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Virgin and Other Stories
A confident and mesmerizing fiction debut, from the winner of the Plimpton Prize
Set in the American South, at the crossroads of a world that is both secular and devoutly Christian, April Ayers Lawson’s stories mine the inner lives of young women and men navigating sexual, emotional, and spiritual awakenings. In the title story, Jake grapples with the growing chasm between him and his wife, Sheila, who was a virgin when they wed. In “Three Friends in a Hammock” the tension and attraction is palpable between three sexy, insecure young women as they tug and toe the rope of their shared sack. “The Way You Must Play Always” invites us into the mind of Gretchen, young-looking even for thirteen, as she attends her weekly piano lesson, anxiously anticipating her illicit meeting with Wesley, her instructor’s adult brother who is recovering from a brain tumor. Conner, the cynical sixteen-year-old narrator of “The Negative Effects of Homeschooling,” escorts his mink-wearing mother to the funeral of her best friend, Charlene, a woman who was once a man. And in “Vulnerability” we accompany a young married painter to New York City, lured there by an art dealer and one of his artists. Both are self-involved and have questionable intentions, but nevertheless she is enticed.
Nodding to the Southern Gothic but channeling an energy all its own, Virgin and Other Stories is a mesmerizing debut from an uncannily gifted young writer. With self-assurance and sensuality, April Ayers Lawson unravels the intertwining imperatives of intimacy—sex and love, violation and trust, spirituality and desire—eyeing, unblinkingly, what happens when we succumb to temptation.
Virgin --
Three friends in a hammock --
The way you must play always --
The negative effects of homeschooling --
Vulnerability
Set in the American South, at the crossroads of a world that is both secular and devoutly Christian, April Ayers Lawson’s stories mine the inner lives of young women and men navigating sexual, emotional, and spiritual awakenings. In the title story, Jake grapples with the growing chasm between him and his wife, Sheila, who was a virgin when they wed. In “Three Friends in a Hammock” the tension and attraction is palpable between three sexy, insecure young women as they tug and toe the rope of their shared sack. “The Way You Must Play Always” invites us into the mind of Gretchen, young-looking even for thirteen, as she attends her weekly piano lesson, anxiously anticipating her illicit meeting with Wesley, her instructor’s adult brother who is recovering from a brain tumor. Conner, the cynical sixteen-year-old narrator of “The Negative Effects of Homeschooling,” escorts his mink-wearing mother to the funeral of her best friend, Charlene, a woman who was once a man. And in “Vulnerability” we accompany a young married painter to New York City, lured there by an art dealer and one of his artists. Both are self-involved and have questionable intentions, but nevertheless she is enticed.
Nodding to the Southern Gothic but channeling an energy all its own, Virgin and Other Stories is a mesmerizing debut from an uncannily gifted young writer. With self-assurance and sensuality, April Ayers Lawson unravels the intertwining imperatives of intimacy—sex and love, violation and trust, spirituality and desire—eyeing, unblinkingly, what happens when we succumb to temptation.
Virgin --
Three friends in a hammock --
The way you must play always --
The negative effects of homeschooling --
Vulnerability
192 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2016
19 people are currently reading
1512 people want to read
About the author
April Ayers Lawson
3 books15 followersApril Ayers Lawson is the recipient of the 2011 George Plimpton Award for Fiction, as well as a 2015 writing fellowship from the Corporation of Yaddo. “Virgin” was named a 2011 favorite short story of the year by Flavorwire magazine and anthologized in The Unprofessionals: New American Writing from The Paris Review (Penguin, 2016). Lawson’s fiction has appeared in the Norwegian version of Granta, Oxford American, Vice, ZYZYYVA, Crazyhorse, and Five Chapters, among others. She has lectured in the creative writing department at Emory University, and is the 2016-17 Kenan Visiting Writer at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
April 26, 2018
Las cinco historias recogidas en Virgen y otros relatos proporcionan una perspectiva poco corriente acerca del deseo y de las misteriosas fuerzas que rigen sus mecanismos. En un terreno donde suelen abundar figuras manidas y tópicos de lo más penoso, April Ayers Lawson se mueve con sorprendente madurez narrativa, traspasando con una despampanante frescura esa estrecha línea que separa lo explícito de lo sugerente.
A lo largo de este libro, April Layers Lawson aborda la curiosidad y el despertar sexual de sus personajes en situaciones de conflicto que amenazan con transgredir las reglas del decoro. ¿Quién no ha experimentado el descorazonador estigma de sentir atracción por algo o alguien que los demás consideran reprobable? O lo que es peor, ¿por algo o alguien que nosotros mismos censuramos? Sea como fuere, los relatos de April Ayers Lawson se nutren precisamente de la fascinación por el fruto prohibido. Lawson realiza además una descripción certera acerca de la aleatoriedad del anhelo, de su carácter imprevisible e irracional, jugando con un lenguaje que, a pesar de su contención, destila erotismo y perversión por los cuatro costados.
En Virgen y otros relatos, la pureza y castidad insinuadas se dan de bruces con la subyugante realidad que April Ayers Lawson ha querido retratar en sus historias. Una realidad donde el objeto de nuestro deseo puede convertirse fácilmente en la causa de nuestra perdición.
RESEÑA COMPLETA: http://generacionreader.blogspot.com....
A lo largo de este libro, April Layers Lawson aborda la curiosidad y el despertar sexual de sus personajes en situaciones de conflicto que amenazan con transgredir las reglas del decoro. ¿Quién no ha experimentado el descorazonador estigma de sentir atracción por algo o alguien que los demás consideran reprobable? O lo que es peor, ¿por algo o alguien que nosotros mismos censuramos? Sea como fuere, los relatos de April Ayers Lawson se nutren precisamente de la fascinación por el fruto prohibido. Lawson realiza además una descripción certera acerca de la aleatoriedad del anhelo, de su carácter imprevisible e irracional, jugando con un lenguaje que, a pesar de su contención, destila erotismo y perversión por los cuatro costados.
En Virgen y otros relatos, la pureza y castidad insinuadas se dan de bruces con la subyugante realidad que April Ayers Lawson ha querido retratar en sus historias. Una realidad donde el objeto de nuestro deseo puede convertirse fácilmente en la causa de nuestra perdición.
RESEÑA COMPLETA: http://generacionreader.blogspot.com....
February 8, 2017
Strong debut short story collection with a dark tone and dark sense of humor. Author April Ayers Lawson, currently a visiting writer at University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, grew up in the South with an evangelical background. She grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. It’s easy to imagine that everyone in the South drives around in a pick-up truck with confederate flag and gun rack attending weekly church service. In this story collection she creates a complex image of the South and its inhabitants with rich details and enthralling, layered characters.
In the title story, Jake contemplates the potential deterioration his marriage to Sheila, a virgin when they wed. A teenager becomes tantalized by a mysterious young man living at her piano teacher’s home in “The Way You Must Play Always:” “The love inside her had room to spread out now. It was part nervousness, part desperation, and a little craziness too, and she felt it begin to rush outside of her and around her, leaving invisible prints of itself all over the things she touched: her bag, her books, the keys, the pages of the music she turned.” A woman who befriended a transgender woman at her church takes her son to the woman’s funeral in “The Negative Effects of Homeschooling.” This boy recalls how different his mother would be when Charlene would come over to visit: “First I thought WHAT IN THE WORLD did my mother have to put in a diary? All she did was give me assignments, wander around the house wiping things down, drink green tea, and go to stores. She never said anything to me about a diary; then Charlene’s her thirty minutes and my mom is Anne Frank.”
In the best story, a married artist forms complicated relationships with her art dealer and another artist in “Vulnerability.” She’s married to a man who mostly hangs out after work in the garage watching porn on his computer. Of her husband: “Occasionally when I returned from the bathroom at a restaurant I’d come back to find him engaged more happily in conversation with the waitress than he ever was with me; with me he claimed he could be himself, which was depressed.” She creates imaginary relationships in her mind then when she meets the art dealer and another man she corresponded with she plays them off against each other. There’s a dangerous precariousness in her emotions and palpable insecurities: “I knew I had nice legs, and unable to think of anything funny or intelligent to say, my mind sludgy with the clonazepam I chewed like candy and alcohol and th dregs of crumbling fantasy, I shifted then about in hopes that he’d forgive me for not being as smart and inspired and bold as I thought I’d managed to seem in the emails.” Best read slowly to savor and absorb the exquisite details.
published at Entertainment Realm: https://entertainmentrealm.com/2016/1...
In the title story, Jake contemplates the potential deterioration his marriage to Sheila, a virgin when they wed. A teenager becomes tantalized by a mysterious young man living at her piano teacher’s home in “The Way You Must Play Always:” “The love inside her had room to spread out now. It was part nervousness, part desperation, and a little craziness too, and she felt it begin to rush outside of her and around her, leaving invisible prints of itself all over the things she touched: her bag, her books, the keys, the pages of the music she turned.” A woman who befriended a transgender woman at her church takes her son to the woman’s funeral in “The Negative Effects of Homeschooling.” This boy recalls how different his mother would be when Charlene would come over to visit: “First I thought WHAT IN THE WORLD did my mother have to put in a diary? All she did was give me assignments, wander around the house wiping things down, drink green tea, and go to stores. She never said anything to me about a diary; then Charlene’s her thirty minutes and my mom is Anne Frank.”
In the best story, a married artist forms complicated relationships with her art dealer and another artist in “Vulnerability.” She’s married to a man who mostly hangs out after work in the garage watching porn on his computer. Of her husband: “Occasionally when I returned from the bathroom at a restaurant I’d come back to find him engaged more happily in conversation with the waitress than he ever was with me; with me he claimed he could be himself, which was depressed.” She creates imaginary relationships in her mind then when she meets the art dealer and another man she corresponded with she plays them off against each other. There’s a dangerous precariousness in her emotions and palpable insecurities: “I knew I had nice legs, and unable to think of anything funny or intelligent to say, my mind sludgy with the clonazepam I chewed like candy and alcohol and th dregs of crumbling fantasy, I shifted then about in hopes that he’d forgive me for not being as smart and inspired and bold as I thought I’d managed to seem in the emails.” Best read slowly to savor and absorb the exquisite details.
published at Entertainment Realm: https://entertainmentrealm.com/2016/1...
February 11, 2017
Can I even rate something 1.5 stars? Well, I am.
This wasn't exactly awful, I mean I sort of liked some of the stories, but the endings to all 4 of them felt like they just had no meaning or didn't really make sense to the rest of the story. It didn't make me think hard about anything and none were really all that profound.
Maybe short stories just aren't what they used to be...?
This wasn't exactly awful, I mean I sort of liked some of the stories, but the endings to all 4 of them felt like they just had no meaning or didn't really make sense to the rest of the story. It didn't make me think hard about anything and none were really all that profound.
Maybe short stories just aren't what they used to be...?
January 5, 2017
It’s difficult to write about desire in a way which feels wholly new, but that’s something author April Ayers Lawson does repeatedly in her debut book. There’s a persistent sense in these five short stories that young people have access to a multitude of sexual imagery and opportunities. They are either totally sheltered from sex or there is a presumption that they know how to emotionally deal with the more mature aspects of sexuality. Yet their innocence and naivety leave them unprepared to accept the physical reality of sex and its consequences. Lawson has a fascinating way of describing the separation between people’s intentions and the outcomes of their unwieldy romantic and sexual yearnings. She does this through poignant imagery and layering complicated feelings between her characters. It’s apt that the title story ‘Virgin’ is what this book is named after because the feeling of purity cut through with the startling reality of intimate encounters recurs throughout each story.
Read my full review of Virgin and Other Stories by April Ayers Lawson on LonesomeReader
Read my full review of Virgin and Other Stories by April Ayers Lawson on LonesomeReader
December 19, 2016
Men are afraid that women will laugh at them.
Women are afraid that men will kill them.
-Margaret Atwood
Women are afraid that men will kill them.
-Margaret Atwood
July 15, 2017
Pretty good collection. The stories grabbed me or they didn't. I particularly enjoyed The Negative Effects of Homeschooling and The Way You Must Play Always. The others didn't resonate with me so much.
Read
November 15, 2019Ayers Lawson me ha parecido una cuentista excepcional. Se nota que conoce las técnicas, pero también se intuye la voluntad de alejarse de las fórmulas convencionales. Este recopilatorio, por ejemplo, es muy asimétrico en varios aspectos, aunque cohesiona a la perfección gracias al predominio del diálogo interior. Parece que las acciones externas de los personajes apenas influyen en los hechos, o lo hacen de manera sutil, pero indirectamente descubrimos que la autora ha elegido como personaje central al más apropiado para revelar los puntos de interés de cada cuento.
Atención al uso de las voces y a los cambios en el punto de vista en tercio final de Vulnerabilidad, el último relato. El efecto que produce es sorprendente y sirve de estupendo cierre al libro.
Atención al uso de las voces y a los cambios en el punto de vista en tercio final de Vulnerabilidad, el último relato. El efecto que produce es sorprendente y sirve de estupendo cierre al libro.
November 21, 2016
My attention span this time of year doesn't always hold for a complex novel, so short stories are a welcome option. Even better, these were quality stories. The author has a crisp, no-nonsense style and several stories in this collection twisted and turned in a way that kept me engaged, entertained and wondering what would come next. I like that very much. If you're looking for a quick, well-written collection, consider this.
January 12, 2021
Irgendwo zwischen 3 und 4 Sternen (anfangs war ich wegen einigen Geschichten so wütend, dass ich 2 Sternchen geben wollte und mit mehr nachdenken hab ich sie irgendwie mehr verstanden, was doch auch was über das Buch aussagt). Aber doch näher bei 3 Sternen, weil ich die detaillierten Beschreibungen von Brüsten oder die Transphobie in der vierten Geschichte doch nicht so cool fand, auch wenns als Kommentar zu Fragile Masculinity effektiv eingesetzt ist. (Aber die Frage ist ja, ob das effektiver ist als einfach keine sexistischen und transphoben Charaktere zu schreiben.)
Vor allem die letzte Geschichte, "Verletzbarkeit", fand ich aber wieder sehr spannend und auch "Drei Freundinnen in einer Hängematte" hat mir irgendwie gut gefallen. (Zufall, dass die beiden Geschichten aus der Sicht von Frauen geschrieben sind? Wahrscheinlich nicht.)
Würde mich auch interessieren, wie es auf Englisch zu lesen ist, weil es doch sehr amerikanisch wirkt und man für meinen Geschmack teilweise zu sehr gemerkt hat, dass es sich um eine Übersetzung handelt (ich bin nicht so Fan davon, wenn gewisse Wörter nicht übersetzt werden, obwohl es keinen Grund dafür gibt, sie Englisch zu lassen).
Vor allem die letzte Geschichte, "Verletzbarkeit", fand ich aber wieder sehr spannend und auch "Drei Freundinnen in einer Hängematte" hat mir irgendwie gut gefallen. (Zufall, dass die beiden Geschichten aus der Sicht von Frauen geschrieben sind? Wahrscheinlich nicht.)
Würde mich auch interessieren, wie es auf Englisch zu lesen ist, weil es doch sehr amerikanisch wirkt und man für meinen Geschmack teilweise zu sehr gemerkt hat, dass es sich um eine Übersetzung handelt (ich bin nicht so Fan davon, wenn gewisse Wörter nicht übersetzt werden, obwohl es keinen Grund dafür gibt, sie Englisch zu lassen).
February 4, 2017
A delightful collection of short stories by a rookie author. They focus on the love and sex lives of different young people not in a prurient way but as a way of illuminating their full lives.
"Virgin" is told from the point of view of a young, mainstream man, Jake, who falls in love with a beautiful woman, Sheila who was raised in a fundamentalist family. She tells him on their first date that she is keeping her virginity until she gets married. While often frustrated during the courtship and engagement, Jake's love and respect for Sheila prevails and they wait until their wedding night, a night that ends in disappointment and no sex. Sheila then tells of her prior abuse by an uncle when she was a young girl and of her family's reaction to it. Jake reacts with understanding and encouragement of counseling, but when Sheila eventually embraces her sexuality there are unanticipated consequences.
"Three Friends in a Hammock," recollections of marriages and relationships from three woman friends while laying on a hammock together was the one story that did not resonate for me, mainly because the narrative style and fact that characters were never developed.
In "The Way You Must Play Always" Gretchen is a 13 year old girl taking piano lessons at the insistence of her parents who are intent on filling her time and mind after she was caught more than kissing her cousin. Her teacher is frustrated at Gretchen's lack of interest, a frustration that makes sense when the teacher later tells Gretchen how her fiancee broke their engagement in college. During the lessons Gretchen discovers that the teacher's brother is living in a back bedroom after being stricken by cancer which leads to an encounter that calls into question the success of trying to isolate young people from passion.
In "The Negative Effects of Homeschooling" a young teen's obsession with sex is shown in the first person narrative that tells how he stole Andrew Wyeth's book of nude paintings of Helga from the library, his relentless pursuit of a young girl from church which leads to furtive kissing and his obsession with his mother's friend who is undergoing a gender change. But the teen's deeper character is developed during the funeral for his mother's friend where he shows loyalty to his mom and talks with a coffee shop owner.
"Vulnerability" was my favorite story of the collection. A young, married Midwestern artist explores the possibility of selling her art in New York City and finds a possible agent on the internet. She becomes somewhat obsessed with him. After connecting with him, he refers her to an art dealer and the artist develops a long distance relationship with him as well. We learn the above in flashbacks as the story is set during her first trip to New York where she meets both for the first time. Discussions about her art and career are punctuated by flirtation and pursuit and calls back home to her husband.
I gladly recommend this debut collection of stories that have nuance, interesting characters, and great writing
"Virgin" is told from the point of view of a young, mainstream man, Jake, who falls in love with a beautiful woman, Sheila who was raised in a fundamentalist family. She tells him on their first date that she is keeping her virginity until she gets married. While often frustrated during the courtship and engagement, Jake's love and respect for Sheila prevails and they wait until their wedding night, a night that ends in disappointment and no sex. Sheila then tells of her prior abuse by an uncle when she was a young girl and of her family's reaction to it. Jake reacts with understanding and encouragement of counseling, but when Sheila eventually embraces her sexuality there are unanticipated consequences.
"Three Friends in a Hammock," recollections of marriages and relationships from three woman friends while laying on a hammock together was the one story that did not resonate for me, mainly because the narrative style and fact that characters were never developed.
In "The Way You Must Play Always" Gretchen is a 13 year old girl taking piano lessons at the insistence of her parents who are intent on filling her time and mind after she was caught more than kissing her cousin. Her teacher is frustrated at Gretchen's lack of interest, a frustration that makes sense when the teacher later tells Gretchen how her fiancee broke their engagement in college. During the lessons Gretchen discovers that the teacher's brother is living in a back bedroom after being stricken by cancer which leads to an encounter that calls into question the success of trying to isolate young people from passion.
In "The Negative Effects of Homeschooling" a young teen's obsession with sex is shown in the first person narrative that tells how he stole Andrew Wyeth's book of nude paintings of Helga from the library, his relentless pursuit of a young girl from church which leads to furtive kissing and his obsession with his mother's friend who is undergoing a gender change. But the teen's deeper character is developed during the funeral for his mother's friend where he shows loyalty to his mom and talks with a coffee shop owner.
"Vulnerability" was my favorite story of the collection. A young, married Midwestern artist explores the possibility of selling her art in New York City and finds a possible agent on the internet. She becomes somewhat obsessed with him. After connecting with him, he refers her to an art dealer and the artist develops a long distance relationship with him as well. We learn the above in flashbacks as the story is set during her first trip to New York where she meets both for the first time. Discussions about her art and career are punctuated by flirtation and pursuit and calls back home to her husband.
I gladly recommend this debut collection of stories that have nuance, interesting characters, and great writing
February 3, 2017
Review fail! What would I have to say about sexuality and religion in the American south?
Modelled after Flannery O' Connor mostly—is doing something I don't understand nor am I interested in. It's not badly written but it is a bit pointlessly overly coy in that MFA way.
Maybe read it? Jesus IDK.
Modelled after Flannery O' Connor mostly—is doing something I don't understand nor am I interested in. It's not badly written but it is a bit pointlessly overly coy in that MFA way.
Maybe read it? Jesus IDK.
May 5, 2025
Virgin and Other Stories de April Ayers Lawson es un debut intrigante que merece una mirada detallada. La oabra le pongo un 4/5, aquí mis razones:
Virgin and Other Stories: Un mosaico de anhelos y desconexiones
La colección de cuentos de April Ayers Lawson nos sumerge en las vidas de personajes que, a menudo en la encrucijada de la juventud y la adultez temprana, lidian con anhelos profundos, la búsqueda de conexión y las dolorosas realidades de la desconexión. A través de una lente sensible y precisa, Lawson explora la complejidad de las relaciones familiares, la confusión del despertar sexual, las tensiones de clase y las silenciosas batallas internas que moldean la existencia de sus protagonistas.
Un estilo de escritura evocador
El estilo de escritura de April Ayers Lawson se caracteriza por su precisión y sutileza. Su prosa es limpia y directa, pero a la vez evocadora, capaz de transmitir profundas emociones y atmósferas complejas con una economía de palabras impresionante. Lawson tiene un talento para los detalles sensoriales, pintando imágenes vívidas de los entornos y los estados de ánimo de sus personajes.
Su ritmo narrativo es pausado y reflexivo, permitiendo que las emociones se desarrollen gradualmente y que el lector se sumerja en la experiencia de los personajes. Evita los sentimentalismos excesivos, optando por una observación aguda y una presentación honesta de las complejidades humanas. Se aprecia una sensibilidad particular hacia el lenguaje, utilizando metáforas y simbolismos con moderación pero con gran efectividad.
Una voz prometedora con espacio para crecer
Es cierto que Virgin and Other Stories es una obra temprana y, si bien exhibe un talento innegable, aún podría ser prematuro colocar a Lawson en el mismo panteón que O'Connor, Mansfield, Munro, Jackson, Carver o Salinger, como lo ha hecho la crítica estadounidense. Estos autores han dejado una huella indeleble en la literatura con obras que han trascendido generaciones, marcadas por una maestría estilística y una profundidad temática consistentemente elevadas.
Sin embargo, lo que Lawson demuestra en esta colección es una promesa significativa. Comparte con algunos de estos autores una capacidad para explorar las complejidades con una mirada penetrante y una voz distintiva. Su habilidad para crear personajes creíbles y situaciones emocionalmente resonantes es innegable.
Si bien la sutileza es una de sus fortalezas, en algunos momentos la falta de un conflicto más explícito o de un giro argumental más marcado podría dejar a algunos lectores deseando una mayor tensión narrativa.
Aunque la diversidad de personajes es apreciable, en algunos cuentos se podría haber explorado con mayor profundidad las motivaciones y los trasfondos de algunos de ellos.
En términos de innovación formal, la colección se adhiere a una estructura narrativa tradicional.
Es importante destacar la cohesión temática de la colección. A pesar de presentar personajes y situaciones diversas, existe un hilo conductor que explora la dificultad de la conexión genuina en un mundo a menudo alienante. La búsqueda de identidad y la lucha por encontrar un sentido en la vida son temas recurrentes que resuenan a lo largo de los cuentos.
La atmósfera melancólica y reflexiva que impregna la mayoría de los relatos es una de las características distintivas de la obra. Lawson logra crear un espacio de introspección que invita al lector a confrontar sus propias experiencias y emociones.
La sensibilidad hacia las dinámicas familiares y las complejidades de las relaciones íntimas es particularmente notable. Lawson evita los juicios fáciles y presenta a sus personajes con una humanidad que los hace cercanos y comprensibles, a pesar de sus errores y sus luchas.
En conclusión, Virgin and Other Stories es un debut literario sólido y prometedor. April Ayers Lawson demuestra ser una escritora con una voz distintiva, una sensibilidad aguda y un talento para la observación precisa. Si bien aún tiene camino por recorrer para alcanzar la estatura de los autores que mencionas, esta colección establece una base firme para una carrera literaria que sin duda valdrá la pena seguir de cerca. Su capacidad para explorar las complejidades de la vida cotidiana con una prosa elegante y evocadora sugiere un futuro brillante en el panorama de la narrativa contemporánea.
Virgin and Other Stories: Un mosaico de anhelos y desconexiones
La colección de cuentos de April Ayers Lawson nos sumerge en las vidas de personajes que, a menudo en la encrucijada de la juventud y la adultez temprana, lidian con anhelos profundos, la búsqueda de conexión y las dolorosas realidades de la desconexión. A través de una lente sensible y precisa, Lawson explora la complejidad de las relaciones familiares, la confusión del despertar sexual, las tensiones de clase y las silenciosas batallas internas que moldean la existencia de sus protagonistas.
Un estilo de escritura evocador
El estilo de escritura de April Ayers Lawson se caracteriza por su precisión y sutileza. Su prosa es limpia y directa, pero a la vez evocadora, capaz de transmitir profundas emociones y atmósferas complejas con una economía de palabras impresionante. Lawson tiene un talento para los detalles sensoriales, pintando imágenes vívidas de los entornos y los estados de ánimo de sus personajes.
Su ritmo narrativo es pausado y reflexivo, permitiendo que las emociones se desarrollen gradualmente y que el lector se sumerja en la experiencia de los personajes. Evita los sentimentalismos excesivos, optando por una observación aguda y una presentación honesta de las complejidades humanas. Se aprecia una sensibilidad particular hacia el lenguaje, utilizando metáforas y simbolismos con moderación pero con gran efectividad.
Una voz prometedora con espacio para crecer
Es cierto que Virgin and Other Stories es una obra temprana y, si bien exhibe un talento innegable, aún podría ser prematuro colocar a Lawson en el mismo panteón que O'Connor, Mansfield, Munro, Jackson, Carver o Salinger, como lo ha hecho la crítica estadounidense. Estos autores han dejado una huella indeleble en la literatura con obras que han trascendido generaciones, marcadas por una maestría estilística y una profundidad temática consistentemente elevadas.
Sin embargo, lo que Lawson demuestra en esta colección es una promesa significativa. Comparte con algunos de estos autores una capacidad para explorar las complejidades con una mirada penetrante y una voz distintiva. Su habilidad para crear personajes creíbles y situaciones emocionalmente resonantes es innegable.
Si bien la sutileza es una de sus fortalezas, en algunos momentos la falta de un conflicto más explícito o de un giro argumental más marcado podría dejar a algunos lectores deseando una mayor tensión narrativa.
Aunque la diversidad de personajes es apreciable, en algunos cuentos se podría haber explorado con mayor profundidad las motivaciones y los trasfondos de algunos de ellos.
En términos de innovación formal, la colección se adhiere a una estructura narrativa tradicional.
Es importante destacar la cohesión temática de la colección. A pesar de presentar personajes y situaciones diversas, existe un hilo conductor que explora la dificultad de la conexión genuina en un mundo a menudo alienante. La búsqueda de identidad y la lucha por encontrar un sentido en la vida son temas recurrentes que resuenan a lo largo de los cuentos.
La atmósfera melancólica y reflexiva que impregna la mayoría de los relatos es una de las características distintivas de la obra. Lawson logra crear un espacio de introspección que invita al lector a confrontar sus propias experiencias y emociones.
La sensibilidad hacia las dinámicas familiares y las complejidades de las relaciones íntimas es particularmente notable. Lawson evita los juicios fáciles y presenta a sus personajes con una humanidad que los hace cercanos y comprensibles, a pesar de sus errores y sus luchas.
En conclusión, Virgin and Other Stories es un debut literario sólido y prometedor. April Ayers Lawson demuestra ser una escritora con una voz distintiva, una sensibilidad aguda y un talento para la observación precisa. Si bien aún tiene camino por recorrer para alcanzar la estatura de los autores que mencionas, esta colección establece una base firme para una carrera literaria que sin duda valdrá la pena seguir de cerca. Su capacidad para explorar las complejidades de la vida cotidiana con una prosa elegante y evocadora sugiere un futuro brillante en el panorama de la narrativa contemporánea.
May 2, 2018
i wondered: 'short story: what is you? '
is you fully satisfying; all loose ends tied? or is you tantalising, characters existing before and after story loose ends messy like Life?
but, like shorter.
so the first story 'Virgin' was like the 1st chapter in an unfinished novel - it was all over before I was ready and I want more! more! more!
I wondered if the whole collection would be like lots of chapter 1s. and maybe the author would write a collection of chapter 2s!
but Ceris said her all time favourite short story is like a Chapter 7 of a book!!!
crazy!
she said maybe the point is to leave you unsatisfied. begging for more. making up what happens next In Your Own Head! maybe the point is to leave you wondering; still thinking of that story, years later....
is you fully satisfying; all loose ends tied? or is you tantalising, characters existing before and after story loose ends messy like Life?
but, like shorter.
so the first story 'Virgin' was like the 1st chapter in an unfinished novel - it was all over before I was ready and I want more! more! more!
I wondered if the whole collection would be like lots of chapter 1s. and maybe the author would write a collection of chapter 2s!
but Ceris said her all time favourite short story is like a Chapter 7 of a book!!!
crazy!
she said maybe the point is to leave you unsatisfied. begging for more. making up what happens next In Your Own Head! maybe the point is to leave you wondering; still thinking of that story, years later....
May 20, 2017
Stories about sexual awakenings with an underpinning of spirituality are somewhat rare and oftentimes elusive in the message that is being conveyed. April Ayers Lawson title, The Virgin and other stories is no exception. In each of the five short stories the protagonists are at a crossroads in understanding intimacy, vulnerability (the title of one of the stories) and peace in the midst of past traumas, identity and a curious daring. While several of the stories are unsettling, the beauty of the writing; including the attention to detail, description and lyricism will keep the reader reading.
February 6, 2017
Things I really like about Virgin:
- The way it nails fundamentalist Christianity, but from the inside out, so that you see all the seams and the inconsistencies. A lot of writers who skewer this kind of religious atmosphere in their work seem to be setting out to do just that—skewer it—and Lawson’s take is so much more complex. Many of her narrators are raised in fundamentalism, but aren’t necessarily of it, so that you get kids like Conner in “The Negative Effects of Homeschooling” trying clumsily to woo Ally Kapawski in the half-hour after church when the kids are running around and the adults are being sociable. Ally, meanwhile, is not unaware of Conner’s advances, but instead of being either a “slutty hypocrite” stereotype or a bible-thumper, she’s just massively, entirely disinterested:
"So I pressed my mouth against hers. She didn’t kiss back but she didn’t move away, either. I just pressed my lips to hers until I got embarrassed for not knowing what to do next… and then I got out of the car. She followed."
Read the rest of the review here: https://ellethinks.wordpress.com/2017...
- The way it nails fundamentalist Christianity, but from the inside out, so that you see all the seams and the inconsistencies. A lot of writers who skewer this kind of religious atmosphere in their work seem to be setting out to do just that—skewer it—and Lawson’s take is so much more complex. Many of her narrators are raised in fundamentalism, but aren’t necessarily of it, so that you get kids like Conner in “The Negative Effects of Homeschooling” trying clumsily to woo Ally Kapawski in the half-hour after church when the kids are running around and the adults are being sociable. Ally, meanwhile, is not unaware of Conner’s advances, but instead of being either a “slutty hypocrite” stereotype or a bible-thumper, she’s just massively, entirely disinterested:
"So I pressed my mouth against hers. She didn’t kiss back but she didn’t move away, either. I just pressed my lips to hers until I got embarrassed for not knowing what to do next… and then I got out of the car. She followed."
Read the rest of the review here: https://ellethinks.wordpress.com/2017...
September 17, 2018
El cuento que da nombre a la colección es una maravilla; la profundidad psicológica de sus protagonistas es apasionante y -en definitiva- es una pequeña obra maestra.
Las siguientes tres narraciones no disminuyen el nivel y uno está seguro de darle 5 estrellas por adelantado al libro... Pero entonces llegas al quinto y último cuento.
A "Vulnerabilidad" le sobran docenas de páginas; es una historia que se pudo resolver en 5 hojas sin necesidad de alargarlo hasta el hartazgo, y las revelaciones no son sorprendentes y sí predecibles (incluso pecan de repetitivas pues la características y "demonios" de sus protagonistas ya las habíamos visto en las primeras 4 historias).
Recuerdo que mientras leía los primeros cuentos no entendía porque muchos le ponían solo "3 estrellas" a un texto lleno de complejidad psicológica y escritura cuidadosa; en mi caso, fue la duración y vacuidad de la última historia. Hubiera querido quitarle solo una estrella al libro por ese cuento, pero sí terminó siendo una experiencia que arruinó el goce total.
Las siguientes tres narraciones no disminuyen el nivel y uno está seguro de darle 5 estrellas por adelantado al libro... Pero entonces llegas al quinto y último cuento.
A "Vulnerabilidad" le sobran docenas de páginas; es una historia que se pudo resolver en 5 hojas sin necesidad de alargarlo hasta el hartazgo, y las revelaciones no son sorprendentes y sí predecibles (incluso pecan de repetitivas pues la características y "demonios" de sus protagonistas ya las habíamos visto en las primeras 4 historias).
Recuerdo que mientras leía los primeros cuentos no entendía porque muchos le ponían solo "3 estrellas" a un texto lleno de complejidad psicológica y escritura cuidadosa; en mi caso, fue la duración y vacuidad de la última historia. Hubiera querido quitarle solo una estrella al libro por ese cuento, pero sí terminó siendo una experiencia que arruinó el goce total.
March 21, 2018
Lawson is a great writer and like all great fiction I was transported to another's world. One story brings you into the world of a young girl who was exposed to sexuality early by a cousin, but who also found love in the touch and so when she gets a similar chance she takes it ... another of a boy who is full of angst over her mothers friendship with a transitioning male from their church, but also the virtually non-existent marriage ... perhaps the most haunting is a painter who keeps painting her abuser as she catches people around the city who look like him, struggling in a marriage that has familiarity but little else and who eventually is loved/abused by her art dealer who is pitiful/powerful. The complexity of these portraits and the fact that she writes so well you feel you are living, sometimes, trapped in these realities ...
December 9, 2016
[3.5/5] I've noticed a couple of reviews of Lawson's collection accuse her writing of being too stylized or somehow too dense, which, I mean, seems fairly off base. If anything, my sole criticism of Lawson's prose is that it adheres a little too much to a kind of sturdy literary realism. It feels solid and consistent in tone and in its construction sentence to sentence, even keeled even when the characters are struggling. The stories are almost too neatly constructed, and at times there's something about the perfection of the prose that makes humorous scenes feel a little alienating. Long story short: admirable work, but if you're looking for casual "connection" you probably won't find it.
June 29, 2017
I was really excited for a book that incorporated religious, Southern culture with sex and sexuality, but I may have had misconstrued expectations of this book. Maybe the writing style just wasn't for me; I found it difficult to follow at times because of ambiguous pronouns and seemingly rambling stream of consciousness. I liked the variety of characters in terms of age, gender, etc. but found any of them hard to relate to, despite having been raised religious and Southern. It was a quick read, but to be honest, I didn't even finish the book because I didn't think I'd gain anything new from the last of the short stories.
July 16, 2018
You know when you read something that just isn't your cup of tea? Well this was that, except 5 times over. Each short story was dull and had a flat, seemingly pointless ending. The second installment had a confusing and poorly executed writing style. I disliked Connor in the penultimate tale (a mildly transphobic main character? why? Are we supposed to sympathize with him?). I couldn't even read the last story properly, I was too fed up by that point.
I also didn't understand the front-cover-claim that this is a modern day version of The Bell Jar. In what way?! Sorry if this was your thing but it really wasn't for me.
I also didn't understand the front-cover-claim that this is a modern day version of The Bell Jar. In what way?! Sorry if this was your thing but it really wasn't for me.
July 7, 2024
⭐️⭐️
*Check Trigger Warnings*
I understand what the author was trying to do with these stories and I would have liked them so much if they hadn’t started in the middle of things and had no ending. I felt like there was no resolve for any of the stories, they just left you hanging. I also found one of them a little offensive. I could have taken it the wrong way but the author never explained the situation in full so it just felt offensive for no reason. The main character of the story disliked a trans woman but it never really disclosed WHY and it never got any better. That was just the theme of the story.
*Check Trigger Warnings*
I understand what the author was trying to do with these stories and I would have liked them so much if they hadn’t started in the middle of things and had no ending. I felt like there was no resolve for any of the stories, they just left you hanging. I also found one of them a little offensive. I could have taken it the wrong way but the author never explained the situation in full so it just felt offensive for no reason. The main character of the story disliked a trans woman but it never really disclosed WHY and it never got any better. That was just the theme of the story.
March 31, 2017
It has been a long time since I've read a debut short story collection that engages so deeply with the psychological struggles of each protagonist. Not only is the writing superb but Lawson performs a narrative balancing act, asking her readers to at times simultaneously empathize and turn our shoulders in judgement on the narrators in each story. And yet I am never the voyeur but an active participant in the suffering of my fellow humans whose struggles are portrayed within Virgin and other stories. Bravo!
October 23, 2018
The false fulfillment of dreams. The terrain of shame, but also of the parts of one's self that feel no shame at all. Sacrilege as a subject. Love as a state of mind with the power to take you out of yourself, perhaps at your own peril. The failure to overcome one's shortcomings: brattiness, peevishness, combativeness. Both bold and interior. The title story is like the ubiquitous "Cat Person", only more sophisticated. And thank you, thank you, thank you, for writing no stories about writers, and for writing a real work about the contemporary art world. Lynne Tillman would be proud.
February 15, 2017
Authentic, hard-won, and cracking. One of the best story collections in years and my favorite recent debut. Only caveat: would most appeal to those with above-average psychological and artistic sensitivity and therefore maybe not for everyone. But then what book is. At times brought to mind JD Salinger, Alice Munro, Flannery O'Conner and Miranda July. Though also very much its own thing. One person I know was as wowwed by it as me and another didn't get it. I have read it more than once.
June 27, 2017
I found the first and last stories (Virgin, Vulnerability) pretty intriguing, but overall felt that the stories had no true depth or ended with any sort of meaning. The writing style was at times captivating, so I can see why people applaud her work, but at other times, the writing direction was unclear, so I found myself skipping ahead...I wrestled between 2 and 3 stars, but settled on 2 since I really only liked 2 out of the 5 stories.
May 7, 2018
Book was recommended to me by a colleague, but I was highly disappointed. I didn't finish the book. It's a collection of 4 short stories. The advertisement was promising: a commentary on social views of sexuality specifically in the southern church, providing key theological insights. I found none of this present in the stories I finished. I had such high hopes for this book based off of the recommendation, but would not recommend to anyone.
December 12, 2016
Many good things in this one. Themes: the danger of silence, the use/misuse of female bodies, guilt + shame brought upon by societal expectations/perceptions, and present/absent men.
The writing is hard to read in some places, stylistically, which gives it 3.5 stars.
The writing is hard to read in some places, stylistically, which gives it 3.5 stars.
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January 7, 2017See my video book diary on Virgin and Other Stories over on twitter: https://twitter.com/lauraewaddell/sta...
August 27, 2018
When an author can bring me into sympathy with someone I would naturally feel so distanced from, that is a sign of her talent.
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