Limbo, and Other Places I Have Lived: Stories

by Lily Tuck

Lily Tuck understands that emotional transformations cannot-and should not -- be easily explained. In her elegant and penetrating first collection, Limbo, and Other Places I Have Lived , Tuck offers a portrait of the subtle shifts that can render the accommodations we make to our lives or to our partners suddenly impossible. Tuck's characters are in the midst of a composed yet profound rebellion, the basis of which is a growing estrangement from the self, a need to return to some fundamental truth whose discovery, as often as not, will force significant change. These characters travel to unknown, exotic places, and, while there, find themselves deeply immersed in observation-of the natives of the locality, of the local customs, of the foreign landscape -- in an effort to discern some elemental truth about who they themselves are. Yet rather than see the self reflected back clear as rainwater, these women meet instead with disorientation, confusion; they are disappointed by the people closest to them -- lovers, husbands, members of their families. Tuck is a writer of such grace and understatement that one does not immediately recognize the piercing psychological acuity and deftness of her observations. Her characters are full of poignant yearning and guarded optimism, of unwavering honesty, even in the face of painful disappointment or physical chaos. It is the elements of pain and confusion that bring these women back to themselves in precisely the way they need to be; to the sometimes heartbreaking but finally optimistic realization that the answers they seek lie not in other people, or places, but rather within themselves. Limbo, and Other Places I Have Lived is a brilliant collection from a writer of exceptional poise and insight.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Travel

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Lily Tuck is an American novelist and short story writer whose novel The News from Paraguay won the 2004 National Book Award for Fiction. Her novel Siam was nominated for the 2000 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. She has published four other novels, a collection of short stories, and a biography of Italian novelist Elsa Morante (see "Works" below).
An American citizen born in Paris, Tuck now divides her time between New York City and Maine; she has also lived in Thailand and (during her childhood) Uruguay and Peru. Tuck has stated that "living in other countries has given me a different perspective as a writer. It has heightened my sense of dislocation and rootlessness. ... I think this feeling is reflected in my characters, most of them women whose lives are changed by either a physical displacement or a loss of some kind".

Reviews

[M. Sarki · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://msarki.tumblr.com/post/171513...

Lily Tuck emerged for me as the most interesting writer of 2017, and now 2018 furthers my journey in which I might read everything she has written in her lifetime. Of course, and thankfully, she is still alive. Charming, witty, sexy, and sophisticated, Lily Tuck’s prose seduces and entertains with a spirit of elegance and art of the first rank. To say she is gifted is an understatement. Coming late to the writing game, Lily Tuck proves herself indispensable to providing pleasure rarely found elsewhere in contemporary literature. This collection however, though inspiring, comes on the heels of my just finishing two other novels which proved to be disappointments. But my respect for the writing of Lily Tuck does not waver. Establishing, enough, the completion of my goal, I rest now with a grateful and personal satisfaction.

[Alicia Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories were interesting. Unfortunately, none of them had any kind of decisive ending.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of tales take place in a variety of locations, from Angkor Wat to Lima. But they all share an intuition about what is happening in a relationship that is displayed in a gesture or in short verbal responses between characters. Some of the relationships are marked by long absences which strain the relationship. A girl who scoffs at mention of her resemblance to her father because perhaps she feels that absence she had from him during the war and it is her way of showing her anger at that time, but her father won’t even realize.

Some of the book is therefore hard to take with stories of bad relationships heaped upon one another, but the writing, the evocation of the places do make them interesting nonetheless.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

While interesting, there was a predictable negative turn in most of the stories and sometimes the stories just ended without a feeling of anything beyond a description of a moment in time.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I savored each story. If I read more than two stories in a sitting, I was afraid they'd overwrite each other and I'd lose their feeling.

[Erika Nerdypants · Rating 2 out of 5]

I want to give this at least a 2.5 rating, because although I didn't really like most of the stories, a few of them I liked a lot. My main problem was that although the writing was eloquent, it also seemed quite disjointed. Good short stories leave me wanting to know more, but several of the stories in this collection had such abrupt endings, they left me shaking my head. Overall disappointing, because I had high hopes for a book by Lily Tuck.

[Astrid Lim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love short stories- especially if they have heartbreaking endings and yearning characters. But some of the stories in this book feel too depressing even for me. Gantung banget endingnya! Leaving you to interpret, but sometimes you just want the writer to let you know what's gonna happen next. ANyway, I love the settings of the stories, ranging from Europe to US to Asia :) Too bad there's no Indonesia here!

[Alaine Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of short stories taking place in different places-but be warned, they are short and some end very abruptly. I like the author's writing very much, and feel she can evoke the mood/local of places in the world, however, I can't help but feel I wanted a little more from these stories. But enjoyed.....

[MsBrigsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admire new writers, it takes courage and it's a huge personal risk to put yourself out there. I also enjoy short stories because I think it's a great skill to write concisely enough to wrap up a story in less than a novel. For this book, I'm more enamored by the title than the contents. This is my second attempt at finishing it. I still didn't and I'm moving on.

[M.M. M S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories give substance to a transitory uprootedness, alienation, deprivation... purposelessness. A familiar feeling for which I think we lack an adequate word, but we have these evocative stories.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best short stories collections around.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of short stories, most of which are set in foreign places such as France, Southeast Asia, etc.

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this collection, or rather, each time I found myself getting into a particular story it would end abruptly. As a result, I felt I was "getting" many of the stories.

[Viva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bittersweet little stories with a few utterly lovely moments. Learned the French phrase for those times you think of the right comeback but only later when it doesn't matter: l'esprit de l'escalier.

[E.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of short stories chronicling the side of relationships women rarely speak about, let alone acknowledge to themselves. Sad, but empowering.

[Mari Bower · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great collection of short stories.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

stunning, crafted

[Abby Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun collection of stories.

[Traycee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very nice collection of short stories. Tuck's work is rich with emotional texture.

[Connie Rock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to reread

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the European flavor of this small book of easy to read short stories.