Synopses & Reviews
Caitlin Macys debut novel
The Fundamentals of Play was heralded as a Gatsbyesque examination of love and class in Manhattan. Now, in her sophisticated and provocative story collection
Spoiled, Macy turns her unsparing eye on affluent and educated women who nevertheless struggle to keep their footing in their relationships and life.
In “Annabels Mother,” a young woman does a good deed for her nanny, only to have it go horribly wrong. “Bait and Switch” chronicles a lifelong rivalry between two sisters. A self-made woman struggles to gain the upper hand with her comically self-assured cleaning woman in “The Red Coat.” And in “Taroudant,” a newly married woman desperate for authentic experience makes a rash decision to leave the grounds of her Moroccan luxury hotel.
Macys voice is as straightforward as it is original in these stories, and her characters deftly nuanced. Full of surprising, sometimes shocking insights and simmering with outrage, compassion, and humor, Spoiled is a remarkable collection from a boldly talented writer.
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
A young woman does a good deed for her nanny, only to have it go horribly wrong. A newly married woman struggles to gain the upper hand with her self-assured cleaning woman. An anxious woman desperate for an authentic experience makes a rash decision to leave the grounds of her Moroccan luxury hotel. In this sophisticated and provocative story collection, acclaimed author Caitlin Macy turns her unsparing eye on well-heeled thirtysomething women who, despite their education and affluence, struggle to keep their footing in their relationships with their friends, spouses, and children—not to mention their help. Full of surprising, sometimes shocking insights and brimming with outrage and compassion, Spoiled is a remarkable collection from a boldly talented writer.
Synopsis
In this sophisticated and provocative story collection, acclaimed author Macy turns her unsparing eye on well-heeled thirtysomething women who, despite their education and affluence, struggle to keep their footing in their relationships with their friends, spouses, and children.
About the Author
Caitlin Macy is the author of
The Fundamentals of Play. A graduate of Yale, she received her MFA from Columbia. Her work has been published in
The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and
Slate, among other publications. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
From the Hardcover edition.
Reading Group Guide
1. In two of the stories, “Annabel’s Mother” and “The Red Coat,” Macy writes about a woman’s conflicted relationship with her domestic help—a nanny and a cleaning woman, respectively. What do you think a woman’s relationship with her help says about her as a person?
2. In “The Secret Vote,” a young woman raised Roman Catholic reacts with distaste to the idea of a gay couple having a child with a surrogate mother. But the story ends with the young woman herself having an abortion. What is Macy saying about the woman’s perspective? Is it hypocritical?
3. Unlike the United Kingdom, America isn’t supposed to have true class distinctions, yet these nuances play an important role in Spoiled. Why do you think that is?
4. Are there moral lessons that can be taken from the ways the women in these stories behave? Do you think these stories are meant to be cautionary tales?
5. The women in most of these stories are well-off, some of them very well-off. Why do you think they aren’t happier?
6. The subjects of several of the stories (“Annabel’s Mother,” “Bad Ghost,” “Spoiled,” “Bait and Switch”) are parents and their children, or parental stand-ins—nannies, friends’ mothers, a girl’s riding instructor—and their charges. Do you think a spoiled child makes for a spoiled adult?
7. This book came out in the middle of a global financial meltdown. How do you think the characters would be doing in today’s financial climate?
8. What does it mean to be spoiled?