Love Like That: Stories

by Emma Duffy-Comparone, Angela Dawe (Narrator)

For readers of Lorrie Moore and Mary Gaitskill, Love Like That is a collection of joyfully subversive and moving stories about brilliant, broken women that are just the right amount wrong.

Whether diving into complicated relationships or wrestling with family ties, the girls and women who populate this collection―misfits and misanthropes, bickering sisters, responsible daughters, and unhappy wives―don't always find themselves making the best decisions.

A woman struggles with a new kind of love triangle when she moves in with a divorced dad. A lonely teenage beach attendant finds uneasy comradeship with her boss. A high school English teacher gets pushed to her limits when a student plagiarizes. Often caught between desire and duty, guilt and resentment, these characters discover what it means to get lost in love, and do what it takes to find themselves again.

Utterly singular and wholly unforgettable, Emma Duffy-Comparone's stories manage to be slyly, wickedly funny at even their darkest turns and herald the arrival of an exciting new voice in fiction.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Adult, Romance, Book Club

6 pages, Audiobook

First published March 9, 2021

About the author

Emma Duffy-Comparone’s fiction has appeared in Ploughshares, New England Review, One Story, AGNI, The Sun, The Pushcart Prize XXXIX & XLI, and elsewhere. A recipient of awards from the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences, the MacDowell Colony, the Yaddo Corporation, and the Elizabeth George Foundation, she is an assistant professor of creative writing at Merrimack College. Love Like That is her first published book.

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Like That is described as “A sharp, witty collection of stories about brilliant, broken women that are just the right amount wrong.” It’s definitely the perfect way to describe this group of short stories. There’s something extra dark in each story, a brutal honesty, a sharpness, even a gasp.

The women have all been through heartbreak in different ways. The choices they make are not perfect. Emma Duffy-Comparone is a skilled and precise writer who brings these vividly drawn and flawed characters to life. The endings are loose and left to interpretation, which I happen to love because I have the freedom to dream up my own closure and hopes for the characters. Overall, I found the stories dark, emotional, powerful, and raw.

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giveaway Win!

Love Like That is a collection of bleak, depressing but true to life stories. These women are regular everyday women who are dealing with shitty things most of us deal with. Divorce, affairs, career unhappiness, family members you dislike and just general unhappiness.

This collection isn't for everyone but I liked it alot. I like bleak and depressing things. Life is bleak and depressing, so why not embrace that and make the most of it.

The only problem I had with this book was a problem I have with most short story collections, some of the stories were just too short. But that's to be expected even if it does annoy me a bit.

I hadn't heard of Emma Duffy- Comparone before winning this book but I'll definitely read more from her in the future.

Recommended to short story lovers and lovers of bleak realism.

[Dan Roussel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best collections I've ever read! Witty, precise, and polished. Emma Duffy-Comparone is a star.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note when you pick this up that the knife is in the middle of the cake. This isn't a light and uplifting collection of short stories but rather a sharp and entertaining look at a variety of (mostly) young women. You might like some of the women and might despair of others; you might also recognize some of them. I was taken by how one woman pulls her bra out of her shirt sleeve like a rabbit from a hat-a comparison I'd not thought of before but which totally works. It is piercingly funny in spots but bleak in others. I'm a short story fan and like to read them one at a time, which allows me, I think, to appreciate each on its own merits. Thanks to edelweiss for the ARC. A nice debut and I'm going to look for Duffy-Comparone in the future.

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Like That is a collection of short stories all with a slightly twisted or almost dark take on humanity and love. Yes, love like "that" with "that" being something a bit less than ideal. We have a woman dating a man with a child from a previous marriage, she is not sure what she thinks of this package deal. There is the little girl whose mom & dad are separated and her mom seems to be taking things to extremes. The stories are mostly about love that is a little bit off. I enjoyed them for their quirkiness and their dark wit. I will be keeping my eye on Emma Duffy-Comparone to see what else she writes. She's also fairly local to me and a lot of these stories were set in New England.

I won a copy of this book in a GoodReads Giveaway.

[Kea4 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Love Like That: Stories by Emma Duffy-Comparone looked like a good book. Its not.

I like short stories because in just a few pages you have to connect with the characters your reading about and jump into their journey. This is not that kind of book. Instead of opening up with the strongest piece of work we are treated to an awful family with no true ending. Why would I want to read any more after that?

I did not like the writing style.
I did not enjoy these depressing and unfunny stories.
The characters are stuck in places because of dumb decisions they have made.
The cursing feels really out of place.
Not to mention I did not like any of the characters.

The only thing I liked was the front cover.

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE LIKE THAT by Emma Duffy-Comparone is another great short story collection! I’m on a roll with short stories this year! This debut collection was written by a woman and each story featured a raw and complex female main character. There were some stories with a dark edge that definitely made me feel uncomfortable in certain parts but overall I enjoyed all of these stories. My fave stories were The Package Deal and Plagiarism. This is another collection I’d recommend to short story lovers!
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Thank you to Henry Holt Books for my review copy!

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This collection of short stories blew me away. Duffy-Comparone effortlessly blends the dark with the light in a way I have never experienced before. The characters are so relatable, and the stories stay with you long after the book is put down. Be prepared to laugh out loud more than once, and be prepared to be deeply moved. 5 stars isn't enough. I cannot wait to see what this talented writer brings us next.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this in a goodreads giveaway. It’s a depressing read which I didn’t expect from this cover nor the description

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm finding the negative reviews in here kind of funny. People seemed to have won this book in a giveaway because they thought that it would be fluffy chic lit or something based on the cover. (BTW there is a carving knife stabbed in the middle lol!) Then they're saying they didn't like it because it's "depressing". That's like ordering pie and thinking you're getting apple but you get spinach instead and then saying the "apple pie" is awful. So no, this isn't fluffy uplifting chic lit. It isn't supposed to be. These are literary short stories that are dark at times, and also really moving and beautiful, with lots of humor in there, too. There is joy in here, even at dark times for the characters. The writing is also pretty joyful, with lots of wonderful descriptions. The review on the cover says it is "razor sharp" and that's exactly right. All the critical reviews on amazon say something similar, too. I thought it was pretty stunning, honestly.

[Cliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has clearly spent years honing what is a natural gift into a very powerful and sharp literary tool. Her descriptive ability makes each story seem as though you are getting an evocative snapshot into a brief moment of the characters lives. Not a lot of books are able to provoke genuine and spontaneous laughter yet I found myself in this delightful situation many times through the read. Descriptions such as, "My dad would have been around then. He'd have been downstairs, just two legs sticking out from under the wings of an open paper" seem effortless in their ability to just put you right there. An absolute must read for anyone that is not necessarily looking for contrived fairy tail endings but realistic stories about people that the author makes you believe actually exist.

[Megan]

I picked this up randomly at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago because it sounded interesting… I can’t read it any longer because it gives me anxiety. If you like Sally Rooney, you might like this. DNFing at about 20%.

[liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love weird short stories So much......

[Amy Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!! Loved the characters!! I want more!!!!

[Kerry Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one of my favorite story collections of all time. emma duffy-comparone is a marvel.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic story collection. Every one a banger. I think she has won me as a reader for life with just these 200 pages.

[Dave Banfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reminds me of Surfer Rosa by the Pixies - when that album dropped, it was hard for people to understand. Kim Deal and Black Francis were an odd but perfect pairing, and together they perfected the clean/distortion sound that would be copied by every alternative band (including Nirvana) for almost a decade. Duffy-Comparone is doing something similar here. Instead of clean/loud, it's high/low. Her characters are working class. The settings are unglamorous - beach towns, schools, farms. Everyone is on the grind, with no time to be particularly beautiful or doomed. And yet, the writing is sneaky spectacular. Nabokov said that literature is read with the spine - that's how Duffy-Comparone's stories hit. You almost don't know you're reading them. The lack of effort on the part of the reader speaks to the skillfulness of the writing. She packs information into small, rhythmic packages, like this sentence from "The Zen Thing": "It is an unfortunate and terrifying thing, much like the six-pack Luke has taken to drinking each morning before he calls his daughter, Matilda, who is eight, and who, because he cannot bear to tell her, and because his wife is certain he will come back, still thinks he is on a business trip."

A consummate stylist, Duffy-Comparone operates across a spectrum of tone and voice. "The Offering" uses a gentle, backward-looking first person narrator. "Exuma" is written in close third, and is structurally almost an epic poem: composed of sections that resonate internally and then narrow down to one short sentence that often re-orders our understanding before giving way to the next section. "The Package Deal" (which might be the best in this collection) is an amazing hybrid of self-help and second person narrative. Just specific enough to qualify as fiction, just generalized enough (Duffy-Comparone writes about The Boyfriend, The Kid) to complete the illusion that you're somehow reading two texts at once. That's literature.
This is a remarkable debut. It's "women's literary fiction" that - by never condescending to its characters - makes us aware of how often, even now, women writers take the easy way out. This book is sure to be disliked by some. People won't agree with the character's choices. They will want Duffy-Comparone to moralize or apologize. She'll refuse. Instead, she'll show you something you haven't quite seen before - and that's art, folks. In five years, this debut from Duffy-Comparone will be the book that everyone claims to have read "when it came out." My advice? Save yourself the trouble of lying, and get it now.

[Anna Hum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of short stories that are sharp, bleak, and depressing but true to life

[Jk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free Advance Reader's Edition copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank anyone who had a hand in making that happen.

4.5 stars, rounded up

This is one of the better story collections I've read recently. The writing is great and the author has a very compelling voice. I was immediately sucked into and fully invested in each story and was often bitterly disappointed when the ending came and I was left wanting more. The standout story for me was "The Offering" which was sad and horrific and had such a great resolution. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any future works by this author!

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Disappointing. Why did I finish reading this? This collection of short stories are not in any way funny or joyful as advertised. How do you find joy in a woman being beaten then sleeping with her daughter afterwards? In a babysitter having a fatal accident that kills a 19 month old baby boy? the restaurant where a teenage girl (14 I think) almost has sex with guy over a decade older, doesn't, but comes back years later to finish that story. A missing triplet and the sisters left behind. I just don't get how any of these super depressing stories appeals to a reader. I love to read and will pick up any story. This book just totally turned me off. I did finish it simply to see if any of the stories caught my attention or made me feel anything but disgust. This one really was a let down. I won this book in a goodreads giveaway, thank you.

[Barred Owl Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I don't usually quote anyone else's review's but this one from Refinery 29 is spot on! “A witty, provocative short story collection, filled with women who are delightfully difficult.” Who doesn't enjoy a little bit of wrong?

[Daphne Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Duffy-Comparone has comprised a surprising array of stories of love . Love in all its complexities and pitfalls. It brutal on one page a d delightful on the other. We meet lovers who compromise and hold firm in their love and devotion. I found myself reliving old infatuations and sympathizing at the inevitable. If you are looking for your cake and are willing to eat a bit of emotion too, here is your New Years read. Happy reading

[Phyllis Krall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Like That is a short story collection that portrays women who have some kind of heartbreak and their struggle to recover. They have all made wrong choices which impacts their lives and the lives which impacted their lives and the lives of others.

Although I found this book to be very dark , I still enjoyed reading it. I received this Ebook from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Her parents always said they’d dig their own graves if anything happened to their children, so when her sister Claire disappeared on a camping trip in the White Mountains, Elsie kept an eye on things.”

A striking story collection, wry and a little sad, featuring girls and women who are drifting, making poor choices, or caught in bad circumstances. There’s romantic love, sibling love, yearning for absent partners or parents—love across the board. The skilful writing in each story crafts a small world and drops you smack in the middle of it, and you feel you get to know the main character better in 20 pages than some novelists manage.

[Rach · Rating 4 out of 5]

“On your first date, the three of you get ice cream and walk the jetty, the ocean swirling against the rocks, cow licked and pale. You feel anxious and strung out, your tongue thick as a futon, although you’ve pulled it together somewhat with lipstick and Xanax and long glass earrings.”

Emma Duffy-Comparone writes in a way that engages all the five senses and romanticizes the ultra-mundane and even uncomfortable parts of life. The stories she described may be deemed depressing but also poetic and dramatic in the way that normal life is. So happy to have been introduced to this book through a giveaway, I thought the writing style was really intriguing and successfully drew me in to the point where I didn’t want to stop reading.

[Christine Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited by the concept of this book, so I entered to win a copy via a Goodreads Giveaway (and I got lucky!) Short stories are wickedly enticing because they usually pack a big punch of literary calories on a small plate. Each story held promise. Each character possessed a flawed realism. The characters were deeply human and it was easy to make a connection to their plights. Maybe we have been in a similar situation or know a friend of a friend who’s been there. Unfortunately, although I believe it to be intentional, the abrupt endings were just that: abrupt. I was left wanting more. Without closure from the author, there is a nagging sense that I must invent my own ending. Unfortunately, my life has been a bit hectic for me to tap into my imagination and make everything a happily ever after for these women. Each woman came holding such emotional baggage and absolutely nothing got resolved. In fact, I feel their lives somehow became far worse than how each story introduced them to us. Not for lack of creativity I rated this three stars. The author certainly painted vivid imagery which brought me to each time and place. One description in particular left me realizing just what a talent she is:
“Out the window, her favorite maple was already naked, its leaves a red dress around its ankles” (p. 186).
There is no doubt author Emma Duffy-Comparone is a powerful writer. Hopefully, more of her work is coming down the pike and I will certainly give it another go as she certainly has a way with words.

[Angie Flom · Rating 1 out of 5]

~ I received this book as a gift through Goodreads in exchange for an honest review ~

I was drawn to this book by the title, cover and descriptions of "funny and raw and bighearted" and "slyly wickedly funny". I was disappointed. I should have realized the knife was stabbed through the center of the cake and not just cutting a slice.

I would best compare this book to a social media post that ends with "..." The stories do not seem to have a resolution and so many are dark and not at all funny. I was hoping to smile, laugh at times or be drawn to the characters and their dilemmas. I did not do any of that.

It is a dark book with sad stories - mid 20s manager wanting to have sex with his 14 yr old employee, a toddler killed in a tragic accident, a sister lost/abducted, an emotional abusive mother - which is not at all what was anticipated.

Some of the writing is done well, but I did not feel any attachment to the characters. Unfortunately, it is not a book I would recommend to others, although I'm sure there is an audience for these type of short stories out there. I would recommend that the description be adjusted so that it does not seem like a 'feel good' book.

Thanks again to goodreads and the publisher for providing me with my copy to review.

[Conner Horak-Flood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Like That tells the stories of flawed and unique women in all their hilarious, disturbing glory. In them lies deep truths which I greatly admire the collection for, but it's just so gosh darn entertaining. I'll guaranteed at least one chuckle per page. From a young bride adjusting to her life with a new step son who may or may not have it out for her, to a doomed family beach excursion that ends shitty (in more ways than one..), Emma Duffy- Comparone commands these stories like a seasoned pro. It's hard to believe it's a debut.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma Duffy-Comparone has written a collection of short stories that are filled with tragic characters in raw and vibrant stories. These characters draw you in, keep you turning pages, and stick with you long after their story has ended.

I have a hard time describing it as “funny” and “joyful” which are words used to describe it on the back cover of the ARC, but I did enjoy reading it.

[Emma Bechill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy, that was a tough read...the stories were just really dark. Most were downers.

I thought a few were well done but not most.

Short stories are so difficult to do well. There’s so little time for character development and resolution.

Maybe 3 stars. The writing is pretty decent. Biting. Witty.