over plot, there's a lot to appreciate here. Even when a story didn't entirely resonate with me, Gold's prose almost always did.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
August 18, 2026
Thank you Horgath (Will Lyman) and NetGalley for giving me an e-ARC!
I always admire reading stories of people not being quite where they want to be, but a lot closer than they think to their end goal. “Why Trees: Stories” by Hannah Gold is a collection of short stories of New Yorkers who struggle to make ends meet while working their creative jobs and pursuits.
It’s an eclectic group—the blogger’s story being my favorite—who all have bigger dreams and ambitions for their gifts but reality comes crashing down upon them. I would say, this book appeals more to those who have a somewhat more jaded look at the modern job market/economy, as there’s a lot of moments of “well, what do you expect?” However, there’s still an underlying hope that I find to be charming.
Overall, if you enjoy short story fiction with a somewhat overlapping environment, then I think you’ll enjoy this collection.
3.75/5 stars
I always admire reading stories of people not being quite where they want to be, but a lot closer than they think to their end goal. “Why Trees: Stories” by Hannah Gold is a collection of short stories of New Yorkers who struggle to make ends meet while working their creative jobs and pursuits.
It’s an eclectic group—the blogger’s story being my favorite—who all have bigger dreams and ambitions for their gifts but reality comes crashing down upon them. I would say, this book appeals more to those who have a somewhat more jaded look at the modern job market/economy, as there’s a lot of moments of “well, what do you expect?” However, there’s still an underlying hope that I find to be charming.
Overall, if you enjoy short story fiction with a somewhat overlapping environment, then I think you’ll enjoy this collection.
3.75/5 stars
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I agree with another reviewer who said they admired this collection more than they loved it. I admired the prose style and wittiness of the stories. It is evident that the author is an interesting writer with an interesting perspective. Still, I had to reread these stories to really understand them. Sometimes the quirkiness level distracted from the storytelling. You really have to sit with these stories. I would be interested to see how I process this as an audiobook. Definitely worth the read; however, if you are someone who groans about literary fiction's obsession with writers living in NYC, this is not the book for you.
Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Thank to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
September 17, 2026
Strong begining and ending but the stories in between were hard to get through.
Some too descriptive, like mapping out a story before actually telling it. Other simply boring (I feel so bad writing this!)
Overall, the first story specifically makes me want to read more from this author.
2.5 stars, meaning it was difficult to get through.
I received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Some too descriptive, like mapping out a story before actually telling it. Other simply boring (I feel so bad writing this!)
Overall, the first story specifically makes me want to read more from this author.
2.5 stars, meaning it was difficult to get through.
I received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC
Unfortunately, I just could not get into these stories. I generally do not enjoy short form content, but these stories were particularly hard to get through. The writing and messaging was unclear and, ultimately, boring. I felt like I was reading unfinished undergrad work rather than fully fleshed out published material. Maybe the stories got better as the went on but the first 2 were so bad it was a DNF for me.
Unfortunately, I just could not get into these stories. I generally do not enjoy short form content, but these stories were particularly hard to get through. The writing and messaging was unclear and, ultimately, boring. I felt like I was reading unfinished undergrad work rather than fully fleshed out published material. Maybe the stories got better as the went on but the first 2 were so bad it was a DNF for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A just ok short story collection that I really thought I was going to like more than I did. I have to truly love the writing and the specific style of short stories to fall in love with a collection so please do take this with a grain of salt! But I just felt like all the stories were the same, the characters were insufferable, and I didn’t enjoy my reading experience. This will totally work for other people though! And that gorgeous cover, obsessed!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I liked this. I really didn't identify with any of the stories, which were NYC-centric, but I could at least appreciate the writing. The author has a way with words, and realistically, has some good ideas. To me, the stories didn't really come together in any meaningful way to make me think about life and out place in it. Perhaps a younger person will see them differently.
I do like the cover, very much.
I do like the cover, very much.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am admittedly not a huge fan is short stories, and as usual this just wasn’t really for me. Each story centered on a person living in NYC, and some of them I resonated with, others not so much. More than anything, I am always left wishing the good stories were a full novel instead of a short story. The writing, however, was beautiful!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
wow this is so new york new york its a helluva town
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Random House - Hogarth and NetGalley for the ARC!
I struggled a bit to follow the thread of this book, to be honest. The confusing aspects of the story are redeems by the quirky and humorous writing. For example, the entire first chapter was about the “boyfriend chair” which initially sounded like the chair the bf sat in, then turned out to be the boyfriend himself/his lap that she sits on (that was sweet). It felt a bit like a somewhat unhinged and strangely intriguing tumblr post.
To be honest, I don’t think this book is for everyone (and I so wanted to love it). But! What were negatives for me might be exactly what makes you like the book! I think if you enjoy reading blogs, articles in sources like The New Yorker or The Atlantic, or a collection of vignettes like in Hyperbole and a Half or Anxietyland, this book might be right up your alley. Unfortunately with my goldfish brain I just kept having a hard time following.
I say try it out! Never hurts to pick up a book; you might end up loving it!
From a teacher standpoint, excerpts from this book could be used to teach students more stream-of-consciousness free writes and/or creative writing. I would recommend that usage with high school age and above.
I struggled a bit to follow the thread of this book, to be honest. The confusing aspects of the story are redeems by the quirky and humorous writing. For example, the entire first chapter was about the “boyfriend chair” which initially sounded like the chair the bf sat in, then turned out to be the boyfriend himself/his lap that she sits on (that was sweet). It felt a bit like a somewhat unhinged and strangely intriguing tumblr post.
To be honest, I don’t think this book is for everyone (and I so wanted to love it). But! What were negatives for me might be exactly what makes you like the book! I think if you enjoy reading blogs, articles in sources like The New Yorker or The Atlantic, or a collection of vignettes like in Hyperbole and a Half or Anxietyland, this book might be right up your alley. Unfortunately with my goldfish brain I just kept having a hard time following.
I say try it out! Never hurts to pick up a book; you might end up loving it!
From a teacher standpoint, excerpts from this book could be used to teach students more stream-of-consciousness free writes and/or creative writing. I would recommend that usage with high school age and above.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews