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Searching for Suzi
Fiction. What happens when an ex-stripper in her mid-thirties, married with children, awakens one day questioning what brought her to a current life of complicated domesticity? Compelled to return to Omaha after seventeen years, the narrator we only know as Natalie begins a quest into her past, an adventure that takes the reader from childhood beauty pageants to the sex and glamour industries. Natalie's search becomes an intrepid journey through her own sexuality, a woman not only claiming herself but also accepting her contradictions. With inquisitive perception and agile use of perspective, SEARCHING FOR SUZI is an investigation into the tragic shadows of a past preferred to be forgotten.
96 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2009
8 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Stohlman
27 books47 followersNancy Stohlman's books include Going Short: An Invitation to Flash Fiction (2020), Madam Velvet's Cabaret of Oddities (2018), a finalist for the Colorado Book Award; The Vixen Scream and Other Bible Stories (2014), The Monster Opera (2013), Searching for Suzi: a flash novel (2009), and three anthologies of flash fiction including Fast Forward: The Mix Tape (2010). She is the creator of The F-Bomb Flash Fiction Reading Series in Denver, FlashNano in November, and co-founder of Flash Fiction Retreats. She lives in Denver and teaches at the University of Colorado Boulder.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 26, 2014
When I first read SEARCHING FOR SUZI by Nancy Stohlman, I thought it was a story about a stripper. When I read it again, I realized that it was a love story.
Natalie feels compelled to revisit her home town. She’s driven by an obsession: a need to find an old friend. She’s haunted by events that took place half her lifetime ago.
What I realized the second time I read this compelling story is that Natalie’s quest is not really about Suzi. And it is only about her past in as much as her past is haunting her present.
As Natalie moves through Omaha, the various settings of her youth, you begin to empathize with her: the weight a lifetime of objectification, sexual and otherwise, bears on Natalie’s identity as a woman.
What I came to understand as I grew closer to Natalie is that her quest was about liberating herself from the chains of her past. I came to understand the narrative as a love story. That what Natalie was really trying to do was come to terms with her own history: to love herself.
Anybody whose story contains an American adolescence would do well to read this book.
Natalie feels compelled to revisit her home town. She’s driven by an obsession: a need to find an old friend. She’s haunted by events that took place half her lifetime ago.
What I realized the second time I read this compelling story is that Natalie’s quest is not really about Suzi. And it is only about her past in as much as her past is haunting her present.
As Natalie moves through Omaha, the various settings of her youth, you begin to empathize with her: the weight a lifetime of objectification, sexual and otherwise, bears on Natalie’s identity as a woman.
What I came to understand as I grew closer to Natalie is that her quest was about liberating herself from the chains of her past. I came to understand the narrative as a love story. That what Natalie was really trying to do was come to terms with her own history: to love herself.
Anybody whose story contains an American adolescence would do well to read this book.
April 1, 2022
gritty & real
January 1, 2015
I wrote a critical review of this book for a graduate school application essay. (Cheesy, I know. Don't judge me.) Seeing as how that was about a month ago, my sentiments about Searching for Suzi haven't changed; so it seems appropriate to paraphrase my review.
From East of Eden and Memoirs of a Geisha to Midnight Cowboy and Last Exit to Brooklyn, sex work has been a long-standing theme in literature. More often than not, these literary representations are consistent with the dominant social attitudes about sex work, and stigmatize sex workers by minimizing them to degenerate nymphomaniacs or victims of adverse social and economic circumstances. (Of course, some sex workers are suffering from sex addiction, or are victims of unfortunate social circumstances; but they are no more susceptible to these hardships than anyone of any other profession.) Although not absent of stereotypes, Nancy Stohlman’s Searching for Suzi transcends classic depictions of sex workers as much as is possible for a novel that appears to have been written by a (presumably) well-researched "outsider."
Without revealing any spoilers, Searching for Suzi tells the story of Natalie, an ex-stripper whose crumbling marriage sends her on a journey into her past--a past filled with childhood beauty pageants, a four-year stint at the Sugar Lounge, and a dalliance with fellow stripper Suzi Cooper. On the surface, Natalie’s relationship with Suzi seems like a cheap ploy best reserved for erotic fiction. Although the novel has its moments, the conclusions that Natalie makes about her relationship with Suzi save the novel from turning into a trashy, stereotypical portrayal of "lesbian lovers."
That the novel is filled with flashbacks, and its point-of-view oscillates between first-, third-, and sometimes second-person, is puzzling at first, but once you get the hang of things, does not detract from its fluidity. One might say it adds dimension to Stohlman's protagonist. [On the other hand, pro-sex work advocates (myself included) might argue that the “splitting” of Natalie’s stripper persona from her “heterosexual married woman” persona only fuels the stereotype that all sex workers suffer from some sort of dissociative identity disorder.]
Sexual politics aside, it is Stohlman’s spare but provocative prose that most distinguishes Searching for Suzi from its pulpy contemporaries. I found myself highlighting many lines from the book and returning to them whenever I needed writing inspiration. Stohlman, who coined the term “flash novel” in 2008, masters word economy with grace and ease, without sacrificing imagery. Between chapters, she seamlessly inserts little gems of information called “stripper tips,” which range from advice (“Always carry a razor and shaving cream.”) to warnings, such as that dancers are not above stealing each other’s “sweaty, stinky” costumes. The stripper tips were, in fact, some of my favorite passages in the novel.
But by the end of the novel, I must admit that I was left wondering what I was supposed to have gathered from Natalie’s quest. Searching for Suzi, like most literary novels, is not focused on plot so much as it is focused on character development. I understand and appreciate that approach. However, while Young Natalie's development is clear, I felt that something was missing in terms of development from Adult Natalie. In the end, I concluded that maybe the purpose of Adult Natalie’s journey is less important than the fact that it happened.
From East of Eden and Memoirs of a Geisha to Midnight Cowboy and Last Exit to Brooklyn, sex work has been a long-standing theme in literature. More often than not, these literary representations are consistent with the dominant social attitudes about sex work, and stigmatize sex workers by minimizing them to degenerate nymphomaniacs or victims of adverse social and economic circumstances. (Of course, some sex workers are suffering from sex addiction, or are victims of unfortunate social circumstances; but they are no more susceptible to these hardships than anyone of any other profession.) Although not absent of stereotypes, Nancy Stohlman’s Searching for Suzi transcends classic depictions of sex workers as much as is possible for a novel that appears to have been written by a (presumably) well-researched "outsider."
Without revealing any spoilers, Searching for Suzi tells the story of Natalie, an ex-stripper whose crumbling marriage sends her on a journey into her past--a past filled with childhood beauty pageants, a four-year stint at the Sugar Lounge, and a dalliance with fellow stripper Suzi Cooper. On the surface, Natalie’s relationship with Suzi seems like a cheap ploy best reserved for erotic fiction. Although the novel has its moments, the conclusions that Natalie makes about her relationship with Suzi save the novel from turning into a trashy, stereotypical portrayal of "lesbian lovers."
That the novel is filled with flashbacks, and its point-of-view oscillates between first-, third-, and sometimes second-person, is puzzling at first, but once you get the hang of things, does not detract from its fluidity. One might say it adds dimension to Stohlman's protagonist. [On the other hand, pro-sex work advocates (myself included) might argue that the “splitting” of Natalie’s stripper persona from her “heterosexual married woman” persona only fuels the stereotype that all sex workers suffer from some sort of dissociative identity disorder.]
Sexual politics aside, it is Stohlman’s spare but provocative prose that most distinguishes Searching for Suzi from its pulpy contemporaries. I found myself highlighting many lines from the book and returning to them whenever I needed writing inspiration. Stohlman, who coined the term “flash novel” in 2008, masters word economy with grace and ease, without sacrificing imagery. Between chapters, she seamlessly inserts little gems of information called “stripper tips,” which range from advice (“Always carry a razor and shaving cream.”) to warnings, such as that dancers are not above stealing each other’s “sweaty, stinky” costumes. The stripper tips were, in fact, some of my favorite passages in the novel.
But by the end of the novel, I must admit that I was left wondering what I was supposed to have gathered from Natalie’s quest. Searching for Suzi, like most literary novels, is not focused on plot so much as it is focused on character development. I understand and appreciate that approach. However, while Young Natalie's development is clear, I felt that something was missing in terms of development from Adult Natalie. In the end, I concluded that maybe the purpose of Adult Natalie’s journey is less important than the fact that it happened.
December 3, 2009
Being allowed to sit on the shoulder of the character called Natalie made me laugh, cry yell and cuss during an exciting, frustrating, startling, heartbreaking and unique journey. Natalie does the difficult and compelling job of reexamining her life through the lens of maturity where youth and beauty is paramount in the sex industry, a place still very much controlled by men. Natalie is a heroine that I love for her courage and vulnerability as she searches for her own definition of intimacy in a world of "only into me." Searching for Suzi is a groundbreaking book, a flash novel that accomplishes a tremendous amount in its 87 pages. Both the length and the shifts in point of view are experimental, and they work beautifully in this context to add to the complexity and the readability of the book. It takes great skill to pull this off successfully and Nancy Stohlman seems to do it effortlessly.
Bravo, Nancy.
December 10, 2012
I purchased this book because it was categorized as Fast Fiction, and I had never read any before. Fast Fiction shortens the narrative by leaving out many of the details that are found in novels, yet they are not considered short stories or novellas.
I had problems, especially at first, understanding the organization of the content in this book which seemed to jump back and forth before past and present and also between the protagonist in the present who called herself "I," and the protagonist of the past who called herself "Natalie." Once I got the hang of that style, the reading became easier.
What I enjoyed most about this novel was the Stripper Tips of which there were many scattered throughout the story. If you like personal-journey type stories, you might like this one. It is resolved nicely and worth reading to the end to experience that.
I would try Fast Fiction again sometime.
I had problems, especially at first, understanding the organization of the content in this book which seemed to jump back and forth before past and present and also between the protagonist in the present who called herself "I," and the protagonist of the past who called herself "Natalie." Once I got the hang of that style, the reading became easier.
What I enjoyed most about this novel was the Stripper Tips of which there were many scattered throughout the story. If you like personal-journey type stories, you might like this one. It is resolved nicely and worth reading to the end to experience that.
I would try Fast Fiction again sometime.
April 29, 2010
3.5 stars, actually. The form was fascinating and innovative, but the story felt a bit familiar.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews