Book Review of Games and Rituals by Katherine Heiny

Publisher’s blurb

The games and rituals performed by Katherine Heiny’s characters range from mischievous to tender: In “Bridesmaid, Revisited,” Marlee, suffering from a laundry and life crisis, wears a massive bridesmaid’s dress to work. In “Twist and Shout,” Erica’s elderly father mistakes his four-thousand-dollar hearing aid for a cashew and eats it. In “Turn Back, Turn Back,” a bedtime story coupled with a receipt for a Starbucks babyccino reveal a struggling actor’s deception. And in “561,” Charlene pays the true price of infidelity and is forced to help her husband’s ex-wife move out of the family home. (“It’s like you’re North Korea and South Korea . . . But would North Korea help South Korea move?”)

The beloved author of Early Morning Riser brings us glittering stories of love—friendships formed at the airport bar, ex-husbands with benefits, mothers of suspiciously sweet teenagers, ill-advised trysts—in all its forms, both ridiculous and sublime.

Games and Rituals

My rating

4 / 5

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Author

Katherine Heiny

Publisher

Knopf Publishing Group

Genre

Short Stories/ Contemporary Fiction

Number of Pages

240 pages

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My Review

The first story was about driving examiners and the details of their work life were quite interesting to know, especially how they divided the clients among themselves. The story also had an unexpected twist towards the end.

The second story explored a mother-son relationship discussing how generations don’t emulate each other but just switch between roles of a caretaker. It was a sweet story.

The third one explores the perils of taking care of your old and now-alone father.

Turn Back, Turn Back was another interesting one from the POV of a wife and mother whose husband took care of their girls in the day but was actually having an affair.

The titular story failed to impress, as it was a lovers’ story who play different conversational games with each other.

Cobra, so far my favorite, was such a sweet story about a married couple in their mid-life and the infinite, unending love they share. The title was hilarious by the way.

A married Charlie helps relocate her husband’s ex-wife who also happened to volunteer as a helpline counselor with her.

Pandemic Behaviour is set during the pandemic and speaks of how roommates became everything at the time, and how doctor-patient appointments were conducted.

Bridesmaid, Revisited sees Marlee wear her bridesmaid dress to the office one day and initially welcomes the attention but then regrets her decision. She had worn that dress as a bridesmaid to a particularly cling friend whom she did not like much and in the end, she ends up regretting her behavior towards the friend.

King Midas has a married man Oscar who is deeply hopelessly in love or so it seems with his girlfriend/mistress Tessa. But for Tessa, a wedding photographer, the attention and affection are not new.

Sky Bar sees Fawn at the airport waiting for her flight which gets canceled due to inclement weather. She makes new acquaintances while waiting there and tries to avoid her ex who is waiting for her and wants to meet her earnestly.

Final Verdict

This was my first book by Katherine Heiny and I am definitely looking forward to reading more from her. Overall I enjoyed reading most of the stories. Although the context and characters of the stories seemed very real, I enjoyed the slightly unhinged characters allotted to each of the stories. The deeper meaning in the seemingly simple stories was a treat to read.

Who Should Read This

I think most readers will enjoy at least a few stories in this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me enjoy this book.

Katherine Heiny

Katherine Heiny's fiction has been published in The New Yorker, Ploughshares, Narrative,Glimmer Train, and many other places. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and children.

Katherine Heiny, one of Netgalley's most celebrated writers, their bard of waking up in the wrong bed, wearing the wrong shoes, running late for the wrong job, but loved by the right people, has delivered a collection of glorious humour and immense kindness.