Now You Know It All

by Joanna Pearson

Poised on the precipice of mystery and longing, each character in Now You Know It All also hovers on the brink of discovery—and decision. Set in small-town North Carolina, or featuring eager Southerners venturing afar, these stories capture the crucial moment of irrevocable change. A young waitress accepts an offer from a beguiling stranger; a troubled boy attempts to unleash the villain from an internet hoax on his party guests; a smitten student finds more than she bargained for in her favorite teacher’s attic; two adult sisters reconvene to uncover a family secret hidden in plain sight. With a sharp eye for rendering inner life, Joanna Pearson has a knack for creating both compassion and a looming sense of threat. Her stories peel back the layers of the narratives we tell ourselves in an attempt to understand the world, revealing that the ghosts haunting us are often the very shadows that we cast.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 5, 2021

Reviews

[Susan Mabry]

Insightful little stories that reveal human nature at its best and worst. Snippets of the unusual, creepy and profound.

[Augustas Hildebran]

The stories and characters in this array of short stories are captivating and in some cases downright chilling. Yes, some of these live among us under different names. We are taken on a deep and sometimes intense journey with each story. This group of stories pushes the imagination with rich characters and suspenseful writing. The renowned author Edward P Jones has provided an excellent analysis of this magnificent group of short stories. It is an award winning read to savor and enjoy .

[Rod Hummel]

Highly recommend. If you like your short stories unsettling and crisply written, Pearson's collection delivers. Each entry is uniquely creepy, thought-provoking, and moving. These stories will stick with you. Look forward to seeing more from Joanna Pearson!

[Hannah Wyatt]

This collection of stories took me on a ride. Pearson’s style is super hard to put into words but I guess I would say that it’s a kind of combination of quiet, brooding horrors, dark inevitabilities, and deep psychologies. I absolutely love how this book works on both the line level and how stories work on their own. Standout stories for me were “The Films of Roman Polanski,” “Darling,” “Dear Shadows,” and “The Whaler’s Wife.” But I have to say, give every story a chance and you’ll be equally impressed because it’s a no-skip collection filled with wonders, deft suspense, and artful renderings of women.

[Helen Timblin]

I detest this group of stories. They are, as others have called them, creepy. They are not actual short stories, but a group of psychological oddities. There is no beginning or end, just a blur of creepy, anomalies that leave you feeling dirty. The cover description is not at all accurate, and there is absolutely no redeeming qualities to this collection. Unlike Allan Gurganus, who could masterfully weave quirky characters and situations into pieces of real humanity, this is just unsettling, unpleasant and….creepy.

[Dora Finkelstein]

This story collection was so incredible! I stumbled upon it at the book store and am so glad I did. Some of these stories were full of so much anticipation for the last paragraph. Each was so cleverly unwinding things that haunted characters secretly. And focusing on themes of how we ignore or justify ignoring things we know but don’t want to believe. Absolutely incredible! My favorite book so far this year.

[Sara]

Read this book along with my book club. The author lives in my home state of NC, so it was fun to try and guess where each story takes place. Several of them still resonate with me months after reading--Rome, Darling, and Dear Shadows in particular. That's the sign of a good short story, in my opinion. Interesting collection with recurring themes of the darkness in human nature, pregnancy, and intentions gone awry.

[Deborah Hoodiman]

I loved these stories by Joanna Pearson! I love the complexities and the bizarreness. I love the ways Pearson understands how weird and dark human relationships can be. I loved the surprises. I loved the language. I loved the ambiguities. Pearson is a master of this form. I want to read all of her short stories.

[Patty Busch]

So conflicted about these stories. The writing is excellent (4.5 stars) but the stories are creepy and unsettling (1.5 stars) - thus the 3 star rating. In reflection, it makes sense that these were written by a psychiatrist. Which, ultimately, is a little creepy and unsettling.

[Brian Platzer]

I've never read a collection where I was as excited to get to the next story. Each one builds on the dark excitement of the last. (Each sentence does too!) Such a wonderful book!

[zoe bradford]

actually a 4.5🌷

fav stories:
rome
boy in the barn
darling
mr forble
riding
dear shadows

[Gabrielle Hayes]

Felt like I was dragging myself through to finish it :/

[Joanna Pearson]

I'm going to have to give this book an unequivocal five stars.

[Sujin Stone]

4.5 Stars.

[Page]

It’s so rare to read a book of short stories and love them all but I thought each one of these was so fantastic

[Paul Thomas]

Wonderful book of short stories. Twin sisters deal with love, lose and each other. New neighbors move into the neighborhood, and might not be as they seem. A girl spends the summer as a guest of a wealthy family and learns some secrets. All end rather abruptly.

[Carol]

a little creepy for me

[Toheed Ahmed]

DNF at 37%

[F Gato]

It reminds me of in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Stephen’s argument of pornography versus art.

[Anne-Marie]

Eerie and captivating, these tightly written stories will stay with me for a long time. In stories with such gripping plots, it's rare that the characters are this developed and sympathetic. I loved this book!

[Ramona]

These are haunting and gorgeously written stories that will stay with you.