Synopses & Reviews
Heralding the arrival of a stunning new voice in American fiction, Robin Black’s
If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This takes readers into the minds and hearts of people navigating the unsettling transitions that life presents to us all.
Written with maturity and insight, and in beautiful, clear-eyed prose, these stories plumb the depths of love, loss, and hope. A father struggles to forge an independent identity as his blind daughter prepares for college. A mother comes to terms with her adult daughter’s infidelity, even as she keeps a disturbing secret of her own. An artist mourns the end of a romance while painting a dying man’s portrait. An accident on a trip to Italy and an unexpected connection with a stranger cause a woman to question her lifelong assumptions about herself.
Brilliant, hopeful, and fearlessly honest, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This illuminates the truths of human relationships, truths we come to recognize in these characters and in ourselves.
Review
“A wonderfully rich and rewarding story collection by a debut writer that's not to miss for fans of Alice Munro or Lorrie Moore.” Louisville Courier Journal
Review
"Sensitive insights conveyed in elegantly plain prose—an auspicious debut.” Kirkus (Starred Review)
Review
"Like fine chocolate or wine, a little Black goes a long way. Savor this collection slowly and reflectively, then share with a friend." Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review
“Robin Black knows people. She knows us, she loves us, she takes pity on us and she offers us back to ourselves in clear-eyed and graceful prose. Her people are alive on these pages in all their glory—heartache and joy, infidelity and loyalty—and stay with us.” Amy Bloom, author of Away and Where the God of Love Hangs Out
Review
"Robin Black is an old soul who is a new addition to my short list of favorite authors. She is worthy of every bit of the high praise that is sure to come her way." Elizabeth Berg, author of The Last Time I Saw You
Review
"Robin Black’s stories are beautifully measured and composed.... Few first collections — few collections of any sort — are as intelligent and as moving." Jim Shepard, author of Like You’d Understand, Anyway
Review
"Robin Black's men and women have been around the block — in fact, they've done laps around the block — and are suffused with a fierce and hard-won knowledge about life, about love and loss.... [T]hese magnificent stories shine a light on what it means to be human." Dani Shapiro, author of Black and White
Review
"The pieces of If I Loved You are linked only by the power of the authorial voice, and it is a powerful voice indeed....If I Loved You is a "Fantastic Voyage" into the bloodstream of the human species: mean little girls and sad old men and grieving mistresses and blind daughters and distracted dads. The full catastrophe, as Zorba said." Meredith Maran, San Francisco Chronicle (Read the entire )
Synopsis
With fearless, clear-eyed, and gorgeous prose, Black takes readers into the hearts and choices of people grappling with the need to reinvent reasons for optimism.
Synopsis
FINALIST FOR THE FRANK O’CONNOR SHORT STORY AWARDNOW WITH AN ADDITIONAL STORY.
Heralding the arrival of a stunning new voice in American fiction,If I Loved You, I Would Tell You Thistakes readers into the minds and hearts of people navigating the unsettling transitions that life presents to us all: A father struggles to forge an independent identity as his blind daughter prepares for college. A mother comes to terms with her adult daughter’s infidelity. An artist mourns the end of a romance while painting the portrait of a dying man. Brilliant, hopeful, and fearlessly honest,If I Loved You, I Would Tell You Thisilluminates the truths of human relationships, truths we come to recognize in these characters and in ourselves.
Look for the If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This discussion guide inside.
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About the Author
Robin Black’s stories and essays have appeared in numerous publications, including One Story, Colorado Review, the Georgia Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Bellevue Literary Review, the Southern Review, and the anthology The Best Creative Nonfiction. The winner of many awards and a recipient of fellowships from the Leeway Foundation and the MacDowell Colony, Black is a graduate of the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers. She lives with her family in Philadelphia.
Table of Contents
The guide -- If I loved you -- Immortalizing John Parker -- Harriet Elliot -- Gaining ground -- Tableau vivant -- Pine -- A country where you once lived -- Divorced, beheaded, survived -- The history of the world.