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In the Bedroom: Seven Stories
The seven stories collected here--including "Killings," the basis for Todd Field’s award-winning film "In the Bedroom"--showcase legendary writer Andre Dubus’s sheer narrative mastery in a book of quietly staggering emotional power.
A father in mourning contemplates the unthinkable as the only way to allay his grief. A boy must learn to care for his younger brother when their mother leaves the family. A young woman who has never lacked lovers despairs of ever finding love itself, and then makes an accidental discovery that brings her real joy. Culled from Dubus’s treasured collections Selected Stories and Dancing After Hours, these beautiful stories of people at pivotal moments in their lives are some of the most bewitching and profound in American fiction.
A father in mourning contemplates the unthinkable as the only way to allay his grief. A boy must learn to care for his younger brother when their mother leaves the family. A young woman who has never lacked lovers despairs of ever finding love itself, and then makes an accidental discovery that brings her real joy. Culled from Dubus’s treasured collections Selected Stories and Dancing After Hours, these beautiful stories of people at pivotal moments in their lives are some of the most bewitching and profound in American fiction.
148 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
20 people are currently reading
815 people want to read
About the author
Andre Dubus
93 books268 followersAward-winning author Andre Dubus II (1936–1999) has been hailed as one of the best American short story writers of the twentieth century. Dubus’s collections of short fiction include Separate Flights (1975), Adultery & Other Choices (1977), and Dancing After Hours (1996), which was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. Another collection, Finding a Girl in America, features the story “Killings,” which was adapted into the critically acclaimed film In the Bedroom (2001), starring Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, and Marisa Tomei. His son Andre Dubus III is also a writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
October 26, 2020
It has become clear to me that the late Andre Dubus is not really a great writer but an important one, if that makes sense. This collection is not extraordinary for any other fact than how truly ordinary all these tales of familial devotion, hatred & heartbreak are. For some reason the three stories that deal in depth with death, if not murder, resonate the most with me.
December 31, 2012
Like delicate beings who live precarious lives on the skin of a soap bubble, Dubus's fictional characters inhabit space that is recognizable, heartbreaking and real. Even minor characters in his short stories still feel fully realized - a testament to superb writing that can give the reader the weight of the man (or woman) in a single sentence. In this collection of beautiful stories (all very good), "Rose" stands out an example of Dubus's power to capture the fragility of humanity, the unfathomable depths of our brokenness and our capacity for redemption.
November 4, 2010
My ESL student and I are now reading this book together. She (we) had enjoyed another of Dubus's books, Dancing After Hours: Stories , so this seemed like a logical choice. This has helped to boost her vocabulary, but occasionally the symbolism requires discussing, which is also beneficial to her. My student has remarked with a note of humor several times how long many of his sentences are!
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Dubus had the exceptional talent of plumbing human emotion, from the depths of despair and heartbreak to the intensity of joy or delight. While reading this book I felt totally immersed by his vivid description of each character's experience. Each story was devoted to an individual at a pivotal period in life. The author expertly delved into each nuance of the problems at hand.
Many are familiar with the movie, "In The Bedroom". Although this is the title of this book, the first story from which it was taken is entitled, "Killings". It clearly and intensely describes the horror and depression of the parents of a slain young man. These emotions are further emphasized by the fact that they live in the small town where the murder is free to function and roam. The solution to their dilemma is presented to the reader with amazing emotional impact.
My favorite tale is, "Rose", which seems to start in a slow, enigmatic fashion. As I read, I was involved completely with this woman, who appeared initially to be apathetic and aloof. Much was revealed as Dubus penetrated her life and her psychology. This was a fine example of his sensitivity and his expert ability to narrate in either a male's or female's voice.
I am pleased that I have discovered the prose of this author and intend to explore more of his writing.
*******************************************************
Dubus had the exceptional talent of plumbing human emotion, from the depths of despair and heartbreak to the intensity of joy or delight. While reading this book I felt totally immersed by his vivid description of each character's experience. Each story was devoted to an individual at a pivotal period in life. The author expertly delved into each nuance of the problems at hand.
Many are familiar with the movie, "In The Bedroom". Although this is the title of this book, the first story from which it was taken is entitled, "Killings". It clearly and intensely describes the horror and depression of the parents of a slain young man. These emotions are further emphasized by the fact that they live in the small town where the murder is free to function and roam. The solution to their dilemma is presented to the reader with amazing emotional impact.
My favorite tale is, "Rose", which seems to start in a slow, enigmatic fashion. As I read, I was involved completely with this woman, who appeared initially to be apathetic and aloof. Much was revealed as Dubus penetrated her life and her psychology. This was a fine example of his sensitivity and his expert ability to narrate in either a male's or female's voice.
I am pleased that I have discovered the prose of this author and intend to explore more of his writing.
December 10, 2024
Carver's stories leave you on your own, as if saying that this is how things are, now you have to go and make up your own mind. Dubus is similar. And yet, there is a certain warmth and simplicity, as if saying, this is how things are and we are stuck in time but I am here to lead the way.
"A Father's Story" is larger-than-life more than the expression can ever wish for.
"One night during their after-dinner walk Carrie talked sadly of night, of how darkness made her more aware of herself, and at night she did not know why she was in college, why she studied, why she was walking the earth with other people. They were standing on a wooden foot bridge looking down at a dark pond. Carrie kept talking; perhaps soon she would cry. Suddenly Louise said: "I'm sick of lettuce. I never want to see a piece of lettuce for the rest of my life. I hate it. We shouldn't even buy it, it's immoral."
"A Father's Story" is larger-than-life more than the expression can ever wish for.
"One night during their after-dinner walk Carrie talked sadly of night, of how darkness made her more aware of herself, and at night she did not know why she was in college, why she studied, why she was walking the earth with other people. They were standing on a wooden foot bridge looking down at a dark pond. Carrie kept talking; perhaps soon she would cry. Suddenly Louise said: "I'm sick of lettuce. I never want to see a piece of lettuce for the rest of my life. I hate it. We shouldn't even buy it, it's immoral."
April 8, 2008
"A Father's Story" is on my top 5 short stories list. It might even be #1. Dubus's writing makes me ache - it is so beautiful, revelatory, and yet desperate, and searching. Really transcendent stuff. It's tough to make readers feel very deeply--especially in 25 pages or less--and in these stories, the author succeeds.
October 15, 2017
I liked this collection of stories better than his other work I read also today (we don't live here anymore). The writing style is so important to capturing the feelings and it is done well here!
October 1, 2009
This collection is a series of short stories by Dubus culled from his other works and is ostensibly patterned around stories that handle people at pivotal moments in their lives. I found this theme to be what was ultimately so moving about this collection of work, particularly reading the stories all together.
The first story, "Killings" was the basis for the movie In The Bedroom as the preface by Todd Field illuminates, and incidentally, I found "Killings" to be one of the least compelling stories in the book, perhaps because it really would make a better movie (and thus, why I am now dying to see the movie In The Bedroom).
What I found most interesting about the stories was the idea of loss as indicated by a change in one's state of mind or quality of living. Each story dealt with the idea that something big has happened and then investigated whether things could or could not go back to the way they were before. Whether this end was sought through some sort of atonement, or reminiscence, or a physical action, this return to when times were better of different was a string throughout. It felt a bit like a thought that guided you by the hand through each story, making each one richer than the one before it.
All of these stories have a heartbreaking resonance with the human spirit that is a testament to Dubus' skills as a writer. He is king of the shory story, for each of his stories is exactly as long as it needs to be, and he provides the exact amount of detail necessary to satiate the reader without limiting the capacity for reader response. As a writer of short stories, it was really a treat to see someone so adept at the genre make such skill seem so effortless.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone, but particular to those who are fans of the short story format, for it is on excellent display here. My favorite stories in the book are "Rose," "The Winter Father," and "The Fat Girl," but all of them are excellent, excellent stories and I can't wait to read more Dubus.
The first story, "Killings" was the basis for the movie In The Bedroom as the preface by Todd Field illuminates, and incidentally, I found "Killings" to be one of the least compelling stories in the book, perhaps because it really would make a better movie (and thus, why I am now dying to see the movie In The Bedroom).
What I found most interesting about the stories was the idea of loss as indicated by a change in one's state of mind or quality of living. Each story dealt with the idea that something big has happened and then investigated whether things could or could not go back to the way they were before. Whether this end was sought through some sort of atonement, or reminiscence, or a physical action, this return to when times were better of different was a string throughout. It felt a bit like a thought that guided you by the hand through each story, making each one richer than the one before it.
All of these stories have a heartbreaking resonance with the human spirit that is a testament to Dubus' skills as a writer. He is king of the shory story, for each of his stories is exactly as long as it needs to be, and he provides the exact amount of detail necessary to satiate the reader without limiting the capacity for reader response. As a writer of short stories, it was really a treat to see someone so adept at the genre make such skill seem so effortless.
I would recommend this book to just about anyone, but particular to those who are fans of the short story format, for it is on excellent display here. My favorite stories in the book are "Rose," "The Winter Father," and "The Fat Girl," but all of them are excellent, excellent stories and I can't wait to read more Dubus.
July 9, 2007
I find the same things wrong with Dubus that I find with Alice Munro. Both are clearly talented, gifted writers, I just can't get into really bloated short stories. I always want my short stories under 20 pages long. My feeling is that there has GOT to be some superflous stuff going on if you can't write the story in less than 10,000 words. If a "short story" is going to be 30+ pages, it better be damn good and tight as all get out. I feel the same away about novels... if someone writes a novel over 400 pages, there sure as heck better not be 50 wasted pages. What has happened to great editors? Man, I long for the glory days when folks like Maxwell Perkins just started lopping off pages at will.
June 23, 2024
I started this book on vacation. I love that I gravitate toward heavy short stories. These are well-crafted and full of people dealing with heavy shit.
April 13, 2024
3.5/5
The story "Rose" is incredibly boring and longwinded, but the rest of the collection has a quiet mundanity to it that is almost infectious in its simplicity. There are no real plots in any story or, if there are, they take a backseat to the interactions between the characters.
The story "Rose" is incredibly boring and longwinded, but the rest of the collection has a quiet mundanity to it that is almost infectious in its simplicity. There are no real plots in any story or, if there are, they take a backseat to the interactions between the characters.
February 14, 2011
Dubis, Andre. In the Bedroom. New York: Vintage Books, 2002.
“In the Bedroom” by Andre Dubis is a collection of seven of Dubis’ short stories. Each short story tells a tale of everyday life in the perspective of a character described so well that the reader may think, just for a short while, that they are that character. Dubis writes about the most critical part of a characters life, one that defines them. He writes about the raw moment of truth. For any fiction story, this is as real as it gets.
“Killings” is one of the best well written stories. It begins at a funeral and the reader does not know what happened or how it happened. It soon becomes clear that the killer of deceased young man is still walking around the streets on bail and no one is happy about it. The short story is about the main character, Matt, the father of the deceased, seeking his revenge, for himself and for his wife. This story kept me reading until the very end and I felt suspenseful the whole time.
“Rose” is an intense tale of a young woman who didn’t stand up for herself or her family while in an abusive relationship and how that led to the loss of her children. She is caught in-between her emotions and does not know what to do when her husband hurts their children. Dubis writes, “’Little flowers,’ she said to me. ‘They were like little flowers in the sun. They never could remember the frost.’”
In her struggle to save her children, Rose realizes it was too late; she cannot redeem herself from the horrible mother she has been. It is a riveting tall that truly tugged at my heart, but it was far to long. The first few pages could have been deleted, as they do not relate to the real story that is shining through the pages.
I did find myself confused about midway through the book. Dubis seems to only know five or six names for characters and recycles them in each story. As I was reading, I noticed multiple Richards and Steves. I started to apply characteristics of one Steve to the other Steve, which did not make much sense as I kept reading.
Dubis also uses the same setting. All these stories take place in Massachusetts and one place that is referenced in almost all of the stories is the Merrimack River. I think as a fiction writer, Dubis should have come up with new names and places. It becomes confusing and all the stories start to mesh together.
As it is seven short stories, I felt like as soon as one ended, I was starting a whole new book and had to allow myself time to get back into the story and wait for the characters to develop, but I felt it was worth it.
Dubis’s ability to take the reader into a character’s life and make the reader experience the emotional rollercoaster most of the characters are going through is impeccable. These stories are a raw look into what really happens in someone’s life, with no intention to skip out on the truth. By the end of the book, I had experienced hate, regret, love, beauty, hopelessness and hopefulness. If you are looking for a book to take you into an emotional rollercoaster, this is it.
“In the Bedroom” by Andre Dubis is a collection of seven of Dubis’ short stories. Each short story tells a tale of everyday life in the perspective of a character described so well that the reader may think, just for a short while, that they are that character. Dubis writes about the most critical part of a characters life, one that defines them. He writes about the raw moment of truth. For any fiction story, this is as real as it gets.
“Killings” is one of the best well written stories. It begins at a funeral and the reader does not know what happened or how it happened. It soon becomes clear that the killer of deceased young man is still walking around the streets on bail and no one is happy about it. The short story is about the main character, Matt, the father of the deceased, seeking his revenge, for himself and for his wife. This story kept me reading until the very end and I felt suspenseful the whole time.
“Rose” is an intense tale of a young woman who didn’t stand up for herself or her family while in an abusive relationship and how that led to the loss of her children. She is caught in-between her emotions and does not know what to do when her husband hurts their children. Dubis writes, “’Little flowers,’ she said to me. ‘They were like little flowers in the sun. They never could remember the frost.’”
In her struggle to save her children, Rose realizes it was too late; she cannot redeem herself from the horrible mother she has been. It is a riveting tall that truly tugged at my heart, but it was far to long. The first few pages could have been deleted, as they do not relate to the real story that is shining through the pages.
I did find myself confused about midway through the book. Dubis seems to only know five or six names for characters and recycles them in each story. As I was reading, I noticed multiple Richards and Steves. I started to apply characteristics of one Steve to the other Steve, which did not make much sense as I kept reading.
Dubis also uses the same setting. All these stories take place in Massachusetts and one place that is referenced in almost all of the stories is the Merrimack River. I think as a fiction writer, Dubis should have come up with new names and places. It becomes confusing and all the stories start to mesh together.
As it is seven short stories, I felt like as soon as one ended, I was starting a whole new book and had to allow myself time to get back into the story and wait for the characters to develop, but I felt it was worth it.
Dubis’s ability to take the reader into a character’s life and make the reader experience the emotional rollercoaster most of the characters are going through is impeccable. These stories are a raw look into what really happens in someone’s life, with no intention to skip out on the truth. By the end of the book, I had experienced hate, regret, love, beauty, hopelessness and hopefulness. If you are looking for a book to take you into an emotional rollercoaster, this is it.
June 6, 2014
What a talent! I feel like I discovered a precious secret about living that I must keep to myself in order to maintain its authenticity. What beautifully constructed stories, revelatory in their heartbreaking descriptions of the subtleties of our interior lives. I could recognize flashes of Flannery O'Connor in stories like "A Father's Story" and "All the Time in the World," but the rest of this collection struck me as profoundly original and inimitable. These stories will become a part of my everyday consciousness, not as a reader, but as a human being.
May 8, 2017
This writer is brilliant! How he delves into not only the minute crevices of his characters lives, but into the pangs of their souls with delicate, heart-aching clarity is simply masterful. So much pain, so much beauty. I can't wait to read more from this writer.
Read
March 3, 2009Read "The Killings" and really liked it.
April 27, 2012
Andre Dubus was such a brilliant writer. I've just started this collection, but the two I've read have ripped out my heart, then kindly returned it, but with a different beat. ~
February 12, 2016
This was a beautiful book, and deeply moving. The story, "A Winter Father" is hinged to my soul.
June 12, 2018
Interesting stories...I read his autobiography some time ago...it was really fascinating...so I can see how his life has influenced these stories. Good way to get some different perspectives.
February 6, 2019
These are quiet but deeply affecting stories. Dubus's style drives the emotion of these plot lines. Read slowly and savor.
September 20, 2023
I read this as a fan of Andre Dubus’s son, Andre Dubus III, who wrote the legendary House of Sand and Fog which was also made into one of my favorite movies of all time. I’m also a fan of Todd Field, who went from being the bat boy for the Portland Mavericks in the documentary The Battered Bastards of Baseball to making his directional feature debut with In the Bedroom, which is based on the first story in this collection, “Killings.” He also made a short film based on the fifth story in this collection, “Delivering.” He writes in the preface about how much he admired Dubus as a person and a writer.
It’s clear that both generations of Andre Dubus have a thing for depressing stories about families falling apart. Seems like almost everything they write involves divorce, separation, or strained relationships among lovers or family members. Dubus III recently wrote a memoir called Townie about his relationship with his dad, which I’m excited to read at some point.
This book opens with “Killings,” a story I already knew from the feature length version. Despite being a 130-minute movie, the original story is only 21 pages. It felt a little thin in that sense, just because the movie is so fleshed out. It was still solid though. Dubus is an interesting writer; he loves his colons and semicolons perhaps more than any writer I’ve ever read.
The second story, “The Winter Father,” is a simple and sad one about a dad of two young children dealing with his divorce and only getting to see his kids occasionally. Then there’s “Rose,” which is the longest and probably most disturbing story. In typical Dubus fashion, it involves a strained marriage, but it also involves child abuse, fire, and murder. It was really hard to read. The fourth story, “The Fat Girl,” was a little different, focusing on a girl struggling with her weight.
The fifth story “Delivering,” the inspiration for Field’s 1993 short film, was definitely my least favorite of the seven. It was just a little more boring than all the rest. It was two brothers dealing with, what else, their parents’ strained marriage. It was cool to see where Field’s brief but unique directorial career began though. His three feature films have combined for a whopping 14 Oscar nominations.
The sixth one, “A Father’s Story,” is kind of a similar premise to “The Winter Father” in that it’s a dad dealing with his wife leaving him. It takes an interesting turn, though, with his grown-up daughter getting into a car crash and coming to him for help. There were some hard-to-read scenes in this one as well.
Then the last story, “All the Time in the World,” ends on somewhat of an optimistic note after an overall-depressing book. It’s about a girl with normal struggles, including with relationships, but she seems to find someone by the end of her story. It leaves the rest of their story open-ended, but it still provides a glimmer of hope.
I really liked my first taste of Dubus, who only write short stories in his career. I’m more intrigued to read the rest of Dubus III’s novels and memoir, though.
My next book is American Animals: A True Crime Memoir by Eric Borsuk.
It’s clear that both generations of Andre Dubus have a thing for depressing stories about families falling apart. Seems like almost everything they write involves divorce, separation, or strained relationships among lovers or family members. Dubus III recently wrote a memoir called Townie about his relationship with his dad, which I’m excited to read at some point.
This book opens with “Killings,” a story I already knew from the feature length version. Despite being a 130-minute movie, the original story is only 21 pages. It felt a little thin in that sense, just because the movie is so fleshed out. It was still solid though. Dubus is an interesting writer; he loves his colons and semicolons perhaps more than any writer I’ve ever read.
The second story, “The Winter Father,” is a simple and sad one about a dad of two young children dealing with his divorce and only getting to see his kids occasionally. Then there’s “Rose,” which is the longest and probably most disturbing story. In typical Dubus fashion, it involves a strained marriage, but it also involves child abuse, fire, and murder. It was really hard to read. The fourth story, “The Fat Girl,” was a little different, focusing on a girl struggling with her weight.
The fifth story “Delivering,” the inspiration for Field’s 1993 short film, was definitely my least favorite of the seven. It was just a little more boring than all the rest. It was two brothers dealing with, what else, their parents’ strained marriage. It was cool to see where Field’s brief but unique directorial career began though. His three feature films have combined for a whopping 14 Oscar nominations.
The sixth one, “A Father’s Story,” is kind of a similar premise to “The Winter Father” in that it’s a dad dealing with his wife leaving him. It takes an interesting turn, though, with his grown-up daughter getting into a car crash and coming to him for help. There were some hard-to-read scenes in this one as well.
Then the last story, “All the Time in the World,” ends on somewhat of an optimistic note after an overall-depressing book. It’s about a girl with normal struggles, including with relationships, but she seems to find someone by the end of her story. It leaves the rest of their story open-ended, but it still provides a glimmer of hope.
I really liked my first taste of Dubus, who only write short stories in his career. I’m more intrigued to read the rest of Dubus III’s novels and memoir, though.
My next book is American Animals: A True Crime Memoir by Eric Borsuk.
May 15, 2019
[2002] I'm giving this book of short stories 4-stars, because the ones I liked I really liked. Nothing too dramatic (mostly), just slice of life kind of stuff. Relationships. Divorces, fathers and daughters, young women looking for love, and the like. He could cover a lot of years without my feeling like I missed something which isn't always easy to do in a short story. All felt very real. Real people, real places, real situations, real conversations.
July 27, 2023
In my quest to read everything by American writer Andre Dubus II, who I consider one of my favorite writers, I also aim to see which of his two "collected" volumes is superior. I can tell you now that it's this one. "Kilings", "Rose", "The Fat Girl", "The Winter Father", "Delivering", "A Father's Story", and "All The Time in the World" all stories I'd give five stars easily. If you are new to Andre Dubus, start here. If you aren't hooked with these seven you're not going to be.
January 2, 2017
Andre Dubus writes from a man's perspective and with genuine sensitivity about relationships in this collection of stories, In the Bedroom. Life certainly gets lively in and around Boston and along the Merrimack river. Hope to see this part of America sometime soon, it's people sound much the same as folks around Washington state.
November 11, 2019
A book of short stories by a master writer. A good short story tells a complete story in a few pages - Dubus was a master short story writer and won many awards. His stories range from horror to utter joy to acceptance. A good book for a quick read; seven stories are included here. So far, in my readings I prefer the short stories of Dubus over his novels.
August 18, 2020
The first story in this collection is the strongest; the next two are also moving. It’s as Dubus starts writing from a woman’s perspective that the writing and insight gets weaker. He may understand men, sex and Catholicism, but he doesn’t understand women.
May 7, 2025
Top three collection of all time for me. This beat Denis Johnson by a long shot.
Amazing, unflinching looks at the movements of the heart and realistic depictions of faith. And prose to absolutely die over.
Amazing, unflinching looks at the movements of the heart and realistic depictions of faith. And prose to absolutely die over.
June 15, 2025
Dubus' writing is sensuous in a way that I love and just sucks you into the story, and the way he sheds light on his characters is frighteningly insightful. Great collection that I'm glad I took my time with, I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for more of his work.
July 23, 2017
Have read 'The Killings' and 'The Winter Father' in this collection so far, and both packed a quiet contained emotional punch. Excited to read the rest.
December 23, 2017
A masterful story teller. His characters and insights live on long after you close the book.
May 26, 2021
Dubus has a style definitely his own. There are some entertaining stories in this one. Most explore the human condition, loss, parenthood from the dad's perspective.
March 10, 2024
DNF. The promise was there but the overflow of Stuff People Skip Over stifled what remained.
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