Who Do You Love: Stories

by Jean Thompson

In this acclaimed collection, Jean Thompson limns the lives of ordinary people -- a lonely social worker, a down-and-out junkie, a divorced cop on the night shift -- to extraordinary effect. With wisdom and sympathy and spare eloquence, she writes of their inarticulate longings for communion and grace.Yet even the saddest situations are imbued with Thompson¹s characteristic humor and a wry glimmer of hope. With Who Do You Love, readers will discover a writer with rare insight into the resiliency of the human spirit and the complexities of love.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Literature

306 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Jean Thompson is a New York Times bestselling author and her new novel, The Humanity Project will be published by Blue Rider Press on April 23, 2013.

Thompson is also the author of the novel The Year We Left Home, the acclaimed short fiction collections Do Not Deny Me, and Throw Like a Girl as well as the novel City Boy; the short story collection Who Do You Love, and she is a 1999 National Book Award finalist for fiction as well as and the novel Wide Blue Yonder, a New York Times Notable Book and Chicago Tribune Best Fiction selection for 2002.

Her short fiction has been published in many magazines and journals, including The New Yorker, and been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories and Pushcart Prize. Jean's work has been praised by Elle Magazine as "bracing and wildly intelligent writing that explores the nature of love in all its hidden and manifest dimensions."

Jean's other books include the short story collections The Gasoline Wars and Little Face, and the novels My Wisdom and The Woman Driver.

Jean has been the recipient of Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships, among other accolades, and taught creative writing at the University of Illinois--Champaign/ Urbana, Reed College, Northwestern University, and many other colleges and universities.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jean Thompson is one of my favorite authors of all time. Her words are deep, full, the type that dig into your heart and soul. She brings people from all walks of life TO life, as if they could be standing right next to you, chatting over coffee, or selling you a bag of Cheetos. She just GETS IT.

This book is chock-full of words, characters, situations that could happen to any one of us. There are fifteen short stories and every single one of them was wonderful. I find this unusual in a book of short stories; usually there are one or two that just aren't great or you may skip reading completely. Not in this case! I hated to see this book end.

Thompson's writing hit me so hard and heavy that I have to share a few excerpts....

"The bathroom had that industrial-strength fluorescent lighting that makes anybody look like the unburied dead. I groaned into the mirror and ran water over my face. The light reflected off ten thousand yellow tile squares, off the chrome and porcelain and mustard-yellow stalls. It was the ugliest place in the world and I fit right in."

"Helen had started sleeping on the couch downstairs in front of the TV. It was less lonesome. The whole house stank of unhappiness and dread these days, as if the rooms were sponges soaking up dirty water."

Thompson has a stack of books you should read. They are all beautifully wrttten and wonderful reads. She has a new one about in July, THE POET's HOUSE. Can't wait!

[Lyndsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Dacey is either living his new life on some palm-edged shore, or else the silver buckle of his belt tarnishes under a layer of leaf mold and dirt. Just as my husband is either a man who loved me or one who never loved me, just as I am either an ordinary woman or one who inhabits a secret."

This was on my comps list, so I was supposed to have finished it almost a year ago (whoops), but the last four stories remained unread until today. I tend to judge a book or story based on how much I've underlined and how many gut reactions I've noted in the margins--this collection is marked to shit. I loved it.

[Corina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with Who Do You Love a little bit for the first couple of stories. They seemed unfinished, like there was no resolution. But then I got it. These are stories about who the character loves even if it ends in a way that makes no sense or is unrequited or is fleeting. That works- because a lot of the time love makes no sense and doesn't have closure or turn into a perfect story with a clear beginning or end.
So, I liked this book.

[Christina Clancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite story in this collection is "Fire Dreams." Anyone who feels a little creeped out in the suburbs will love that story, but they are all great.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was heart wrenching and emotionally impactful. Written about love and loss, the author really encapsulated the weight of emotion in each story. From losing a grandmother to lovers misunderstanding each other, this collection was a brilliant look at how we as people spend too much time being selfish or afraid to speak our minds.

[Kenzie Gallaher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the most boring stories I have ever read. I could not focus through very many of them. They were vague and uninteresting and all the same. Same tone, same difficulties, same relationship issues, same, same, same. I am left with a vague impression of the book as a whole and I regret reading the whole thing.

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 decades later and just as good as first time around.
Beautiful writing, capturing the best and worst of humans with compassion and honesty.

[Alicia Zuto · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories were good but not as good as I initially thought they would be.

[Mary Lins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jean Thompson never disappoints! Here is another collection of riveting and evocative stories!

[Socraticist · Rating 5 out of 5]

The metaphors are so delicious it makes one want to (mentally) lick the page, but what makes these stories even more outstanding are Jean’s empathy and compassion for her characters who are mostly from the underbelly of American society.

The situations and behaviors are true to life and specific but they are described in ways that give insight into human life in general. Nothing too profound but often quite moving.

Best stories are:

Poor Helen
Who Do You Love
The Widower
The Rich Man’s House

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a short story by Thompson a couple of years ago in an anthology of short stories, and was so blown away that I immediately purchased this collection as well as one of her novels. Both were slightly disappointing. Her writing (in both cases) is marked by figurative descriptions that, remarkably, avoid becoming cliches. This is all the more astounding given the somewhat cliched plots of most of her work, which centers on the strained relationships between lovers and families more than it ever delves into other arenas. However, while some of the stories in this collection really sang, most of them were easily forgettable and (even worse) sometimes hard to get engrossed in. For me, frequent reading of short stories is a relatively new phenomenon. Originally, I avoided them because I never felt I could satisfactorily experience the same "slice of life" novels brought. But, less time to read and more appreciation for what great short stories can render has prompted me to read many more in the past couple years. Unfortunately, this is not an anthology of them I'd recommend.

[Martyn Lovell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who do you love is a collection of short stories and sketches, each about 20 pages long. The stories are thinly connected by the theme of love, but each really stands alone.

The characters and scenes are well-drawn and not repetitive. Some stories have a clear and interesting narrative arc with a conclusion, but more are left hanging without such a satisfying end. I found about 1/3 of the stories great, a couple really week and the rest reasonable without being compelling. Overall, there was little in this collection that was memorable or exciting.

This book was recommended at a reading I went to years ago - either Sarah Vowell or David Sedaris. Both their books are much better than this, and I'm not sure what they saw in it. Weakly recommended only.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jean Thompson’s short stories are so beautiful that it frustrates me that she’s not more revered. At least she’s not revered in the short-story centric circles I run in. It’s a damn, damn shame.

I first heard of Thompson from, of all people, David Sedaris. He mentioned how much he loved her work at a reading he did in Duluth. But it wasn’t until I read her Largehearted Boy Book Notes essay that I really paid attention. Glory be! Her collection Throw Like a Girl was one of my favorite books last year.

Read the rest on I Will Dare

[Stefan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the stories are good, and some are duds. There is a sameness to the stories, that limits the overall appeal. I like her novels better even though she is better known for her stories. A number of the stories are a bit too loose. Also, in the end, average lower middle class midwest Americans live boring cliche-ridden lives--which makes for boring stories. Although it is a notable achievement when this author manages to create an interesting story with such characters.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

it would do no good to list my favorite stories because there are so many, but listing my least favorite would just be negative. so i'll say this: every story is worth reading, but most of all the ones in the section called 'spirits' . all stories are very sad, some are slightly funny (most are not). the prose is perfect. the characters are mostly unlikeable. its a very good collection and id recommend it to anyone, except for small children.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible collection of short stories; Thompson is easily able to write in the voice of many women and isn't repetitive or trite. Her stories are meaningful and thoughtful. I really enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to others, as an example of how a good short story is written, as well as for the depth and realism of her writing.

[Lindy Loo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. Whoever it was that raved about this book in BUST Magazine COMPLETELY oversold it. I was expecting something edgy and interesting. Instead, I'm finding myself distractedly working my way through stories that seem flat and prose that seems absent of any music. We'll see if I can make it through.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jean Thompson divides her stories into three types of relationships: Who We love, Other lives, and Spirits. She adds many local details of the area to magnify enjoyment, making things more here and now. The short stories felt like little plays where redemption is sought, secrets are told, and the truth is in question.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of stories. Literary and interesting; some shattering.

I like how she understands that romantic love is not always a coherent, sensible, or happiness-making thing, and it also doesn't come to everyone who wants it.

And yet there are sincere glimmers of hope and relief, too.

Well sustained. None of these short stories is hurried.

[meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs to find her footing...the stories attempt to carry themselves on the quality of the lyrical writing, which is not quite enough. Plot lines and metaphorical constructs fall apart at closer inspection, but "Mercy" is truly the gem of the collection.

[Ruth Conrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories are certainly well-written and gripping, but their tone is so dark. The characters have so many problems and are part of so many weird, unsettling situations. I did like the stories in parts two and three better than those in the first section.

[Ocean · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a very well-written, well characterized book in which nothing really happens. we are sucked into intricately crafted worlds only to be thrown out of them just when they begin to get interesting. but i enjoyed this book anyway.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous collection, the book that reminded everyone that she is one of the best story writers out there, the one that got nominated for the NBA. Such challenging, complex, and well wrought characters.

[Jeffrey Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thompson's stories were hit and miss. A couple really leaves one feeling its effects afterwards. Others, leave much to be desired. Some were uninteresting, and didn't have anything worthwhile to say. I may have to give her another reading, later.

[noisy penguin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jean Thompson packs a lot of emotion into these stories. This is the first collection of hers that I've read, but it won't be the last.

[Natasha O'rourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually like short stories as much as novels, but this was an exception. She is a really talented writer, and the stories were beautifully written, moving, and occasionally heartbreaking.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was fine--just nothing special.

[Ann M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good stories, but a distant tone in many of them.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

More tales of love gone bad... and I still can't get enough!

Read "All Shall Love Me and Despair" and then go listen to some Elliott Smith. On a rainy day at the Oregon coast.

[Sarah]

One of the best collections ever.