The End of Free Love

by Susan Steinberg

The End of Free Love evokes the schizophrenia of our times, a community of voices at the zero point. Like the voices that splinter from Marguerite Duras's work, these characters are neurotic, taking refuge in comics, food, music, sex, 'locking' and lies. Violence is within, without, in every emotion, in every word. But often hidden emotions rise to the surface, where self-consciousness, shame, and rage, to name a few, are permitted, voiced, and, eventually, set free. Throughout The End of Free Love Steinberg creates a hybrid text, blending poetry and fiction in writing as much about its form as its content. This is fiction that offers itself up for our delight, while remaining as elusive and unpredictable as language itself.

Genres: Fiction

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Susan Steinberg is an American writer. She is the author of the short story collections Hydroplane, The End of Free Love, and Spectacle. Her stories have appeared in McSweeney's, Conjunctions, American Short Fiction, and elsewhere, and she was the recipient of a 2012 Pushcart Prize. She has a BFA in Painting from Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She teaches at the University of San Francisco.

Reviews

[Mike Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went out with Susan on one date. I read her book as prep work. She thought that was mighty eager (creepy). Truth was I couldn't put it down once I picked it up and poked around.

Free-form style I hear was avant-garde like fifty years ago. Could've been an embarrassing train wreck, but Susan walks whatever invisible tight-rope needs walkin, and the stories (and laundry lists) bite smart, are loaded like dynamite, and dance from thought to thought leaving you racing to keep up but wanting to hang back and linger a little on each one.

...and the date? She's cool and smart, as you'd guess, but I didn't recognize the writer of these stories. I was shocked (shocked! i said) to know she'd never traveled. She was deathly afraid to fly. How can someone write so world-wise (world weary) and not have traveled? Oh, the mystery of it.

Also, she drove a pick-up truck...in San Francisco. How cool is that?

I recommend both Susan and her book.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love Susan Steinberg (named my cat after her) and I've worked my way through her rigorous oeuvre from newest to this, her very first book. Published in 2003, this was certainly an audacious debut. Steinberg is committed full on to write sentences stripped of any fat or passivity. It is often spectacular and fun in a fast-talking conversational style (sometimes with no commas for days). It can also feel a bit bludgeoning. I once told a friend that Steinberg writes like a woman who has been pissed at her parents since she was twelve and that definitely shines through here too. A hit and miss collection here, with an implied lean into the brilliance that was to come later for the author.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you'd expect from a collection of experimental stories, some of these pieces work better than others. A lot of the time, the stories slip more into the abstract realm of poetry, eschewing setting and, really, character, and while Steinberg always maintains a stunning grasp of the language, I found myself losing interest during these particular pieces. Most of the time, though, the stories are just really good. The voice-driven pieces (often also structurally experimental) worked best for me, especially the first two pieces. This won't work for anyone interested in straightforward, realist stuff, but like I said, the command over the sentences is fantastic throughout. Definitely a collection to read and re-read. I think those more abstract, poetic pieces might just take some more time to simmer and take root.

[Eric Phetteplace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth it for the title story alone, which is tied with Hemingway's "A Clean and Well-lit Place" for my favorite short story of all time. Given how amazing Free Love is, I'm always disappointed with Steinberg's other stories, which all have interesting rhythms and structures but are often too repetitive or unidimensionally neurotic to really be striking.

[Sean Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An early sampling of Steinberg's singular writing style, a mixture of poetry and experimental prose. The narrators are fascinating and they often convey a tormented past or an ongoing struggle with mental health which is relatable but also leads to them expressing themselves through Steinberg's writing style in a way that is jarringly beautiful.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed another book on here of her short stories. I really like her sarcastic style. She plays with "rules" of writing which I always admire especially when it works. Her signature style varies from short concise sentences to long ones that can last a whole page. I have seen her read a few times in San Francisco and think she is wonderful!

[Kyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books! Very thought-provoking. A tad experimental, just enough to whet my critical thinking skills but not so much that I'm lost. I love love love this book.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books that helped me love writing again.