You Can't Get There From Here

by Megan Gordon

Reckonings, regrets, longings. Life’s turning points. Sometimes redemptive, sometimes heartbreaking, these crossroads are familiar to us all. The yearning for a different path, a better ending, is uniquely human.

You Can’t Get There From Here explores these pivotal moments. In Repossession, we meet a young man looking for closure in his dead girlfriend’s apartment; You Again, Always introduces us to a couple coming together for one last time; and Strange Secrets Worth Knowing follows a man exploring a deadly path to a resolution. These are times when we’re faced with the consequences of our choices and struggle to find a way forward.

Highly poignant and insightful with characters that resonate, this collection is an engrossing journey through some of the most painful, transformative experiences of our lives.

Genres: Fiction

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2021

About the author

I'm not the Megan Gordon who wrote Whole Grain Mornings, but that looks like a great book, and I encourage you to check it out. While she helps you feed your body, I'll help you feed your soul.

Writing has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, but it has taken me years to actually take the plunge and write fiction. But I believe things happen for a reason, and it seems now is the ideal time for me to use all of the skills I've acquired throughout my career to produce my own books. It's been a long time coming, but I don't think I'll be going back any time soon.

My work is about the extraordinary in the ordinary, the small moments that make a life. There are no car chases, explosions or grand murder mysteries, but I hope there is something there that you can relate to.

I love hearing from people and learning how something I wrote affected them. Don't be shy!

Reviews

[aly ☆彡 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is me on another occasion of "let's read a book because I got enticed by the book cover."

This collection will evoke all the right emotions from you where you'll feel sad, perplexed, relatable and the right person would enjoy the book if it speaks to you. The prose is delightful in its way but unfortunately did not manage to capture me (only because I am not the right audience or in the right state to be reading this).

Nevertheless, if you're looking for poignant and insightful characters that resonate through some of the most painful, transformative experiences of our lives, You Can't Get There From Here is a collection by Megan Gordon might be the one you're looking for.

[2.75/5]

[Megan Gordon]

Available right now at your favorite online retailer! Go, read, enjoy!

[Christopher Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Megan Gordon is not afraid to 'go there' in her latest book, You Can’t Get There From Here. Gordon’s multi-layered stories—and the characters who tell them—deal head on with some of life’s most painful (and often absurd) moments, their wry matter-of-fact observations tinged with ironic humor as well as real pain and longing.

At turns funny and touching, sad and thought-provoking, this book may leave you a different person after reading it, more willing to ‘go there’ yourself in facing the most difficult relationships and situations in your life. You may well find yourself identifying with a few of the diverse and intelligent voices and personalities she so skillfully inhabits. Gordon paints with every color of the emotional palette, finding complexity, truth and nobility in the ordinary and mundane.

If you crave storytelling that makes you feel something, you’ll want to read this one. So go there. Go deep. Go get this book.

[Cheff Zilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t begin to tout this book enough! You Can’t Get There From Here is an anthology chock full of stories of damaged women fighting to overcome their difficult circumstances in a difficult world. The stories are achingly beautiful, and the writing is the equal of any collection of short stories I have had the opportunity to read. Ms. Gordon understands the struggles of these women and paints them in the truest, rawest colors imaginable. This book belongs on every reader’s bookshelf. Man or woman, you will learn something very important about yourself.
As I did.
Congratulations, Megan. You have written a wonderful book, and I can’t wait for my next read. You are a true gem in the short-story genre!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful collection of short stories that pull you in as if you’re having coffee with a close friend. The author had me at page 15, “ Don’t, they say, and one day you put your hands on your hips and say, why not, and they say, it’s unbecoming, and you say, I know.” This would make an excellent book club pick with some big themes to collectively unpack! Cheers!

[Melissa Comeaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very introspective and captivating stories! This collection is different from the fiction I normally read, but I could really feel the emotions of the characters. My favorite stories were Mother's Day, Going Home and Other Men's Sons. Other Men's Sons reminded me of a storyline in This is Us, one of my favorite shows.

[Moriah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal but honest

The writing was brilliant, and the stories are something every person can find relatable to one degree or another. And when I say that every chapter ripped me apart in some fashion and I'm not exaggerating. Life, love, and loss, this book has it all. I would recommend this to anyone who isn't afraid of a little reality in your face.

[Donnamarie McGaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan Gordon draws the reader into her stories and makes you feel like you are part of the story. I highly recommend this book of short stories. You will laugh and cry along with the characters during the unfolding of the stories.

[Marie White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan has a way with words that is difficult to describe. Powerful short stories about things every one can relate to. Thoroughly enjoyed.

[Erica Marie]

dfavv zscacs

[Joshua Aitchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prepare yourself for a ride! Full spectrum of human emotions throughout this book. Well written. Great collection of stories. A must for every bookshelf.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Megan Gordan does it again. She tells the stories of my life, my friends' lives, and my family's lives. It is a very special person who can have so much insight into the human condition. I highly recommend this book.

[BLOOPY! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting but it was well written nonetheless. Makes one think about their own circumstances.

[Leslie Merrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried, I laughed, I got angry, I identified. You know those books you read in one sitting? This wasn't one of them for me. I read "Unbecoming" and had to stop because it aroused such emotion in me. I read "Sense Memory" and wanted to go find my husband to inhale his smell. I didn't want this book to end.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this *really* slowly since a lot of these stories kind of sucker punched me emotionally. Some two page little thing needed like 20 minutes of contemplation after. Then towards the end I didn't want it do end, so I had to read it in little bits. Excellent!

[Stacey Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetic, intense and moving

I loved this book! The stories were touching and relatable. The writing flows wonderfully, bringing the reader along through well crafted scenarios and drawing up emotions I didn't expect to have.