Tell Me Who We Were: Intimate Linked Stories of Women, Boarding School Friendships, and Coming-of-Age

ISBN: 0062869809

Author: McQuade, Kate

Condition: New

A dazzling collection of linked short stories aboutwomanhood, motherhood, marriage and transformation, in the vein of suchcontemporary powerhouses as Carmen Maria Machado, Kelly Link and Samantha HuntThese are stories of magical lyricism, contemporaryin their exploration of the obsessions of girls and young women, mythic intheir scope and mystery. Remarkable. The work of an exceptional writer. -JoyceCarol OatesIt begins with a drowning.One day, Mr.Arcilla, the romance-language teacher at Briarfield, an all-girls boardingschool, is found dead at the bottom of Reed Pond. Young and handsome, theobject of much fantasy and fascination, he was adored by his students. ForLilith and Romy, Evie and Claire, and Nellie and Grace, he was their firstlove, and their first true loss.In thisextraordinary collection, Kate McQuade explores the ripple effect of onetransformative moment on six lives, witnessed at a different point in eachgirls future. Throughout these stories, these bright, imaginative, andambitious girls mature into women, lose touch and call in favors, achievesuccess and endure betrayal, marry and divorce, have children and struggle withinfertility, abandon husbands and remain loyal to the end.Lyrical, intimate, andincisive, Tell Me Who We Were explores the inner worlds ofgirls and women, the relationships we cherish and betray, and thetransformations we undergo in the simple act of living.