May 23, 2016
The protagonists in Ulman's debut story collection, all in their teens and 20s, feel intensely real. Set in Melbourne, Australia; San Francisco; New York; and Vladivostok, Russia, these stories explore the complexities of ambition, the intricacies of relationships, and, perhaps most of all, the distance between expectations and reality. In the opening story, "Jewish History," a young girl in Melbourne attempts to fit in with her classmates by sharing the story of her family's emigration from Russia. In "Chagall's Wife," a student seeks her science teacher's attention outside the classroom. With compelling honesty and humor, "The Withdrawal Method" introduces Claire, a Ph.D. student in San Francisco, as she deals with an unwanted pregnancy. And "Warm-Ups," one of the most arresting stories in the collection, depicts a young Russian gymnastics student who travels to California with the hope of gaining international recognition. The stories have a cumulative effect: themes of friendship, infatuation, self-discovery, and disillusionment intensify with each subsequent tale. Though some stories are more powerful than others, all the captivating women in this collection leave a lasting impression.
March 15, 2016
A vivid collection of short stories about young girls and women on the cusp of major life changes. In her debut collection, Australian writer Ulman offers us glimpses into the lives of seven women between adolescence and 30, most of whom are making choices without thorough thought of repercussion. Waggish but weighty, these stories render the mundane and the momentous in equal measure. Claire, a Ph.D. candidate and a tambourine player in the band Betty Cooper's Revenge, is the only recurring protagonist--she appears in "The Withdrawal Method," "The Pretty One," and "Your Charm Won't Help You Here." Often reckless, Claire faces in turn unwanted pregnancy, heartbreak, and Homeland Security. Anya, of "Jewish History," is a postwar immigrant from Russia confronted not only with the dynamics of assimilation, but with the consequences of kissing a crush. In "Same Old Same As," Romana navigates the murkiness of sexual abuse and the fleeting nature of popularity, learning what comes of both wanted and unwanted attention. "Head to Toe" deftly depicts the apathy and aimlessness of teenagers; Elise and Jenni are torn between sex and horse camp, adulthood and childhood. In each story, the female protagonist must handle a newfound responsibility: her allure, her freedom, her future. It is rare for a collection to so adeptly capture the way life can be at once facile and intense. Ulman's details are lifelike and droll, her style lucid and engaging, and the overall effect stirring. Nine short stories, all wry, authentic, and moving.
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May 15, 2016
Melbourne native Ulman makes a noteworthy debut with this collection of nine short stories. Each centers on a young woman, ranging from early teens to late twenties, as she assesses her place in the world or explores her sexuality. Claire, a British PhD student in San Francisco, is the protagonist of three stories that trace her disastrous relationships, manic lifestyle, and possible deportation. Interspersing her struggles are individual accounts of apathetic teens, immigrant experiences, a wunderkind blogger paralyzed by her book deal, and teenagers navigating blurry relationships with adult men. Ulman writes without judgment, and this is what gives her characters life. They are multifaceted, flawed beingssometimes victims of others, but often victims of their own actionsin whom readers will recognize flashes of themselves. Her unvarnished prose is ideally suited for this study of life's messy realities: sex is not romanticized, nor is a secure or happy future guaranteed. Whether readers feel their consciences pricked or sense of kinship stoked, all will come away with plenty to think about.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
January 28, 2015
There is intermittent gold to be found in this slightly uneven collection of short stories from debut author Abigail Ulman. Think Bret Easton Ellis meets Lena Dunham: Hot Little Hands is the type of book where characters are called Calorie, hook-ups happen to a backdrop of Kanye West and Cut Copy, and breakups inspire tattoos of texts from Kundera and Eliot. But that doesn’t mean you should underestimate it. It is, if nothing else, decidedly entertaining. All nine stories revolve around the loss, the filching or the forfeiting of innocence among a host of mostly unconnected characters aged in their teens and 20s. Only one character appears on repeat, regrettably, for she is the least likeable. It is hard to tell how much Ulman intends to be satirical when she has this character whisper ‘I love you’ in French to the croissant tattooed on her boyfriend’s chest. It could be argued that her remorselessly self-absorbed narrative serves to strengthen the shock value of some of the stories. But there are limitations to zeitgeisty witticisms and vacuous hipsterisms. Ulman writes well, but it can feel as though she’s trying too hard to sound fresh, or striking, or both. Some references to pop culture will date quickly and it is often hard to tell how old characters are meant to be or what decade they’re living in. Nonetheless, Hot Little Hands is simultaneously ridiculous and enjoyable.
Hilary Simmons is a former assistant editor at Books+Publishing and a freelance reviewer and journalist