PEN America Literary Awards longlist
Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize winner
In these nine stories, Marian Crotty inhabits the lives of people searching for human connection. Her characters, most often young women, are honest, troubled, and filled with longing. In the title story, a young woman begins a job on a construction site after leaving an abusive marriage. In 鈥淐razy for You,鈥 two girls spy on a neighbor鈥檚 sex life, while their own sexuality hovers in the distance. In 鈥淎 Real Marriage,鈥 a college student marries a boyfriend to help him stay in the United States. In 鈥淭he Fourth Fattest Girl at Cutting Horse Ranch,鈥 the daily life of a residential treatment center for eating disorders is disrupted by the arrival of a celebrity. The stories are set in Arizona, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Persian Gulf, and often touch on themes of addiction, class, sexuality, and gender. What Counts as Love is a poignant, often funny collection that asks us to take it and its characters seriously.
鈥淐rotty鈥檚 impressive debut collection is somehow both varied and cohesive. These 10 sublime stories are reminiscent of Bobbie Ann Mason and Ann Beattie, thoroughly surprising and memorable.鈥濃Publishers Weekly starred review
鈥淲ith heartrending clarity, Marian Crotty explores sexuality, abuse, dependency, endless hope, and other facets of love. What Counts as Love brilliantly examines where the seams of people鈥檚 lives begin to fray, leaving a poignant ellipsis for how they鈥檒l be remade.鈥濃Foreword Reviews
鈥淲ith sensual, brave, and wonderfully evocative prose, Marian Crotty explores the seemingly tattered nature of love, taking us deeply into the varied lives of her characters and making us care for them all. They are as alive for me as people I know and root for, and now I鈥檓 rooting for Marian Crotty, a compelling and important new voice among us. What Counts as Love is a superb and truly moving collection.鈥濃擜ndre Dubus III, judge, John Simmons Short Fiction Award
鈥淢arian Crotty鈥檚 bold, fresh young voice is a welcome addition to the literary scene.鈥濃擩ennifer Egan, author, A Visit from the Goon Squad
鈥淢arian Crotty鈥檚 stories are never imprecise. Instead, they bring us a world that is described exactly, down to the smallest details, and their headlong pace keeps us reading breathlessly. She writes about desperadoes of love, caught in moments when desperation may require uncommon bravery. I found this book to be truthful and amazing. It is a beautiful collection.鈥濃擟harles Baxter
鈥淚n this riveting debut, Marian Crotty鈥檚 characters illuminate the improbably beautiful space between knowing exactly what鈥檚 wrong and being powerless to fix it.鈥濃擜licia Erian, author, The Brutal Language of Love
2017 John Simmons Short Fiction Award
2018 Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for Fiction
2018 PEN America Literary Awards longlist
