In the Middle of Almost and Other Stories [Kindle Edition]

In the Middle of Almost is a wonderful collection. A collection deserving of a good read. The title story vividly describes the angst many women confront in an urban setting. The theme of fear of loneliness against the conflicting fear of intimacy filters through many of the pieces.

In 'French Fries' the theme emerges again and the author works it deftly. In other hands, it could have devolved into a Larry David episode, but Lerner is sure-footed and compels us to think who is the neurotic: the teller of the story, or aptly, the psychiatrist who has a 'slight' quirk surrounding eating. The one dissonant note is that of the matchmaker, gone too quickly and without the accent of someone speaking a post-positional language.

The collection ends with a poignant memoir, 'Memories in a Desk Drawer;' it highlights the isolation and quiet desperation of survivors' guilt. A fitting close to a solid work.

This is strong debut writing and is highly recommended.

I so enjoyed these stories, particularly the ease and lightness of the storytelling - I hate getting bogged down with rereading, etc. As a collection, it was held together by recurring themes - ones that follow us for much of our lives. A pleasant surprise, I highly recommend this read.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories...I felt very connected to the women portrayed here even though we have many differences.

How Lerner connects the women throughout the book (even though this is a collection of short stories where the women all are dealing with different circumstances) is really key here. Usually short stories feel disjointed and disconnected which is something I shy away from generally, but that is not the case with this one.

I think another strength of this work is Lerner's descriptions of the setting. I have never been to New York City, or any other major urban area for that matter but I really did feel like I was there envisioning the lifestyle that these women lead. One thing that really stunned me is how truly isolated these characters were despite being surrounded by thousands of people - very telling. I had read an article lately about how people in urban areas feel more alone than others who are geographically isolated and that really connected with this book for me.

This is the kind of book where you really find yourself rooting for the characters - Lerner presents them so well that they jump right off the page and connect with you emotionally and you can't help but want everything to turn out well for them.

I highly recommend this book, it really is worth your time and a great quick read. S.B. Lerner has now become a new favorite of mine!