Pretending the Bed is a Raft

by Nanci Kincaid

"Women always know more about the facts of life because most of the facts happen to women," writes a mother to her daughter in the title story of this breathtaking collection, which goes on to prove just that.

Nanci Kincaid's eight exquisite stories deftly capture the kind of moments a woman never forgets. Watching the mysterious transformation of your mother as she dolls herself up for a night on the town--with a man other than your father. Watching your best friend fall for the bad boy in town. Wondering if the man at work you're secretly in love with means something by the hand he lets linger on your arm. Kissing a man named Gable on a moonlit night when you've just found out you have only a few months left to live.

With an irresistible narrative voice that captures both the humor and heartbreak of love, Nanci Kincaid paints a portrait of women's lifelong courtship with men that will make you laugh and cry in recognition.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Feminism

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Camille Curtis]

This book is what my favorite film "My Life Without Me" is based on. It is more specifically inspired by the final short story from which the book gets its title.

[Keybo]

Like most short story compilations, the endings are left quite open ended. I enjoy that aspect, as I feel that I get to think more critically about what I read, what happened in the story, and about the potential outcomes and what the author was trying to make me feel. I would advise against this book if open ended stories aren’t your thing.

[Anina]

I love Nanci Kincaid.

[Natalie]

This collection of eight stories left me cold until the last one. That last one is amazing.

[Julia Palomares]

I am going to start by saying that I would have not picked this up if it was not a mandatory read in one of my classes.
I feel like that this was written by a pretentious person who believes that their writing is miraculous as if they were Dickens or something. I do not think that this book said anything worthy of admiring.
The book is about a young girl who discovers that she is going to die in little time and decides to make a list of things that she wants to do before she dies.
As a plot-starter this is perfectly okay. My problem is that I am not really sure who is this book for. The main character is around my age, 23, but the more I read, the more she felt closer to my mother's age. I am not saying that all 23-year-olds want the same things, but her inner monologue felt so much older than I am. I do not understand why her main character couldn't be older. Because she wants to have sex with someone outside of her marriage? Can't older women do that? Her wants and needs felt so alien to me that I could not understand her at all. And it made her hate her a little bit, to be honest.
And she was not the only character I hated. Actually, I do not think there is a single character I liked here: not the husband, Gable (who is the guy she sleeps with), the kids or Candy (who is the woman she sets her husband up to marry once she dies).
Maybe I was not the expected target. I just feel like Kincaid wanted to write a fantasy in which she dies and gets to fuck whoever she wants?.
Oh, there is also a penis description that not only did I find unnecessary but completely disgusting.

[Mindy]

This book (series of short stories) just felt special from the moment I first opened it. I just want to hold the book a little longer. While this may be the only time I say I liked the movie better than the book (My Life Without Me, which was based on the last short story and the namsake of the book - one of my favorite movies), I still loved this. Sad it's done.

[Ashley]

It's an interesting collection of shorts stories. All the lead characters have to make decisions and I found myself asking what I would decide in the same situation

[Dlg]

the last short story is what saved it for me but otherwise i didn’t enjoy any of the previous ones

[Luis Duran]

A lot of different emotions. The last two were my favorite.

[Alyssa Acula]

This is a collection of eight short stories; each having a quirk all of their own; each realistically written; each making me sadder and sadder as I read through their ending. Argh. This is a bit depressing. I've read through all eight stories and not one of them has a remotely happy conclusion. They're just so real, the situations the characters are in, that it just gives credence to these endings. I mean three of them have main characters involved in adulterous relationships, each accepting that they couldn't leave the person that they're married to for their own various reasons, and given all the other details, I kept thinking "How f*cked up and SAD is that?!". The last one, though, the last story, which is of the same title as the book, is just plain DEPRESSING. Ugh. I don't want to think about it anymore, so I won't.

[M]

I thought this collection of short stories wass pretty outstanding. Each story has a weird quirk in it that keeps the characters interesting. The last story in particular (namesake of the book) was especially moving.

[Kelly]

Hello Tough Southern Girls! Almodovar based his movie "My Life Without Me" on one of these short stories (which is why I read it....one of my favorite movies).

[Teresa]

A really nice collection of short stories.

[Claire S]

became a film..

[Sandra]

One of the few occasions when I actually liked the movie better than the book.

[Valerie]

The first two and the last short stories were pretty good, but I didn't care for the rest of them.

[Sandy McDowell]

V

[Judas Machina]

Hated it. it's one of the few times I've hated a book, and loved the film adaptation.

[Judy]

thought provoking- life from a very different perspective

[Zellah]

wishlisted