Nine Simple Patterns for Complicated Women

by Mary Rechner

A woman sewing a dress for her anniversary night out finds herself presiding over her young daughters as they cut apart their own clothes. A four year old boy going earnestly about the business of being a four year old boy is perplexed as to why his behavior seems to have dramatic effects on his mother. An elementary school volunteer learns about a role-playing card game from a young boy, and then sees the roles play out in her own home.

College friends and couples reunite for a drink, and find that although their campus couplings are in the past, their sexual competitions are still very much present.

Over the course of these nine stories, Mary Rechner brings a frank, humorous, and ultimately illuminating narrative voice to the subjects of sex, marriage, family, and work. Her characters strain against expected behaviors and received opinions about emotional life: a grieving woman considers pursuing her dead lover's twin, a master gardener envies the freedom of her widowed friend, a poet considers which of her pieces will work best when read in a strip club, and a patient in the dentist's chair finds her appointment her best chance to reflect on her otherwise hectic life.

Nominated for awards and the recipient of fellowships from organizations on both sides of the country, Mary Rechner's prose leavens moments of despair with moments of humor, and recognizes the knotted relationship between pleasure and pain. The patient, uncompromising work of a writer who has carefully observed the moments of possibility and peril that appear--and that we often deliberately seek--in the journey from youth to adulthood, Nine Simple Patterns for Complicated Women is a debut collection that signals the arrival of a significant new voice in contemporary fiction.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

164 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2010

About the author

Mary Rechner is the author of Marrying Friends named Best Short Story Collection by a Portland Author in 2023 by Willamette Week, the story collection Nine Simple Patterns for Complicated Women named to the long list for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award, and the novella The Opposite of Wow published in the Hong Kong Review. Her fiction has appeared in publications such as New Letters, Harvard Review, Gettysburg Review, New England Review, Kenyon Review, and Washington Square. Her criticism and essays have appeared in Litro, The Believer, Oregon Humanities, and the Oregonian. Treat is a word and music collaboration curated by Rechner and produced by Core Productions. She is the recipient of fellowships from Literary Arts and the Regional Arts and Culture Council, as well as residencies from Caldera and the Vermont Studio Center.

Reviews

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t usually read many short stories but I think I will now. To say these are all about motherhood is a misnomer, it’s about womanhood. You don’t need to have children to relate to the women in these stories. More than once I felt the pang of understanding and I can’t ask for anything more from a writer.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I normally really like short stories, when I'm ready for short stories. Usually after an epic novel that weighs more than my car. At that time, carrying around a slim volume of short stories, and reading in chunks, is a delight (and my arms get a rest!).

I dove into into volume and immediately was unsure if I wanted to continue. The writing was good, the perspective was great, the voice changed with each story and it was interesting. So, what's your problem, Amanda?? I couldn't relate. Every story was wife/mother/husband/kids. As a never-married, no-children woman, I had no one to side with or to understand. I was left thinking, "Do women really get that resentful in their marriage? With their children?"

THEN I got it. Some of it. Being a woman is a complicated way to live. I somewhat feel for men trying to understand us when, frankly, we can confuse and perplex ourselves. I am the woman in the dentist chair running a billion worries through her mind, all in the span of one visit. My worries may not include husbands or kids, but they are worries. Going alone into this world is just as difficult sometimes.

I get resentful of people in my life, for reasons I've actually never understood. The feeling goes away pretty quick but it happens. Relationships are complicated, friendships are hard, testing the waters to try something completely new to you is just terrifying at times.

I do think a woman who is/was a wife/mother would get a bit more from this than I did but I appreciated the writing and am curious to check out more of Rechner's work.

[ST · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Oregonian says "Reading one of Rechner's stories is akin to biting into a chocolate that looks perfectly sweet but whose center harbors a bitter surprise. Yes, you'd probably be safer choosing the Hershey bar ... but where's the fun in that?" http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/90...

[shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't think of any other author who has so beautifully and painfully extricated details that resonate with *such* familiarity and weave them into vital and vibrant vignettes for this contemporary woman.

At best startling and riveting and utterly satisfying, at "worst" interesting and a quick read till the next one, these stories were a gift and worth every penny and second.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a woman is hard, man. Tragic, funny, scary, hard.

[Misti Rainwater-Lites · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories stuck with me and ate my lunch. That's all I can ask for.

[Adrienna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometime in the early 2000's, I took a writing class from Mary Rechner, and it was around that time that I picked up her book. Sad to know it took me about 20 years to read it. Nine Simple Patterns for Complicated Women reminded me a bit of Margaret Atwood's Moral Disorder, which I also read recently. Short stories from women's perspective telling stories of everyday life. What I like about reading literature versus genre fiction is that in our world it is hard to remember that our lives, our simple lives have value and are full of stories worth sharing. They are not filled with dragons, aliens, secret agents or powerful rich yet complicated men with mommy issues. There aren't orcs or mermaids or vampires just women with children or without, feeling bored with a marriage or wanting to make a fancy dress while your depressed friend talks about ending her life over a glass of wine, but inevitably she's not going to harm herself, not today anyway. Another woman lusting over another man, but remembering that she is happy lusting after her husband, dealing with mothers, kids, teachers, going to work, all the things we do in our days, the chores, the bores, the loves, the pain, the aging. In this age of late stage capitalism where image is more important that substance it is nice to read a collection of short stories that make you feel goo because of the simplicity and everyday familiarity. I don't have children, but when I read a story about a woman raising her kids I can connect with that character and her family and build compassion toward a lifestyle I do not lead. I think it's important to add a little "real life" story telling to one's collection of reading. At least it helps me.

[Kathy England · Rating 1 out of 5]

The quote on the front of the book says, "...witty, provocative, and honest enough to make you gasp..." This is a book of nine short stories, all about young and early middle-aged women, mostly, but not all, mothers. I was unimpressed. I found all the main characters shallow and self-centered - obsessed with who they were before they encountered adult responsibilities.

[Lucy Aldisert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read!!! The vignette style is lively, engaging, and fresh yet each story gives you time to understand the characters and the intimacies of their worlds. This is a compelling portrait of womanhood and motherhood that is not afraid to touch on the darker sides of our experience on earth. This is done with humor, wit, and compassion. Highly recommend.

[Alison Hardtmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why Silvia wanted to sew a dress when she could go to a store and buy one much more easily, even more cheaply, she didn't know. She felt like making something that didn't get eaten, felt like doing something that didn't get undone almost immediately: cooking, dishes, laundry, vacuuming.

The stories in this collection center on motherhood and how it changes a woman's identity. From the first story, Pattern, in which the mother of twins tries to make a dress in time for her wedding anniversary, to Visiting Philly, in which a woman meets up with her best friend from college and they find that their friendship is the same and different. Like most collections, some stories were stronger than others, but the best stories beautifully reflect the realities of parenting young children, of women trying to find their earlier selves in what their lives have become.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nine short stories featuring different women. Some I identified with, some I didn't. However the story of the women whose mind races over the the events and issues of her life while in the dentist chair is one I could really relate to. Been there, done that.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Though the collection felt a bit repetitive I think it capture important emotions and thoughts that can be neglected in mainstream writing. I imagine this book would be better received by a woman older than myself, and likely a mother even more so.

[Ashley Schlegel]

(Paperback)
Most of these stories just made me sad. Particularly because most of them are about women who are mothers.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story collections are hard for me to write about and, as a result, I tend not to review them. There is a temptation to write about every story individually, and I just don't think that's effective. I feel that, with a collection, you really need to look at it as a whole. While the stories may stand on their own, I can have a vastly different experience reading a story from a collection instead of in a periodical or somehow "on its own."

I feel that this particular book really needs to discussed in its whole. Like any successful short story collection, there is a thread that holds all the stories together. In this case, it is the experiences of women. I appreciated how this collection was assembled. The common theme is clear, but all of the stories tackle it from a different viewpoint. While each story has a similar theme, they all have a different path to that theme.

Along with that, Rechner's voice changes for each story. This is critical--nothing is worse that reading a short story collection where all the stories sound exactly the same. I appreciated being able to read this collection as both a whole and as individual stories.

Best of all, I related to these stories. Yes, I related to some more than others and sometimes the connection I felt was anchored to a mere detail of the story, but the connection was always there. I realize that this is personal--the next person reading this book may not have the same experience. Still, I rarely find myself as personally invested in a short story collection as I did with this one.

I would encourage anyone who enjoys short stories to check out this collection. Even if someone else doesn't experience the connection I did, I doubt that they will be disappointed with it. Mary Rechnar is definitely an author I will reading more of in the future.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness. This collection was incredible.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Throughout it, I strongly felt that the author was the kind of person I could be friends with IRL. We've both lived in Portland and back east. She has connections to New Mexico and Philadelphia. We clearly share more than a few aesthetics, references, and concerns.

The stories here are tightly focused, their main characters educated white women who are feeling existential angst as they get a little older and make their adjustments/accommodations to the role of mother. (I actually found this book because it was included on someone's online list of tell-it-like-it-is books about motherhood.)

At best, they are beautiful and stark and true. At worst, they remind me what's hard about writing stories that hew close to the truth: they can be a little elliptical and low on drama. And I write that as much as a reminder to myself as anything else—I also like writing stories that are quiet and "real," but there are pitfalls. My favorites in the collection were also the sprawliest, Visiting Philly and the one about going to a hot springs outside Albuquerque.

If Mary Rechner wrote a novel, I'd read it.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm becoming a big fan of off-the-beaten-path short story collections, and this was no exception. For some reason, I don't seem compelled to read them as a one-off in a journal, but bind them together, and voila, I'm hooked! My favorite story was, "Invisible," which seems to be one of the few not previously before published. This can mean either one of two things: i.) it's newer or ii.) I'm truly losing my sense of what resonates with the greater audience. Either way, the stories are quick reads that each pack a poignant punch. Most are thematically about women and motherhood but not all, e.g., "Invisible." Also, the first and title story was one of my least favorites so if you feel the same way, I encourage you to keep going or read them out of order. My top three were: Invisible, Teeth, and Visiting Philly.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really strong story collection from Portlander Mary Rechner. My favorites were "Special Ability"--about a pregnant reading tutor, and "Teeth"--about a woman going to a passive aggressive dentist. Propeller, the new small press that published this, looks like they've set a high standard with this first release.

[Beth Pizzuto · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this out on a whim while at Powell's and I'm sure glad I did. These short stories hit home. The last one was eh, but overall awesome. They remind me of some of the original pieces from college.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this little book of short stories after hearing Mary Rechner read her work in Eugene, Oregon. Quirky, very real and elegant stories of young women, marriage and motherhood. Nothing sweet or sentimental about them!

[John Isaacson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went to the reading at Powell's and loved the story about a poetry reading at a strip club. Read the first story about two moms chatting and liked it even more. Great characterizations.

[Thing Two · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.powells.com/review/2010_12_25

Nine darkly humorous stories about what it's like to be a mother and/or a wife.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not usually a short story fan, but I picked this up because I know Mary personally and I loved the cover illustration. The stories pulled at my heart as a parent and a woman in a way I wouldn't have expected. They were just the right narrative for where I am in my life. I wouldn't have appreciated them 10 years ago, and I might not feel the same about them 10 years in the future. But for now, they are mine.