If I Loved You, Would Tell You This

Bol

FINALIST FOR THE FRANK O’CONNOR SHORT STORY AWARD NOW WITH AN ADDITIONAL STORY. Heralding the arrival of a stunning new voice in American fiction, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This takes readers into the minds and hearts of people navigating the unsettling transitions that life presents to us all: A father struggles to forge an independent identity as his blind daughter prepares for college. A mother comes to terms with her adult daughter’s infidelity. An artist mourns the end of a romance while painting the portrait of a dying man. Brilliant, hopeful, and fearlessly honest, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This illuminates the truths of human relationships, truths we come to recognize in these characters and in ourselves. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Robin Black's Life Drawing. Look for the If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This discussion guide inside. Praise for If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This “I want to shout about how just when you thought no one could write a story with any tinge of freshness let alone originality about childhood. . . about marriage . . . about old age, Black has done it. . . . Black delivers real emotion, the kind that gives you pause. . . . Will Robin Black win [the Pen/Hemingway Prize] for this book? If I were a judge, she would.”—Alan Cheuse, Chicago Tribune “Pitch-perfect . . . so deft, so understated, and so compelling that you have to slow down to savor each vignette. . . . Fans of Mary Gaitskill, Amy Bloom, and Miranda July will feel like they’ve found gold in a river when they discover Robin Black. . . . [A] writer to watch.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “Each story reads like a mini-novel . . . worlds are contained in a single page. And the writing . . . oh, the writing . . . There’s no narrative cohesion, no point. Rather, If I Loved You is a ‘Fantastic Voyage’ into the bloodstream of the human species. . . . Maybe it’s midlife maturity, maybe it’s raw talent, but If I Loved You leaves you longing for more."—San Francisco Chronicle “Incisive . . . peopled with characters so fully imagined you’ll feel they’re in the room.”—People "Exquisitely distilled tales of loss and reckoning . . . [Black] evokes a Sparkian blend of skepticism and grace."—Vogue

Bol Partner

Shortlisted for the 2010 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, a beautiful debut collection from a writer with the warmth, reach and complexity of Alice Munro From the blind girl who sees more than her parents can, to the portrait artist who sees more than her clients would wish, Robin Black illuminates secret fears, hidden desires, profound grief and enduring love in a collection as rich and varied as the relationships it describes. These are generous and compassionate stories for anyone attuned to the intricate heartbreak of families – to our power to hurt and to nurture those we love best. ‘Full of substance and colour. Many short stories have a habit of evaporating not long after you’ve read them. Black’s have an uncanny tendency to stick around’ Metro ‘An exploration of secret monologues and private emotions that makes for an illuminating, moving and universally resonant experience’ Easy Living ‘Exquisitely distilled tales of loss and reckoning’ Vogue ‘Black writes with grace and simplicity’ TLS