Cat Person: Storys

by Kristen Roupenian

Mann und Frau. Mutter und Tochter. Freunde und Freundinnen. In zwölf Stories erkundet Kristen Roupenian das Lebensgefühl von Menschen in einer schönen neuen Welt. Fragile Hierarchien und prekäre Lebenssituationen auf der einen, das Bedürfnis nach Sicherheit und Spaß auf der anderen Seite: Alles ist möglich, aber wer sind wir, wenn wir alles sein können? Mit so viel Einsicht in die Wünsche und Ängste des Einzelnen hat man noch nicht über das Zusammenleben in dieser neuen Zeit gelesen - einer Zeit, in der alles greifbar ist, und es doch immer schwerer wird, auch nur das Geringste davon zu erreichen.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Horror, Contemporary, Feminism, Audiobook, Literary Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 15, 2019

About the author

I graduated from Barnard College in May of 2003. A few weeks later, I left for Kenya with the Peace Corps, where I spent two years teaching Public Health and HIV education at a small orphans' center a few hours from the Ugandan border. During that time, I began learning Swahili and first encountered the literary magazine that later became the focus of my dissertation. Once I returned home, I worked as a teacher's aide, a cashier at a bookstore, a freelance reporter, a nanny, and a research coordinator at Mass General Hospital before enrolling in the PhD program in English at Harvard in the fall of 2007.

My primary field of study is postcolonial and transnational literatures, with an emphasis on contemporary African fiction. My dissertation, "Dodging the Language Question: English, Politics, and the Life of a Kenyan Literary Magazine," investigates the artistic and linguistic strategies employed by the literary magazine Kwani? during a period of intense social and political upheaval. Since I've been at Harvard, I've been lucky enough not only to be able to return to Nairobi to continue my research, but to invite the editor of Kwani? to campus to speak before an enthusiastic gathering of undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. Last summer, I also received a grant to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I volunteered at the Salaam Kivu International Film Festival and met a wide range of talented artists from from all over eastern and central Africa. One of the most rewarding opportunities I've had during my time here has been working as a research assistant for Caroline Elkins when she served as an expert witness on behalf of Mau Mau veterans who are suing the British government because of atrocities committed during the colonial period. You can read more about that fascinating subject here and here.

My teaching philosophy, which emphasizes clarity, cultural sensitivity, and ethical engagement, stems directly from my time as an educator with the Peace Corps. In addition to my two junior tutorials for English majors ("How to Write About Africa" and "The New Global Novel") I've worked as a TF in a variety of departments and programs at Harvard, including English, African and African American Studies, and Gen Ed. I am currently a tutor in History and Literature, advising junior and senior theses in the postcolonial field. I also teach in the wider Boston community in my role as a Community Awareness and Prevention volunteer with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center.

Reviews

[Roxane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well. The stories are well written. They are. But I didn’t like this book. It’s so bleak. There is no joy, no air in these stories. There is nothing wrong with that but it didn’t make for a great reading experience. So many of the stories were flat. Garish without heart or soul. Violent and grotesque without purpose. There isn’t a character or story I will remember with fondness. The characters were often flat, caricatures. I can’t say I will remember much of this book at all. I really tried to like this one. It might be for you so if you like dark short stories check it out.

[emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

turns out a story going viral for being controversial and potentially plagiarized is maybe not the best sign of literary quality.

i wanted to read this purely out of my love of drama, and drama is what i got. in a way.

this was the literary equivalent of a 13 year old who shops at hot topic because it's the edgiest thing she can possibly imagine. every story tried to one up itself in gruesomeness and shock value, and instead revealed an unnuanced, stupid perspective on a world populated with evil, simple men and women who are twisted but whose personalities and flaws come solely from the wickedness of the patriarchy, not due to any complexity or individuality of their own.

i hated reading it!

bottom line: kristen roupenian has never written anything as strong, complicated, or unique as the essay by the woman whose life cat person stole from.

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a crazy collection of short stories this was!!

Kristen Roupenian's debut collection, You Know You Want This , is at turns frank, brutal, disturbing, kinky, poignant, emotional, and eye-opening. Her stories are about relationships of all kinds—parental, romantic, sexual, those between friends and lovers, and even those between relative strangers. The relationships are rarely equal, in that most often, someone has the upper hand, although it might not always last for long.

This collection reminded me a little of Carmen Maria Machado's fantastic collection Her Body and Other Parties , in that they explore imbalances of power between the genders, and a number of the stories have some sort of erotic charge. A few of the 12 stories in this book are a little weirder than most, with violence, fear, and even the supernatural at their core, while some take a more traditional route.

Among my favorites in this collection were: "Bad Boy," in which a couple starts out wanting to help their friend get over a dysfunctional relationship, only to create an even more dysfunctional relationship with him; "The Boy in the Pool," about childhood best friends who had grown apart, and a teenage crush on an actor from that same period; "The Matchbox Sign," which tells of a couple struggling with problems real and imagined; "Scarred," about a woman who conjures her heart's desire, a naked man, after finding a book of spells in the library; and "Cat Person," in which a young woman finds herself in a relationship with a man for whom she's not sure how she feels.

Roupenian has a vivid imagination, a talent for evocative imagery, and she creates characters which, for the most part, seemed like everyday people trapped in some unusual situations. (Obviously that doesn't apply to every story.) While a few of the stories were a little too bizarre for my tastes (and she's unflinchingly graphic with her descriptions of violence, blood, gore, and a little bit of the macabre), overall, I found this a fascinating collection, one that will definitely stick in my mind for a long while.

This is the first short story collection I've read in 2018, and I hope it signifies that this will be a year of fresh stories from writers new and seasoned, full of memorable characters and situations that make me feel, make me think, and at times, make me a little uncomfortable.

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

Check out my list of the best books I read in 2018 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2018.html.

You can follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/yrralh/.

[Ilenia Zodiaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Racconti spiazzanti, racconti che ti mettono a disagio, che spezzano le convenzioni consolidate sulle relazioni, a cominciare dall'assunto per il quale ci sia una perfetta corrispondenza di sentimenti tra due amanti, che amare significa prima di tutto comprendere, che il desiderio sia sempre trasparente e innocuo, che il sesso sia un atto d'intimità. L'autrice mette a nudo l'asimmetria presente in ogni dinamica relazionale contemporanea e per far questo mette in scena degli incubi, spesso grotteschi, che non sono altro che le fantasie e i desideri dei protagonisti. Desideri spesso repressi che diventano più mostruosi e inquietanti ogni volta che li ignoriamo.

Non fatevi ingannare dallo stile chiaro, diretto e quasi rude. Questa raccolta è tutt'altro che scontata.

[AMANDA · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think it's safe to say that the majority of people reading this book have done so simply because we read 'Cat Person' last year and were curious what else the author of it might come up with. I know that's why I picked it up.

Cat Person was an interesting story in many ways. For one, it was all too familiar to a lot of women, myself included. It wasn't particularly well-written (in that the writing style was nothing extra special; it just described what it needed to and got the job done), and the premise was super simple. But, like I said, the story hit a lot of nerves with people. For women, who found familiarity in the experiences of the main female character, it hit a certain nerve. For the men who didn't "understand" it or didn't want to consider the possibility that they could share any similarity to the male character, it also hit a certain nerve. It blew up, probably a lot more unexpectedly than imagined, but it blew up nonetheless. And now, with an entire book of Kristen Roupenian's short fiction, those who either loved or hated or hated to love or loved to hate Cat Person have the chance to see what else is up her sleeve.

Unfortunately, my opinion of You Know You Want This is rather lukewarm. I was expecting to love this collection, to get that oddly satisfying feeling of reading something so ugly or cringy or grotesque it makes you want to gag but at the same time keep flipping those pages faster to keep reading more and more. That's a feeling I've often got when reading Shirley Jackson's short stories - they're often pleasantly eerie or creepily absurd, and judging by the blurb on the sleeve of this book I felt like I was lead to believe that I could expect similar feelings while reading it. Again, unfortunately, while I often cringed at a lot of what goes on in this collection, it wasn't in that fun way I described Shirley Jackson's work. Instead, I mostly just felt empty and gross, and worst of all there was no hidden meaning to or deeper reason for it. It was just unseemly, I think, for the sake of being unseemly. Or to try to top those icky awkward feelings that Cat Person initially conjured.

For anyone curious, here are each of the stories in this book, and a brief idea of what they are about and what I thought of them...

Bad Boy: A couple let their friend whose just broken up with his girlfriend sleep on their couch. The longer he stays, the more fucked up their relationship with him gets.
This story actually kind of repulsed me. The behaviour of the characters is repulsive in itself, but so was the fact that by the end I felt like the story was all so pointless. In fact, much of the stories here felt very, very pointless to me.

Look At Your Game, Girl: Based around the murder of Polly Klaas. A Young girl meets an older guy in a park, he introduces her to a Charles Manson song, and then her friend goes missing at a sleepover.
I was particularly lured in by the title of this one, because I recognized it as the title of a Charles Manson song, and was interested to see how, if at all, the actual song played into the story. It does factor into the story, though it's minor, but overall I did like this story. I feel like in some ways it's relatable to women in regards to how it is and how it feels to be a little girl in a society of people who are so eager to hurt us. The fact that it was inspired by a true story helped give it some aim that I feel was missing in a lot of the other stories.

Sardines: An awkward little girl makes a wish on her birthday cake candles for "something mean" and then weird shit happens.
I initially loved this one. I loved the story, the awkward little girl, and I thought it was going somewhere great. But it ended up going in a direction that really fizzled out for me. It had every impression of being dark - both in the sense of comedy and as well as in the sinister sense - but what it developed into was just flat out weird and disappointing.

The Night Runner: A white guy goes to Kenya as a volunteer teacher at an all girls school, and, well, weird shit happens.
This is one of two stories in this collection that are very horror-esque. I quite liked this one and the descriptions of the bad girls of Class six (though I wish they appeared more deliberately in the story), and the horror elements were done really well. It's also one of few stories here that had a satisfying ending that felt purposeful.

The Mirror, The Bucket, And The Old Thigh Bone: A princess has to find a husband but cannot choose any of her suitors, until she glances in a mirror and falls in love with her reflection. Things get weird and grotesque.
I didn't realize until a while after having read this story just how much I enjoyed it. It's my favourite out of the collection. It's the other horror-esque story in the collection, in the form of a fairytale. What I loved so much about it was how it started off feeling like a simple fairytale - it even seemed as though it might take on a comedic tone - and then ever so slowly became darker and darker until it was flat out grotesque. It makes me think of something out of Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark... but for adults. It really, really worked for me.

Cat Person: Do I even need to say anything about this one?

The Good Guy: After trying to break up with his not-girlfriend and thus getting hit in the head by her with a glass of wine (was it wine? or water? I can't remember), a self-described 'nice guy' reflects on his history with women throughout the years.
This was the longest story in the book, at fifty pages. It was interesting, but ultimately fruitless, and I felt like the ending of it was really unmatched for what the rest of the story was. It was meant to be humourous, I think, but was corny instead, and missed a great opportunity to have a similar impact as that of Cat Person, just in a different way. It was way too long of a short story to be that average.

The Boy In The Pool: The childhood friend of a bride-to-be tries to do something extra special for her bachelorette party by inviting the washed up actor they had a crush on during their childhood to surprise her.
Another ultimately pointless story, though I did enjoy the beginning of it. I literally can't think of anything else to say about it.

Scarred: A woman finds a book of spells in the library and uses it to conjure up her heart's desire in the form of a naked dude with a Scottish accent (he pronounces 'scared' as 'scarred' and that's about as much character as he's given). The woman gets greedy with the other spells in the book as she realizes they work, and... the end.
Interesting premise here, but mostly unmemorable and cliche.

The Matchbox Sign: A woman who just moved in with her boyfriend starts developing itchy bleeding blotches all over her body and they can't figure out why.
That's all there is to the story. Could there have been a deeper meaning? Maybe. But it's neither easily apparent or clever. Overall, like much of the characters throughout the collection, the ones in this story were boring with nothing that made them stand out from every other character in the book and I didn't find myself liking them or disliking them. They just took up space.

Death Wish: A shit-outta-luck recently divorced man living out of a dumpy motel room spends his time meeting and fucking women from Tinder, then hooks up with a cute little blonde who wants him to punch her out and kick her before having sex. And he spends the entirety of the story contemplating why he should or shouldn't do it and then feeling shitty about and trying to excuse why he did it.
I felt similar feelings reading this one as I did while reading Bad Boy. It was kind of revolting. These aren't unlikable or irredeemable characters that are compelling because of that fact, they're just grody and unlikable, and that's it. It often felt like the author was trying to be as edgy as possible and trying to ick out the reader for shock value and nothing else, as if that's what makes a story a good or noteworthy one.

Biter: A woman who was a chronic biter as a child tries to figure out a way to bite her co-worker(s) without consequence.
This one was pretty funny, and by the end felt complete. It's not amazing, but considering some of the other stories here, it was quite good.

I guess the fact that I've written such a long review of this shows that somehow, some way, this is an effective piece of work. That said, just because I had a lot to say about it, doesn't make it especially enjoyable or even longterm memorable for me. My biggest gripe of it is that it felt very obvious to me that a lot of these stories were quickly whipped up in order to capitalize on the success and curiosity of Cat Person. Had Kristen Roupenian taken more time to hone her skill (which she very clearly has) and incorporate more intention into what exactly she was trying to portray in each of these stories, I think they could have been great. But as it is, they were all mostly just so-so.

[Emily B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure if the stories got better or they started to grow on me but the first two I found shockingly bad. However by the end I was actually enjoying them. A mixed bag for sure!

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s true.... I knew I wanted
“You Know You Want This”, the instant I learned about it.

I love the feel of the physical book… I find the book cover and color delicious... simply wanting to touch it. I don’t own it, ( accepting gifts)... :),
but I spent a bit of time reading the stories while in the bookstore... shhhh,

I knew I wanted to ‘listen’ to the large talented cast of readers by both men and women.
I almost bought this with my Audible monthly credit. ....that’s how much I wanted to read it, ‘now’, but my library carried the audibbook copy for free....so I saved my money .... and patiently waited my turn.

Finally ... I had this book!

From the first story to the last, I was completely hook.

I love the truthful quality to these stories - many about women who seemed to crave and thrive off kinky sex- evil dark - and ugly sex - punishment - to themselves - and to others.
One thing you can say about these women… They weren’t passive. They weren’t particularly kind, nice, likable, or sweet women either... but definitely not passive.

A few stories were strong stand outs.. with none of them being bad.....
no I take that back, they were bad, but they weren’t bad-to-read about.

A couple of the stories involved children which I thought were creepy and brilliant. “Sardines”, being my favorite. It was about a snotty young girl having a birthday party.

Clearly this is a self select type of book.
If you thought the sex scenes in the Fifty Shades trilogy were unfathomable - or disgusting....
perhaps you’d like this book even less.
But where the Fifty Shades Trilogy manage to be one of the most popular books sold - lacking any pretense of decent writing skills..
the collections of these ‘anti-sweet-syrupy’, stories ARE written well!!!

I enjoy stories delving into the dark side of human personality....
These stories fix the bill for me.

[Meike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this equally curious and suspicious: I applaud a writer who gets the internet talking about a short story (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...), but the hype around Roupenian's debut collection has gained proportions that invite some kind of backlash. Looking at the actual material, the book as a whole is a little uneven and in parts feels underdeveloped, but hell, this is an exciting writer who has the potential to go places. Roupenian ventures into the darker recesses of the human mind, where all things weird, disgusting, and irrational reside, and her gift is to describe them in a way that the underlying tendencies of the characters suddenly seem alarmingly familiar or even relatable.

Another special quality of these stories, which center around more or less dysfunctional human relationships, is that they painfully depict ambiguity (which is the core of the whole "Cat Person" controversy, IMHO). I appreciate this kind of storytelling which negotiates the dynamics of the rational and the emotional, of the strong suits and the flaws inside and between human beings. Roupenian takes the perspective of men and women often possessed by their subconscious - or even conscious - urges: The bachelorette party where a former teen idol gets invited and objectified, the young woman who is or is not eaten up by a parasite (or by her unhappy relationship), the kids' birthday party that becomes a standoff with the stepmother, the "nice guy" who exploits female weaknesses (or are the women in fact exploiting him?), and - I particularly liked that one - a horror tale about a princess who falls in love with a smelly contraption.

The majority of these stories are inventive and memorable, but - similar to Moshfegh's Homesick for Another World - there is sometimes a thin line between flashy stories aiming to shock and shocking stories aiming to reveal a deeper message. When I read the first story of this collection, "Bad Boy", which is about dependence, control and violence, I was initally disappointed because it is so effect-driven, at the expense of psychological believability (what's up with the guy they manipulate?) and subtlety. But I will cut this debut author some slack, and I am extremely curious what she will do next.

Thanks to Aufbau/Blumenbar for the review copy, and kudos to the people responsible for the cover design - this edition looks much nicer than the ones you get in English!

[JEN A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ARC review - re-release date was 14 Apr 2020
Cat person is a re-released group of short stories previously published as “You know you want this “. I find it difficult to rate a collection of short stories because I tend to like some and not others. I’ve broken it down by each story giving my first gut reactions to the story then tallied them all up to give the overall star rating. Below is my take on each story.

Bad Boy - awful hated this story
Look at your game girl - intriguing
Sardines - so so
The night runner - lame
The mirror, the bucket and the old thigh bone - strange but okay
Cat person - seemed unfinished
The good guy - semi-interesting
The Boy in the pool - didn’t get the point of this story
Scarred - bleak
The matchbox sign - icky
Death wish - weird but thought provoking
Biter - strangely satisfying
Milkwishes - pointless

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

That combination of responsibility and powerlessness - truly, standing over her, I saw with absolute clarity how I had no one else to blame, how I was the one who'd let my life spin completely out of control. Everything I'd ever done had brought me to that point; all my choices had led me right here, to this.

But if that HAD been my rock bottom, I'd have changed, right? Seeing the light would've done something to me, helped me somehow. But it didn't. It only made me feel worse. pg. 212

IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO READ THE REVIEW, let me at least give you a few sentences here. Kristen Roupenian is an amazingly talented author. She is a skilled horror writer. Definitely a book worth reading if you have any interest in horror or the darkness of humanity.
...


I picked up this book not expecting much, honestly. I don't usually enjoy short story collections. I read CAT PERSON - of course, didn't everybody? - compounded by the fact that I subscribe to the New Yorker. When CAT PERSON came out, it lit a fire under everyone. People debated endlessly the moral ramifications of it. It was discussed through the lens of feminism. It was discussed through the lens of #MeToo, it was discussed through the lens of toxic masculinity.

However, what few (no?) people realized at the time is that Roupenian is actually A HORROR AUTHOR. Akin to Stephen King. I would have to say after reading this book that if you enjoy King and his work, please do yourself a favor and pick this up. It's a stunning, exquisite little collection that will unnerve you. Reading CAT PERSON under the lens of horror instead of trying to untangle its morality and the morality of its characters made me like it more.

LET'S ANALYZE, otherwise this review will be straight gushing on my part.

STORY #1: BAD BOY
About a (I'm assuming) m/f couple who make a male friend of theirs their sexual toy. This culminates in murder. Like most Roupenian stories, it is sordid, disgusting and centered around sexual themes. Roupenian's intent here isn't really a statement of feminism, like some of her other works. Instead, she is commenting on the current sexual climate (a favorite topic of hers), focusing on how the sexual crisis of the younger generations is affecting everything. What are sexual ethics and mores? How is using and degrading another person 'right' if the other person agrees to it? How do things like sex cults and sexual slavery begin? Always playing with issues of consent and sexual morals (or the lack thereof), Roupenian hopes to bring to light some of the more questionable aspects of our current society.

At first, what happened during these nights was a strange, unspoken thing, a bubble clinging precariously to the edge of real life, but then, about a week after it started, we made the first rule for him to follow during the day, and suddenly the world cracked open and overflowed with possibility. pg. 6

We only got worse after that. He was like some slippery thing we had caught in our fists, and the harder we squeezed the more of it bubbled up through our fingers. We were chasing something inside of him that revolted us, but we were driven mad as dogs by the scent. pg. 8

We thought we'd exposed every part of him, and yet he'd been lying to us, hiding this from us, all this time, and in the end, we were the ones who were exposed. pg. 10

STORY #2: LOOK AT YOUR GAME, GIRL
A sordid, creepy, unsettling and disturbing story about a 12-year-old girl who meets a creepy (possibly homeless) man in the park repeatedly in the days leading up to Polly Klaas's kidnapping. If you are a parent or a caregiver this one is going to be uncomfortable to read. It didn't go as dark as I was fearing. Jessica is neither raped nor murdered, but the feeling of disgust and danger will follow you even after you close the book and it might prompt you to have that uncomfortable conversation with your child that you were putting off.

Compared with what had happened to Polly - compared with the infinite number of bad things that had happened in the universe - her brush with evil was just a tiny pinprick of light, nearly imperceptible against a backdrop of whirling constellations made up of other, brighter stars. pg. 25

STORY #3 SARDINES
I don't know what Roupenian is going for in this story. Some kind of Stephen King thing? Trying her hand at the horror genre. It's not bad. It's not 100% successful, but it's not bad. It was gripping and scary up to a point, I didn't really think the ending landed, however. As per usual, the story is full of human insights and is shockingly human, dirty, and realistic – the Roupenian touch. She's got her thumb on human behavior and interactions.

Marla catches her husband cheating with a 23-year-old and now she has to host her daughter Tilly's birthday party at his house. Marla's hatred of everyone right now has bled over into Tilly's mind with some horrific and supernatural results.

Some of the messier aspects of parenthood are impossible to anticipate until you crash right into them. Discovering that, in certain circumstances, when someone smacks your daughter you respond with crazed laughter has proven to be a new and unwelcome entry on that list. pg. 28

Resilience – the ability to brush off pain – is something Marla herself has only fitfully and imperfectly grown into, over time. The petty miseries of her own early childhood are some of her most vivid memories, even now. pg. 28

Collective investigation on the part of the moms has uncovered the game's name, Sardines, and a rough outline of the rules, which are innocuous as far as any of them can tell. Yet the way Tilly has been acting reminds Marla of nothing so much as the week her daughter discovered what would happen when she typed BOOBS into the browser of the family computer - the overeager way she would hurry into the den after school, calling out in a trilling, syrupy voice, "Oh, nothing!" whenever Marla asked her what she was up to in there.

Marla would prefer to blame the other girls - vicious, clique-y little beasts, they are - but in fact Tilly herself seems to be the ringleader. That, too, is strange, because Tilly has always been a little bit excluded, either picked on or left out. Although all the other moms are too polite to say so, the game's apparent ability to rescue Tilly from her position at the bottom of the social hierarchy is a large part of its unsavory aura. It's unnatural, Marla thinks blearily one night, right before she falls asleep.

Something UNNATURAL is going on. pg. 31

This is a very King-like passage.

After discovering Steve and his little girlfriend in flagrante, Marla had sketched out dozens of schemes for revenge - swapping the lube in the girlfriend's bedroom drawer with superglue, tying her down and tattooing SLUT across her face. And yet somehow, day by day and drip by drip, all her fearless fury has dwindled down to this: she will spend a day smiling tightly and choking down her rage as her nemesis parades around victorious - unhumiliated, unsuperglued, untattooed. How could Marla have let this happen? How could she have resigned herself so meekly to defeat? pg. 32

Tilly's adult nose - Steve's nose - arrived on her face a few months ago, knocking all her other features out of whack. She's got a greasy sprinkle of new acne sprouting along her half-plucked hairline, and a puffy brown mole has popped up on the side of her neck. She sweats through her deodorant by midafternoon, even the Men's Sports Prescription Strength Marla left last week, without comment, on her bed. At random times of day, her breath turns dank and meaty, and Marla finds herself opening the car window, without comment. Her breasts appear to be growing at two slightly different rates, so none of the training bras Marla buys her ever fit. The further Tilly lurches into gruesome adolescence, the more she insists on acting like a baby, trying to recapture a cuteness she never possessed. Maddening, tic-ridden, love-hungry Tilly; beloved Tilly, who, despite Marla's best efforts to protect her, at times seems not only destined but determined to be chewed up by the world's sharp teeth. pg. 39

The ending to SARDINES doesn't 'land,' in my opinion, but this was my first clue, my first inkling that Roupenian was actually a HORROR AUTHOR. And there's PLENTY more horror stories (even pretty straight ones) in this collection, so JUST KEEP GOING. All her other ones land firmly, this is the only one in the collection that was shaky on the landing for me.

STORY #4 THE NIGHT RUNNER
This is a story about a Peace Corps volunteer who goes to Kenya and is harassed and humiliated firstly by his class of schoolgirls and then by a 'Night Runner' who torments him by knocking on his door all night long and shitting on his doorstep.

When he got off the phone, Aaron filled a bucket with warm, sudsy water. He knotted up an old T-shirt, went outside, then got down on his knees and scrubbed his walls until they shone. He felt no disgust or revulsion, just a kind of deadened disdain. It was a choice they'd made, to drive him out. Like beating children was a choice. Like having unprotected sex was a choice. They chose this, he said to himself, and the words were like blood in his mouth. pg. 56

STORY #5 THE MIRROR, THE BUCKET, AND THE OLD THIGH BONE
The princess smiled, and when the visitor returned her smile, she felt as though all of her blood had been drained from her body and replaced with a mixture of soap bubbles and light and air. pg. 65

A truly excellent and spine-tingling horror story. Fascinating! Chilling, VERY well done.

STORY #6 CAT PERSON
The famous and viral Cat Person. I reviewed this, but it got disappeared, either due to overzealous GR librarians or some other GR shenanigans. I remember all the uproar this story initially caused.

An insecure young woman named Margot hooks up with a man named Robert who is a rather boring loser IMO. She's in a shitty relationship, I think this hit a nerve with people because shitty relationships are common. She keeps trying to figure him out, to please him, to make things work which is baffling because she isn't attracted to him and doesn't even like him that much. She overthinks everything, like a lot of young women do, and I can't help but think this is Roupenian's treatise on the younger generations Z or Y or whatever the fuck they are calling themselves now, I've lost track.

He's a total fuckboy, and he's shit in bed. And she just PUTS UP WITH IT, which I think generated a lot of anger in readers. However, the sad reality is that MILLIONS of women put up with bad sex to avoid confrontations. It's VERY common. I think that is probably what hit a nerve, with both male and female readers. She makes herself seem dumber than she is, she puts up with his absolutely terrible bedplay, and she pays lightning attention to every single detail about him in order to better please him.

She feels unable to change her mind about having sex after giving initial consent. This is a huge issue, one much discussed right now, but when Roupenian brought it up in 2017 it seemed more shocking.

But the thought of what it would require to stop what she had set in motion was overwhelming; it would require an amount of tact and gentleness that she felt was impossible to summon. It wasn't that she was scared he would try and force her to do something against her will but that insisting they stop now, after everything she'd done to push this forward, would make her seem spoiled and capricious, as if she'd ordered something at a restaurant and then, once the food arrived, had changed her mind and sent it back. pg. 88

This is actually brilliant and a very well-written description of (some) thought processes that might go through the mind of a young woman in this situation. Also, in a way, she's not fucking a real person, instead a person whose personality and 'true feelings and intentions' she has created in her mind in a kind of projected fantasy. It's fully human and quite flawed, which I think only added to the fuel of Internet interest.

He made that sound again, that high-pitched feminine whine, and she wished there was a way she could ask him not to do that, but she couldn't think of any. pg. 90

The part where he fingers her (badly) and takes her flinching as a sign that she's a virgin – and then she laughs at him for thinking she's virginal – is SO ACCURATE. It's so aptly encapsulating the true cesspool of modern dating in which expectations of women that men get from porn clash with real-life women and their wants and needs.

She didn't mean to laugh; she knew well enough already that, while Robert might enjoy being the subject of gentle, flirtatious teasing, he was not a person who would enjoy being laughed at, not at all. But she couldn't help it. Losing her virginity had been a long, drawn-out affair preceded by several months' worth of intense discussion with her boyfriend of two years, plus a visit to the gynecologist and a horrifically embarrassing but ultimately incredibly meaningful conversation with her mom, who, in the end, had not only reserved her a room at a bed-and-breakfast but, after the event, written her a card. The idea that, instead of that whole involved, emotional process, she might have watched a pretentious Holocaust movie, drunk three beers, and then gone to some random house to lose her virginity to a guy she'd met at a movie theater was so funny that suddenly she couldn't stop laughing, though the laughter had a slightly hysterical edge. pg. 90

A powerful point nailed home by Roupenian. Margot then lies to Robert and says she's nervous about having sex with him to stroke his ego and harden his softening cock. THIS IS EXACTLY what I'm talking about... Roupenian nails this, she kills this. You may not like what she's saying, you certainly may not like Margot, who is an asshole on some level, but it resonates. It's accurate.

Also painfully accurate is this 34-year-old sad sack dating this 20-year-old. Wildly insecure, desperate, basing his sexual actions on porn. He's vulnerable, weak, and useless. His fantasies about her, what he's projecting on her, are both sad and dangerous. He's less interested in her as a person and more interested in her as an object, The Girlfriend.

I think what annoys people is that Margot is so spineless, she obviously despises this man and yet she has an incredibly hard time saying 'no' to him, hurting his feelings, wounding him. You can hate her or sneer at her for being weak but I feel like a lot of women struggle with this: the need to be seen as 'nice' all the time. Not to be 'mean.' Not to be 'a bitch.'

Which all gets proven right because the last line of the book is Robert calling Margot a 'whore' because she has broken up with him. She doesn't want him. And she wasn't a virgin, therefore she is a 'whore.' This kind of misogyny is prevalent and it is every day and it is everywhere and it is part of the reason women (especially younger ones and/or less experienced ones) are so afraid of rejecting men. Getting called a name like that is hurtful, but if you get a really fucked-up one you could end up dead. Dead for telling him you don't want to see him anymore. Women are murdered and beaten every single day for this shit.

A complicated, layered story with many, many, many interpretations by readers. So much to talk about even given its short length. I can see why it sparked such outrage and response.

STORY #7 THE GOOD GUY
Honestly, parts of this story made me literally laugh out loud. Hilarious. An analysis and take down of a 'nice guy' by Roupenian. Anyone angered by her portrayal of a female in CAT PERSON might want to try this on for size... A man too cowardly to break up with a woman he's not interested in, like Margot was too cowardly to tell Robert to get lost.

It showcases nicely how self-hatred leads to hatred of women and misogyny and abusive behavior. I think it's interesting and telling how Roupenian paints both male and female characters as assholes.

Just an amazing, stunning, brilliant funny takedown of misogyny and 'nice guys' who actually hate and resent women. It's hard to put into words how fucking good this layered and nuanced story is, Roupenian is a genius.

I can't believe I was laughing out loud reading a story about a disgusting misogynist, this kind of thing is EXACTLY what makes Roupenian special. So skilled. So talented.

STORY #8 THE BOY IN THE POOL
Another exquisitely-written story by Roupenian, centering around childhood friendship, childhood crushes, burgeoning lesbianism, and washed up stars cashing in on their old projects and selling themselves to fans ala CAMEO. It's a gorgeous story, written with precision by Roupenian.


STORY #9 SCARRED
I had done MAGIC.

Sometimes, when people in stories encounter the paranormal, they react with horror as the fabric of reality shreds and they are faced with the dawning recognition that everything they once believed was a lie. As I stared down at my phone, I had that exact feeling, except the opposite: not horror but giddy, mounting joy. This was what all those books had promised. I knew it, I thought. I knew the world was more interesting than it was pretending to be. pg. 171

Another stellar horror story by Roupenian. The horror. OMGosh, who knew there was a horror talent like this lurking out there that I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT.

STORY #10 THE MATCHBOX SIGN
Creepy horror story. Well done. Revolting, nuanced, tragic.

STORY #11 DEATH WISH
Horrifying story. Roupenian is really writing depraved stuff here, she is filling a book with sick fucks and I'm sorry to say I am LIVING FOR IT. Masterful.

STORY #12 BITER
Perhaps the problem with adulthood was that you weighed the consequences of your actions too carefully, in a way that left you with a life you despised. pg. 218

FUCKING AMAZING. JUST FUCKING AMAZING. SLOW CLAPPING. Shocking, twisty, just amazing IMO. I didn't know where Roupenian was going with this, then it was brilliant.

SEE REST OF REVIEW IN THE COMMENTS

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into these stories braced not to like them. I quite enjoyed Cat Person and the surrounding controversy, but heard these stories were full of unlikeable characters and disturbing situations. And they are, but Kristen Roupenian has an uncanny sense of the inner lives of people - their messy, uncomfortable, inner lives. There is one story in here that feels like it doesn't fit unless you think of the characters as cat people. And really, it does fit in the way that the male character is a white person upset about how the people in the country he moves to are treating him, as per usual.

I had an eARC from the publisher. This came out January 15, and I finished it in the airport on my way to Seattle.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

En el 2017 Kristen Roupernian revolucionó las redes con su cuento "Cat person", publicado en The New Yorker. El cuento fue compartido más de 100.000 veces en 4 días. Reconozcamos que la señora tuvo cierto "timing" (Referirse a los sutiles límites del consentimiento en las relaciones sexuales en pleno crecimiento del movimiento #MeToo resulta, al menos, regocijantemente oportuno para la autora)

"Lo estás deseando" es una recopilación de cuentos que buscan incomodar. Un popurrí basado en deseos inconfesables y relaciones desiguales, con toques de perversidad (y algunas perversiones), traumas, humor macabro, e incluso una memorable exploración del cuento "clásico" en forma de una princesa que se enamora de su propia imagen hasta la locura.

Incomodar, lo que se dice incomodar, digamos que lo consigue...ya sabe usted, según la sensibilidad de cada espíritu lector. Gran parte del tiempo asistimos a los discursos internos de los protagonistas (conflictuados, obsesivos, monotemáticos) y esto puede terminar restando un poco de credibilidad a sus personalidades. Sin embargo, considero que la autora redondea un trabajo potente y logra mostrar la desorientación actual en lo que respecta a las relaciones personales cercanas y, como consecuencia, a las sexuales. Una época en que los códigos del deseo siguen sin estar claros, tiempos de erotismo voraz y egoísta, pero también de incómoda sumisión ante la necesidad de responder a los nuevos mandatos. Porque creo que todos somos capaces de concluir que los mandatos siguen existiendo, simplemente han cambiado.

Algunos de los cuentos se han aferrado a mi memoria y quisiera hacerles una mención: "El espejo, el cubo y el fémur viejo", "Deseos suicidas", "Sardinas en lata" y "Una chica de las que muerden".
3,5 estrellas para mí y el entusiasmo renovado de descubrir una autora interesante.

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to You Know You Want This with mixed, muted expectations. Although I liked ‘Cat Person’, I’ve found most of the debate around it tiresome, and my interest was only properly piqued when I heard this collection contained horror stories. I have also read a number of very negative reviews, the kind of negativity you don't often see in the mainstream media these days – at least not without controversy being stirred up on social media. I’m especially thinking of this review in the New York Times, with its odd description of this as a ‘needy book’. I didn’t know what that could possibly mean when I read the review, and I have even less of an idea now I’ve actually read the book, which does not feel, to me, calculated to shock. (It’s really hard not to see that term needy as a gendered insult.)

Given the notoriety of ‘Cat Person’, the marketing for You Know You Want This has unsurprisingly leaned into the notion that Kristen Roupenian’s debut is made up of similarly topical tales of, to quote the blurb for the UK edition, ‘sex, dating and modern life’. The same blurb also says ‘these are stories of women’s lives now’, which is no less inaccurate than the ‘needy’ thing – a number of them are not about women, several are fantasy stories, one is set in the early 1990s... But it’s true that Roupenian is best at writing about painful, awkward and contradictory emotions. She also has a scalpel-sharp instinct for the horrifying and an admirable sense of restraint. Her stories breathe new life into templates that have become compulsory for debut collections, from the sex-and-dating stuff to warped reworkings of fairytales.

While ‘Cat Person’ is certainly one of the most complete (by which I mean well-rounded/fully realised) stories here, my favourites were ‘The Good Guy’, ‘Look At Your Game, Girl’ and ‘Sardines’. At various points the book reminded me of Apple & Knife by Intan Paramaditha, Her Body & Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, and Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh, but I liked it more than any of those.

---
In ‘Bad Boy’, a couple invite their friend (and unwanted house guest) to join them in bed. The mocking undertone of these encounters progresses until they become truly sadistic. It’s engrossing because of what it doesn’t say; I found myself going back and close-reading it for clues. (We’re never told the gender(s) of the narrating couple, for example. And there is of course the possibility that the couple are an invention of the ‘friend’, a justification for his final actions.) Kudos, too, for being a first-person-plural narrative that I actually liked and that actually worked – a rare thing indeed.

‘Look At Your Game, Girl’ is based on the real-life abduction and murder of Polly Klaas. It imagines the perspective of a 12-year-old girl in the same neighbourhood who believes she has narrowly escaped an attack. Unlike ‘Bad Boy’, which does so much with vagueness, the details are what make this: the ‘mean friends’ with whom Jessica can only spend ‘short, thrilling bursts’ of time without feeling exhausted; ‘Charlie’ ruffling Jessica’s hair; the battered yellow Walkman with buttons missing.

‘Sardines’ surprised me: a story about a stressed-out single mother throwing a birthday party for her 10-year-old daughter is not the sort of thing I expected to find in a collection like You Know You Want This. The party itself is the centrepiece of the story, but the build-up to it carefully sets the scene, creating tension through the simmering resentments between Marla, her ex, his new girlfriend, and the other parents. Then there are the unnerving details – Tilly’s obsession with the game of sardines, the tuneless novelty candle – that made me think of this as a modern-day Shirley Jackson story, until the ending comes along and explodes everything in paroxysms of twisted language and horrifying images.

I found ‘The Night Runner’ the weakest of the lot – I guess it’s an attempt to satirise the motives of a do-gooder white guy volunteering in Africa, but its portrayal of a Kenyan village left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.

‘The Mirror, the Bucket, and the Old Thigh Bone’ is the sort of twisted fairytale that seems to have come back into fashion recently. ‘Once there was a princess who needed to get married’, but she won’t – so far, so typical. Yet there is something so horrible and tragic and truly disturbing about the princess’s solution. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. This story has stayed with me.

I read ‘Cat Person’ shortly after its original publication in the New Yorker (after it was popular enough for people I knew to be posting the link with ‘read this now’ alongside, but before THE DISCOURSE had begun in earnest) and haven’t looked at it since because a) it’s excruciatingly real and b) I grew sick of the amount of endless analysis of it. Reading it again, it is clear that while the hype and controversy may have been excessive, this is a very good story, perfectly constructed, not a word wasted. Along with ‘The Good Guy’ (see below), it reminds me of what I’ve heard people say about Sally Rooney’s writing – that it’s very simple and clear but gets straight to a kind of emotional truth that is rare in fiction.

Most people (at least, people who’ve bothered read this far into this review) will already have an opinion about this story, so I won’t bother summarising it. I will say I’ve always been kind of surprised its supposed gender politics caused such a furore: I assumed part of its popularity was its general relatability. Having a bad date, realising you’re actually not that attracted to someone you’re about to sleep with, or discovering your crush is actually a dreadful kisser are surely not experiences only straight women have. A lot of its most effective moments are those everyday uncertainties and instances of social awkwardness that happen to us all, and part of what made it so squirm-inducing for me was the feeling that I’ve been on both sides of Margot and Robert’s situation.

‘Cat Person’ is immediately followed by another excruciatingly real story about relationships: ‘The Good Guy’. (And yes, I know I have used the phrase 'excruciatingly real' twice; it's because I can't think of a better way to express what these stories feel like. I actually had to stop reading ‘The Good Guy’ halfway through because (for unrelated reasons) I’d been thinking over some painful relationship-related memories from years ago, and seeing my younger self reflected in both Ted and some of the women he dated was just... too much.)

As with ‘Cat Person’, nobody here is particularly likeable. The protagonist, Ted, is saturated with self-loathing, turning it both inwards and outwards; his longtime crush Anna is self-absorbed and manipulative; his unwanted girlfriend Rachel is a nightmare. Yet there are so many painful kernels of truth in ‘The Good Guy’ that it’s impossible to avoid getting sucked in. The idea of being accompanied everywhere by an imaginary projection of your crush/ex/current obsession is so real yet I don’t think I have ever seen it mentioned in a story before.

It’s interesting to me that both ‘Cat Person’ and ‘The Good Guy’ can be read as ambivalent towards their male characters until the very end, at which point a judgement is made (literally, in the latter case). I hadn’t read any interviews with Roupenian until after reading this book, and she seems keen to stress that it was intended to be ambiguous: that Margot in ‘Cat Person’ is not supposed to be flawless or even necessarily reliable; that she (Roupenian) is writing something of herself into every character, the contemptible and pathetic ones included. No doubt this is what makes the best stories seem so psychologically astute.

In ‘The Boy in the Pool’, a woman who’s always been sort-of in love with her best friend finds herself arranging said friend’s bachelorette party. She tracks down and hires a washed-up actor, her friend’s childhood crush, to recreate his most famous scene. The premise is strong but it all ends with a bit of a whimper.

‘Scarred’ is another story that leans towards horror/dark fairytale elements. A woman finds a spellbook at the library; her first attempt at a spell conjures up a man, whom she must exploit in order to do further magic. It’s nastily compelling but lacks the impact of ‘The Mirror, the Bucket, and the Old Thigh Bone’.

‘The Matchbox Sign’ is about Laura, who, in the midst of stress and debt and career disappointment, develops an obsession with scratching at bites on her skin. Are the bites real? Her supposed evidence is dismissed as a ‘matchbox sign’, a classic symptom of delusional parasitosis. Laura is caught between two extremes: the doctor who believes it’s all in her head; the boyfriend determined to prove the opposite, to the extent that he takes away her medication. This is an intensely uncomfortable story for several reasons; every possible outcome seems terrifying.

‘Death Wish’ reminded me of ‘The Boy in the Pool’, in execution rather than subject matter. This time the protagonist is a vaguely tragic guy who’s living in a motel room while his divorce goes through. When his latest Tinder hookup arrives, she explains her specific, and very violent, kink. It’s an intriguing setup that, beside the narrator’s hand-wringing over whether he should do what she asks, doesn’t really go anywhere.

‘Cat Person’ aside, ‘Biter’ is probably the most-talked-about story from this collection. It’s exactly what it sounds like – a story about a woman who bites – but not a horror story as such: Ellie is a normal human, she just happens to really like biting people. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of keenly observed office politics with Ellie’s absurdly serious methods of managing her bloodthirsty fetish. The funniest story in the book, but also as gory as you might expect, it’s a good way to round off the collection.

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[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5, rounded down.

Standard disclaimer: short story collections are SO not my forte, and I usually only succumb when there is a really compelling reason to do so; typically, as with this one, media hype. I'd read 'Cat Person' and enjoyed both the writing and the story itself, but had read largely negative reviews on the collection and her other work, so was wary and kept shoving this further down in the TBR pile.

I am delighted that my reservations were largely unfounded - and aside from 2 or 3 stories that didn't QUITE work (the longest story, 'The Good Guy' runs out of steam halfway through), I thought this was an astonishingly assured and varied debut - certainly on a par, if not exceeding, those of Moshfegh, Machado and Grudova, who are her nearest rivals, I reckon.

I liked how each story seemed to have a little extra quirk that made you sit up and pay attention, or try to figure out exactly what is happening, and where the story is going. For example, the first story, 'Bad Boy' sets up an equation in which an established couple toys with and sexually taunts the titular neighbor. At no point however, does the author indicate whether the couple is straight, lesbian or gay - so that frisson of NOT knowing adds an extra layer of tension. Although each story has somewhat of a feminist slant, Roupenian adopts a masculine persona for about half of her narrators, and these work equally as well as when her protagonists are female. Only occasionally does the 'message' become a mite heavy-handed (as in the '#MeToo' screed, 'Biter'), but most of the stories are intriguingly open ended - or else finish with a Twilight Zone-ish twist.

Apparently she is now hard at work on a novel, and I am certainly eager to see what she'll do in a longer format.

[Sunny Lu · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Very very strong collection. Feminist in an insightful and original way

[Alejandra Arévalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Los cuentos de Roupenian son un equivalente al gore pero de las emociones y los deseos. Todos sus personajes desean algo que no comparten o que si lo hacen dejan a su compañero de deseo en un estado de incomprensión y aturdimiento. Entre la realidad y la fantasía, hay cuentos de esta escritora que rozan en el asco y que sin embargo no puedes dejar de leer. Es de esos libros que dices: me gusta pero me asusta. Y también quiero vomitar. Y también quiero entender mis deseos y pulsiones sexuales. Sus personajes masculinos están taaaan bien hechos que estoy sorprendida en cómo les puedo poner nombre y rostro. En estos cuentos no hay rodeos, ni titubeos, no es amable, las relaciones amorosas aquí están muy torcidas.

[Evi * · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sono 12 racconti, di cui quattro veramente notevoli:
Cat person
Mordere
La prova nel portafiammiferi
Voglia di morire

Gli altri dove l'autrice introduce in maniera audace elementi grotteschi e visionari che si distaccano un po' troppo dal realismo mi hanno tenuta più distante e perplessa.
Per chi ha letto la scrittrice americana Shirley Jackson, cospicuamente pubblicata da Adelphi e a cui l’autrice rende debito, si possono scorgere alcune affinità.

Cat person, il racconto che dà il titolo alla raccolta, é il più famoso e gioca molto sulla possibilità di identificazione da parte del lettore perché chiunque potrebbe essersi trovato una o più volte nella propria vita nel frangente narrato.
Inizialmente pubblicato free su il New Yorker è diventato fenomeno virale con un record di condivisioni sui social, oggetto di twitter, di feedback, commenti e discussioni in rete con relative attribuzioni di like o dislike, così è partito il tam tam di lettura.

Nel racconto c’è una ragazza che per via occasionale conosce un uomo un po’ più anziano di lei, lei è mediamente coinvolta, anche se non c’è nulla in lui che la attragga particolarmente e tra i due non ci sono importanti punti in comune; cominciano a frequentarsi ma presto si crea quella situazione strana quando le cose sono andate un po' troppo in là e non si vorrebbe proseguire ma nemmeno si trova il coraggio, l'energia o la pietàs umana per tornare indietro o troncare in maniera risoluta.

Si sedette sul letto mentre lui si sfilava la camicia e sbottonava i pantaloni, abbassandoli alle caviglie per poi rendersi conto di avere ancora le scarpe ai piedi e quindi piegarsi a slacciarle. Guardandolo cosí, goffamente piegato, la pancia grassa e molle e coperta di peli, Margot pensò: oh, no. Ma il pensiero di quello che ci sarebbe voluto per interrompere quello che aveva avviato era insostenibile; avrebbe dovuto metterci un tatto e una delicatezza di cui sentiva di non disporre. Non era per paura che lui cercasse di costringerla a fare qualcosa contro la sua volontà, ma che insistendo per fermarsi, adesso, dopo tutto quello che aveva fatto per arrivare fin qui, sarebbe sembrata viziata e capricciosa, come una che ordina qualcosa al ristorante e poi, quando arriva il piatto, cambia idea e lo manda indietro.

Il finale si preannuncia prima in un modo e invece repentinamente vira all'opposto, e lascia scossi come un'unghia che gratta sulla lavagna.

Invece nel racconto intitolato Mordere c’è una donna affetta da una tendenza sadica che la spinge fin da quando era bambina a desiderare di mordere le persone.
Cerca di lavorare su se stessa per mantenere un certo controllo oscillando tra il desiderio di realizzare qualcosa che potrebbe appagarla non solo sessualmente e la consapevolezza che è un bisogno sbagliato e del tutto contro natura, anche qui finale è al contrario di ciò che si è immaginato.

La prova dei portafiammiferi
E’ il più angosciante, ha a che fare con un problema di salute di carattere dermatologico consapevoli che la dermatologia é la scienza meno esatta e che facilmente si contamina con problemi di carattere psicosomatico.

E poi c'è Voglia di morire probabilmente quello che mi piaciuto di più.
Un uomo e una ragazza si conoscono su Tinder, sito di incontri online più o meno equivalente a Meetic.

Così ci scambiamo qualche messaggio e le racconto un po’ di me, di come sono messo, niente di profondo. Sembra abbastanza interessata, cosí le chiedo se vogliamo vederci per bere una cosa. Dice che non beve e io: va bene, possiamo prendere un dolce o qualcos’altro, nessun problema. E lei: veramente, se non ti dispiace, potrei venire da te e basta?
A volte su Tinder capitava che fossero cosí dirette. Non spesso, ma capitava. Ero sempre d’accordo, ma dentro di me dicevo: caspita, coraggiosa. Perché io lo so che non voglio violentarti né ammazzarti, ma tu che ne sai? Ovviamente non potevo chiederglielo davvero. Però ero curioso

Lui è un po’ allo sbando e sta passando un brutto momento, di lei non si sa quasi nulla se non che, al primo incontro nella camera del motel dove lui vive e superati preamboli e convenevoli non necessari, lei manifesta un desiderio sessuale veramente anomalo, forse un filo non del tutto credibile.

Sono racconti interessanti, ben scritti che mettono in luce alcuni istinti censurabili ma che invece albergano in ognuno di noi ma ben dissimulati e che cerchiamo di tenere a bada, fino a quando non ci fanno sbarellare prendendo il sopravvento sulla nostra buona coscienza; racconti sulla difficoltà delle relazioni umane nell’era di una tecnologia che rende i rapporti più veloci, li fa sbocciare ma anche naufragare con notevole disimpegno e facilità .
Racconti globalmente validi e ben scritti che hanno vinto sulla mia diffidenza iniziale e che in alcuni passaggi mi hanno inchiodato alla pagina.

[Skyler Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Star

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! I am in love with Kristen Roupenian, I will read whatever this woman writes. You Know You Want This, is a collection of short stories that examines relationships, sex and gender dynamics. From the mind that created 'Cat Person' (a short story that still haunts my dreams) you get 12 unique tales ranging from an exploration of what makes someone the nice guy, to a perverse menage a trois that has deadly consequences to a woman who uses her kink of biting to her advantage in the work force.

Kristen Roupenian has done what many writers struggle with, which is make her collection of unique short stories consistently engaging. Yes I had favourites, but NO at no point did I despise a story or look at a story as if it was the worst of the group. They were all pretty fantastic and significant. I am so happy I stumbled across this lady's writing and I am excited to read more of her work (sooner rather than later please!)

[Jeilen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las historias de este libro están entre crueles e imposibles de dejar de leer.
Algunas me han dejado mejor impresión que otras, pero no hay ninguna que pueda ahora mismo despegarme, dan vueltas y vueltas. Y esos finales....
Lo que si extrañé fue un poco de luz por algún lugar. Es cierto que pasan cosas malas, es cierto que nos hacemos daño, pero también es cierto que de vez en cuando algo sale bien.
En un día malo no creo que escogería leer este libro.

[Ana Cristina Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estos cuentos presentan una variedad de situaciones, pero el tema principal son los roles de género y los límites del deseo, tal como dice en la presentación. La mayoría se caracterizan por su modernidad, por ser situaciones actuales que nos hacen reflexionar sobre cómo están evolucionando las relaciones sexuales y la autoconciencia de cada género.

Están muy bien escritos y son muy interesantes, pero hay algo que no me convence, ya que presentan unos personajes y situaciones muy turbios, donde el horror por el cuerpo y los sentimientos no correspondidos parecen invadirlo todo. Es una lectura de calidad pero a veces un poco desagradable, con descripciones gráficas – que se alargan demasiado – de encuentros sexuales marcados por la falta de deseo o la repulsión. También las tendencias sádicas o masoquistas están presentes en muchas de las historias, con abusos de todo tipo.

Creo que la autora quiere señalar la paradoja de que, en una época de libertad y conocimiento sin precedentes, parezca más difícil que nunca encontrar la pareja adecuada que se ajuste a las expectativas y deseos que albergamos – quizá por desmedidos. Los personajes en general se presentan confusos y desvalidos, sin referentes ni metas que les sirvan de orientación y con una actitud resignada frente a la frustración.

Los que más me han gustado son:

Una chica de las que muerden: Una metáfora del deseo muy bien planteada, con mucho humor y un ligero toque surreal

El chico de la piscina: El protagonista es un antiguo sex-symbol de Hollywood y la historia nos enfrenta con la diferencia entre el deseo y la realidad

Sardinas en lata: Aquí de nuevo hay un toque surreal y se ve cómo los deseos formulados en una fiesta de cumpleaños pueden resultar terribles

El espejo, el cubo y el fémur viejo: Una metáfora sobre cómo el deseo en realidad es egolatría – una pasada gore y fantástica con ambientación medieval

3,5*

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I don't blame anyone for wanting to immediately capitalize on the massive success of "Cat Person" by getting a collection of stories out as soon as possible, but I can still wish they'd waited a bit until the collection was more solid and cohesive.

I do not mind so much that the stories here can vary quite widely in theme, style, and genre. But there are two or three particular buckets you can sort them into rather than a mosaic of a wide variety of styles, leaving it feeling like a few separate things haphazardly stitched together. I could forgive that more easily if the stories were of similar quality, but Roupenian's stories about the darkness within sex and relationships are so much better than the others that I wanted a whole book of just them.

How much I would have loved a book of stories pushing into these themes of aggression and violence and repression and fear! The first couple of stories fit into this group and were two of my favorites, particularly the first story "Bad Boy." And there was another strong run through the middle with "Cat Person" and "The Good Guy," which look at the unspoken resentments and fears of opposite-sex relationships from different sides, they go really nicely one after the other. Roupenian's use of fantastical elements was more hit and miss, some of her preferred themes are there but the sudden appearance of the fantastic sometimes feels less like an unexpected twist and more like a cop out that leaves the most interesting stuff unexamined.

I already knew Roupenian was talented, and I hope that her next work has a little more time to work itself out so we can see what more she can do.

[Jessica Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were alive and online in 2018, you probably read and talked about Kristen Roupenian’s short story, “Cat Person.” Well, get ready for her debut collection, because it’s here and ready to punch you in the gut—or, perhaps more aptly, bite your face off.

Drawing comparisons to Carmen Maria Machado and Ottessa Moshfegh, this dark, perverse, macabre collection explores relationships with a distinct focus on power dynamics. The subjects are mostly women, and they are at times the victims and the villains.

In one story, a young woman uses black magic to summon her dream man—and then slowly drains him of his blood to use in other spells. An office worker with a compulsion for biting waits for the perfect opportunity to rip into her coworker’s face. A little girl blows out her birthday candles and wishes for “something mean.” And in a story that feels like a counterpart to “Cat Person,” Roupenian deconstructs the common trope of the Nice Guy™.

This collection is visceral, depraved and deeply uncomfortable—but if you’re anything like me, it’s hard to resist the allure of fiction that probes the hidden depths of humanity, those taboo thoughts and feelings we don’t dare allow to the surface.

[☽ Sono sempre vissuta nel castello Chiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat person è il classico caso in cui la fama del libro precede il libro stesso: il racconto più letto nella storia del New Yorker, il più retwittato, la nuova promessa della letteratura americana, un contratto già firmato per un futuro libro e una serie tv.
Insomma, era una lettura inevitabile e questa volta le mie aspettative non sono state deluse. Anzi.
Una raccolta questa che nasce e si declina attorno ad un concetto chiave: quello del desiderio, il principio di ogni rapporto umano, forse il principio stesso di ogni cosa. L’espressione più conosciuta del desiderio è il sesso, che Kristen Roupenian analizza e scompone senza mai banalizzarlo, nel racconto “Cat person” è presente una fortissima ambiguità sulla stessa veloce esperienza interpersonale e sessuale, ambiguità che ha diviso i pareri e che ha reso così “famoso” il racconto; conosciamo poi attraverso una lunga regressione la psicologia che sta dietro ad un uomo frustrato in “Bravo ragazzo”; vediamo le conseguenza di spingersi troppo oltre nel racconto iniziale “Ragazzaccio”.
Sesso, desiderio, corpo... il corpo è fortemente presente nella raccolta, è il mezzo con cui entriamo in contatto con l’altro, con cui sentiamo, così come è presente un occhio privilegiato verso la fase in cui queste sensazione sono amplificate: i primi anni dell’adolescenza, bellissimo il racconto “Look at your game, girl” che riesce a condensare in poche pagine la complessità della scoperta del male negli altri e dell’oscurità in se stessi.
Molto racconti sono espressamente realistici, ma la ricchezza della raccolta consiste nello spingersi oltre e nel mostrare come la fantasia e l’irrazionalità riescano a spiegare allo stesso modo e forse persino meglio la psicologia dell’essere umano. Prendono così forma le fantasie, i sogni, i desideri nascosti (come nel geniale “Non avere paura”), ma non solo: si manifestano gli incubi, ed è l’orrore che fa da filo conduttore a diversi racconti: fa capolino in “La prova dei fiammiferi” sotto forma di un parassita del corpo, “Sardine” vede manifestarsi un raccapricciante desiderio di compleanno, o “Lo specchio, il secchio, e il vecchio femore” che è forse il più angosciante dell’intera raccolta.
Ogni racconto gronda intensità, genialità, l’autrice non ha paura di osare, di spingersi sempre più a fondo, sempre più in là. Elementi cardine quindi i rapporti tra uomo e donna, il sesso, il corpo, la crescita, le fantasie, la paura e il desiderio, in ogni sua forma.
Veramente un’autrice con una fortissima impronta personale sia nelle tematiche che nello stile, asciutto, concreto, senza una parola fuori posto. Una sorprendente sorpresa Cat person in ogni senso.

[Grazia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Istinti oscuri

Non sono una lettrice di racconti e di solito non mi faccio catturare dal tam tam mediatico intorno ad un libro. In questo caso, la lettura è venuta proprio per mera curiosità e marketing efficace.

Cat Person, il racconto più letto e più condiviso del momento, ha suscitato la mia curiosità.
Non riuscendolo a trovare in rete (è disponibile ma solo in lingua originale), ho cominciato con lo scaricarmi l'anteprima della raccolta, nella speranza di trovarlo già lì e farmi quindi una idea di cosa avesse di così virale.

Ovviamente nell'estratto, non era presente il fenomeno mediatico del momento, ma già i primi due racconti sono stati sufficienti a spiazzarmi tanto da procedere repentinamente con l'acquisto.

Ho letto la raccolta domenica scorsa, quasi senza interruzioni. Non riuscivo a smettere di leggere, affascinata dalla rappresentazione priva di pudore ma assai realistica del lato oscuro dell'uomo. E devo dire, che Cat Person non è quello che mi ha maggiormente impressionato, pur essendo scritto benissimo e pure essendo rappresentativo di una situazione che probabilmente almeno una volta nella vita tutti noi abbiamo vissuto. Un Chesil Beach sintetico, brutale e spaventosamente attuale.

Ecco, forse la cosa che maggiormente colpisce è la capacità dell'autrice di rappresentare la cattiveria, l'istinto malefico, dell'uomo medio, dell'uomo comune, non del perverso o del malato (vedi racconto Sardine).


Inaspettatamente ho molto apprezzato.

[Marcello S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nella versione Italiana questa raccolta prende il titolo dal suo racconto più noto, diventato - poco più di un anno fa - uno dei contenuti più letti e condivisi sul sito del New Yorker. Pare che questo abbia portato Kristen Roupenian a firmare un contratto editoriale di un milione di dollari. E che ne verrà fuori anche una serie HBO. Non male.

In generale è una raccolta discontinua e ho trovato meno scossoni di quanto pensassi.
La prosa non è particolarmente brillante e alcuni racconti mi sono sembrati non abbastanza limati o “lavorati” (quanto è inutilmente lungo Il bravo ragazzo?).
Meglio le trame: spesso sbilenche, spiazzanti, fuori controllo.
La media ne risente ma ci sono dei picchi interessanti. Il mio preferito La prova del porta fiammiferi. Sarà che l’ho letto durante una nottata in cui non riuscivo a prender sonno e continuavo a grattarmi.

File under: weird, horror, sesso.
Disturbante. [67/100]

Ragazzaccio @@@
Look at Your Game, Girl @@
Sardine @@@
Il corridore notturno @@
Lo specchio, il secchio e il vecchio femore @@@
Cat Person @@@@
Il bravo ragazzo @@@
Il ragazzo della piscina @@
Non avere paura @@@
La prova del porta fiammiferi @@@@@
Voglia di morire @@@@
Mordere @@@

[Katie Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adjectives that kept coming to mind while I was reading this one are fresh and fun. Of course, Roupenian doesn’t hit them all out of the park, but her voice and style are vibrant even in the couple of stories that don’t quite land. My favorite is the delightfully eerie “Sardines,” but there were several other standouts too. I’m here for whatever she does next.

[Hazal Çamur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Çeviri kesinlikle "mükemmeldi"! İthaki'den epeydir bu denli iyi bir çeviri okumamıştım.

Şimdi gelelim kitaba.

Tuhaf kurguya olan tutkumdan dolayı çok merak ettiğim bir eserdi. Hızlı şekilde, kısa sürede okudum. Kesinlikle sürükleyiciydi. Ayrıca Duygu Akın'ın harika çevirisi de bu konuda eşsiz bir destekti. Ancak ben daha sert bir kitap bekliyordum. Sanıyorum animeler bu konudaki eşiğimi yükseltti ki o kadar da etkilenmedim/rahatsız olmadım.

Her öykü kitabında olduğu gibi sevdiğim ve sevmediğim öyküler oldu. Genele baktığımdaysa dili basit buldum. Kurgularda ise bir salıncak etkisi gördüm. Öykülerde bir yükseliyor bir de alçalıyordum.

Öykülerin karakterleri bence eserin en güçlü yanıydı. Karakterlerin olaylara verdiği tepkiler ve iç dünyaları fazlasıyla gerçekçiydi. Bir bakıma da bu gerçekçilik bir oyunbazlık havası yaratıyordu. Bu bakımdan yazarın da muzip bir yanı olduğunu söyleyebiliriz. Bu özelliğini çok sevdim.

Bunu Sen de İstiyorsun, halk ağzıyla konuşacak olursak, sapkın bir öykü derlemesi. Yazarı meşhur edern "Kedi Sever" öyküsü gibi yaşamda karşılaştığımız türde kurgulara da sahip, ama geneline baktığımızda içinde iki adet kara masalın da yer aldığı tekinsiz bir derleme.

Benim için keyifli vakit geçirdiğim, sevdiğim öyküler edindiğim ancak aşık olamadığım bir eser oldu. Ben bu tarzdaki eserlere vurulmak isteyen biriyim, bunu yaşayamadım. Ancak keyifli bir deneyim olarak rafımdaki yerini aldı.

[Maria Johansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kristen Roupenian fastholder sin læser i tolv modbydeligt frastødende noveller med sex, magt og menneskelige relationer i centrum, og hun udnytter til fulde det faktum, at det frastødende også altid tiltrækker.
Hendes noveller er gribende intense, og hun demonstrerer en beundringsværdig fornemmelse for relationelle forhold. Hun dyrker magtbalancer og tror tilsyneladende ikke på ligeværdige forhold – i al fald i litteraturen – og fordi alle kynisk forfølger deres eget begær, ender det faktisk aldrig godt. Og jeg er vild med det!
Jeg uddyber lige her: https://bookmeupscotty.blogspot.com/2...

[Coos Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catalogo este libro dentro del tag "terror", pero no sé si todos encajan ahí. Lo cierto es que hay cuentos en un tono muy perverso y siniestro, se tratan temas bastante delicados con un humor negro bastante intenso. Diría fácilmente que es una de mis lecturas predilectas del año. Mis relatos favoritos son los primeros, pues amo los relatos con finales cerrados, y estos me parecieron particularmente destacables.

[Sandra Deaconu · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 steluțe. Ce să fie, ce să fie?! O bizară antologie. Povestirea mea preferată este cea despre o mamă plină de resentimente față de fostul ei soț, care a înșelat-o. Fiica lor simte această ură mocnită și își pune ca dorință de ziua ei să li se întâmple ceva rău tatălui ei și concubinei acestuia. Dincolo de ideea că și copiii pot fi niște monștri, iar expresia ,,e copil, nu și-a dat seama ce face" denotă uneori naivitate, ni se arată efectele pe care starea părinților o poate avea asupra copiilor. Ei simt, chiar dacă nu înțeleg pe deplin, și-atunci le rămân două variante: să se retragă într-un colț, pentru că se simt în plus, ori să își sacrifice propria copilărie pentru a-i susține.

Deși scriitura este destul de plată și nu ascunde cine știe ce filozofie, mie îmi place mult stilul scriitoarei. Imaginile grotești m-au dus cu gândul la Păsări în gură, de Samanta Schweblin, deși cadrul povestirilor e mai degrabă ancorat în realitate, precum cel folosit de Alice Munro. O antologie fascinantă, din punctul meu de vedere, crudă, realistă, absurdă pe alocuri și îndrăzneață, care vorbește despre sex, manipulare, frustrări, părțile întunecate din noi pe care nu reușim să le ținem ascunse, depravare, furie, sadism și multe altele. 

,,Unele dintre aspectele mai complicate ale calității de părinte sunt imposibil de anticipat până nu te lovești de ele."

,,Fete curajoase, transformă groaza în râs, glumesc în loc să plângă."

,,Cu ea nu trebuie să se prefacă. Ea știe exact cine e el.''

,,Nu știe cum să-i spună - senzația de cădere în gol pe care o simte de fiecare dată când se uită la Taylor, ca și cum mâinile i s-ar închide iar și iar fără să apuce nimic -, dar crede că e destul de isteață cât să nu-i spună iubire.''

,,Poate că problema vârstei adulte era că îți cântăreai consecințele acțiunilor cu prea multă grijă, într-un mod care te lăsa cu o viață pe care o disprețuiai.''