Some People Have Real Problems

by Brit Bennett, Tessa Thompson (Narrator)

Ever wonder what it would be like to have chosen a different life path? In these moments, looking back may be the best way forward.

Some People Have Real Problems, written by Brit Bennett, the New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Half, and performed by Tessa Thompson, is a darkly funny short story about one woman’s reflections on the routes she’s taken through life and the detours she’s made along the way.

Doubts and guilt swirl through her mind as she rides the train to her fertility appointment. Each stop stirs up introspective thoughts on her marriage, the loss of her baby, and the lover who got away—contemplations that push her ever closer to wondering if she’s made the right decisions.

This masterful tale is an intrinsically relatable, courageous journey of self-reflection. It reminds us that while life may not always go as planned, we all possess the strength to move ahead.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Short Stories, Novella, African American, Contemporary

1 pages, Audible Audio

First published February 2, 2022

About the author

Born and raised in Southern California, Brit Bennett graduated from Stanford University and later earned her MFA in fiction at the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award in Graduate Short Fiction as well as the 2014 Hurston/Wright Award for College Writers. She is a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree, and her debut novel The Mothers was a New York Times bestseller. Her second novel The Vanishing Half was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. Her essays have been featured in The New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, The Paris Review, and Jezebel.

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good narration, and the writing was well done, but I disliked the story, being inside the character's head. Just a case of not clicking with the story, rather than the story being poorly written.

[Aeysha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. Felt like listening to a friend chat about life. Was left wanting more

[Tonya Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened on Audible for free. It's a short story about a young lady just trying to figure out life. Thinking about her miscarriage and having a baby. Or if she really wants to have children.

[Uta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and poignant with room for more. I felt the ending left much to be desired.

Tessa's narration was everything 🙌🏿 😍

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a poignant story about pregnancy loss.

[Natalie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

June 2023
Audiobook edition
33m (1.3x speed)

It took a few beats to get into this one. The FMC had some strong opinions. I'm surprised she can think that much on transport. I'm usually plugged into music or a game. There was the moment with the runner that felt sort of forced or fated. Otherwise, its a woman that's suffered miscarriage and instead of getting support and perhaps therapy, she gets the optimistic Jack who puts her straight into IVF to try again and the ridicule of her mother.

Its sad what she went through. The relationship probably won't last. She should've stuck to her guns and healed first, run, like the runner suggested she get back into it. The happiest moment in the story is when she's recalling her Vegas marathon. The ending was a bit abrupt and I missed it the first time and had to rewind, as I was googling if the hamster egg thing was true. I learnt something today I did not need to know.

[Carly Rooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another super short story on Audible. This one left me unsatisfied. Narration was awesome though.

[Chelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story was very cliche

[Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was excellent, but the story didn't really go anywhere, which is sometimes fine for a short story, but here it just left me a little unsatisfied. I needed some sort of crisis and resolution.

This is a short narrative story about a woman who isn't totally happy with her life, and trys to convince herself that everything's okay because "some people have real problems" and her life could always be worse.

[thosemeddlingkids · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tessa Thompson did a great job narrating this short! This felt like a snapshot into the narrator's head, surrounding her miscarriage and thoughts on children.

It was a bit too short to feel any kind of connection with her, besides pain (which may have been the purpose.) Definitely check CWs, it's only 33 minutes long but a very emotional destruction kind of story.

[Drew (Taylor's version)✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love brit bennett so much

4.5/5

[Gemini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

At first it was easy to dismiss her inner monologue as just rambling. The more I listened, the more relatable it became. I could imagine having the same kind of conversation with myself as I ride the train. I liked that her musings felt authentic and realistic. I wanted to know so much more about her ex lover. There was a deeper story there. Though this was a short listen, it was with packed with a lot of emotions.

[Libby Davarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story of lifes what ifs.

[Iva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Audible Original short story is about a woman and her husband riding a train to see a fertility specialist and we are following her thoughts and inner monologue while riding the train. This is moving, beautiful and thought provoking. After reading this I want to read other works by Brit Bennett.

[Cass Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but insightful look into the mind of a woman who is trying to navigate the decisions she made in her past and where she is now.

It felt as though the reader is always inside her head, like me. It was refreshing to feel that although I couldn’t relate to having miscarriages, I could relate to all the things I’ve lost over the years and have chosen to make peace with.

[Lara Ximenes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read about social reproduction

[Evelin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Con todo respeto, ojalá este libro no se haya impreso en formato físico porque es la cosa mas equis del mundo, nada interesante, nada valioso.

[Mary O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this, short but good. The MC felt real, humanly flawed and complex. I also think Tessa Thompson did a great job. Oh and that final sentence was poetic, I was like ‘damn’

[Brindi Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent short story that packs quite the emotional punch in so few words.

*infertility/miscarriage

[Diane Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not usually a big fan of short stories. Listening to one was different. Interesting, like the author, but still not my favorite genre!

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, that was intense . . .

Brit Bennett sure knows how to pull at your heartstrings and make you think. This short story was only 30 minutes and it pulled me in. Incredible.

5 stars

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story follows a woman who is on her way to a fertility doctor with her husband. She reflects on her past miscarriage, her relationship with her husband, and her lost love while also debating whether or not she truly wants a child. Throughout the story, she reminds herself of her husband’s phrase of basically “it could be worse” and tries to talk herself into her life being good when in reality it seems she is unhappy. I liked Tessa Thompson as the narrator and the writing was well done, but I don’t feel like this is a story that will stick with me in the long run.

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice short story about perspectives and possible outcomes. Makes you reflect on how much your experience in life influences your character, your decisions, and how the perspective on the severity of the problems changes from person to person.

[Samantha Mary Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audio book of this short story, honestly wishing it was a full book… loved the inner monologue. It makes you think about other people's problems and struggles, and it beautifully captures empathy and random acts of kindness. Why isn't this a full novel? Not a short story?

[Kate Suzanne Keohane · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like an unfinished novel and the main character was super unlikable. I didnt really like this one.

[Stacie Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final lines of the text are absolutely haunting...

[Holly Hartley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring, flat characters, listened to it 4 times and still can't get myself to like it.

[The Beloved Bibliophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read. It was very introspective and I enjoyed that angle. I read this on audible with incredible narration from Tessa Thompson! She needs to do audiobooks more, she’s fantastic!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The FMC had some strong opinions. The thoughts that went through her head while on a train surprised me I'm usually falling asleep or zoning out. When she met the runner felt so forced that it made me roll my eyes.

The story is about a woman that has suffered a miscarriage, I can so relate. And as usual, instead of getting support, she gets a husband who is optimistic and who wants to "try again" and with responses from him like "We're lucky it happened early we didn't get a chance to know it" just pissed me off and reminded me of my first husband.

As I said I went through it, several times. My first husband and I lost 3 babies before our first and 1 in between our 2nd and third. And then my current husband and I lost 3 sets of twins. So trust me when I say I am a pro at the whole miscarriage and how people respond. But Jack's response made me realize why I left my first husband. Because HE WAS JACK!

It's sad what she went through. The relationship probably won't last. As mine didn't. And the difference in men is astounding because if she leaves him and finds one like mine she won't go through the miscarriage alone, he'll be right there supporting her and helping her to heal not giving her platitudes.

The ending was a bit abrupt and I missed it the first time and had to rewind. And yes...you do not need to google the hamster egg, it's true.

All in all an okay book, not truly believable yet very relatable.