I have never understood why some readers are reluctant to pick up short stories collections and limit themselves to novels. For me, that's like discarding a fragrant, ripe strawberry over a big piece of strawberry pie.  Reading a great short story is one of the most satisfying organic experiences one could have! This pleasure is directly connected to the oral tradition and our childhood when we pleaded to be told stories. 

As an adult, I'm always searching for writers who can tell me stories. So imagine my excitement when I discovered this collection of 10 short stories by Robin Black! The last four sentences in the title story perhaps best illustrate what Robin's writing entirely masters: "But I do love him. I do. I love him very much. And so to him -if not to you-I speak the truth."

Each story is a triumph of the truth, from the father driving with his blind, teenage daughter to pick up her first seeing-eye dog in "Guide," to the middle aged woman traveling with her brother after her husband  of 40 years has left her  in "The History of the World,".  Indeed, Robin's themes are complex and tragic, but no matter how devastating,  the told truth can  be, it is comforting to have these wonderful, moving stories to remind us that in love or loss, we're all in it together. --Aggie Z.

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If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This: Fiction (Paperback)

By Robin Black

$15.00

ISBN-13: 9780812980684
Availability: On Our Shelves Now - Call to Confirm
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 4/2011

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If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This: Fiction (Google eBook)

By Robin Black

$11.99

Model: _4o6AD8DEvsC
Published: Random House, 3/2010

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