Congratulations to Sara Hosey and Vine Leaves Press on the release of Dirty Suburbia, a stunning collection of short stories that traces the lives of girls and women struggling to live with dignity in a world that often hates them.
★★★★★ “Measured, witty, captivating.” ~Kirkus Reviews
Dirty Suburbia
NEW RELEASE: January 16, 2024Genre: Short Story Collections, Literary Fiction
Paperback: $17.99
Ebook: $5.99
Dirty suburbias are working-class neighborhoods in which girls who are left to fend for themselves sometimes become predators, as well as affluent communities in which women discover that money is no protection against sexism.
One young woman sets up her abusive, cheating boyfriend, hoping he’ll get arrested so that she can rescue him and win him back. A teenager arranges to meet up with an older man she’s met online playing video games; she brings a knife with her, just in case. A middle-aged divorcee attempts to rekindle a romantic relationship with her high school English teacher, who happens to be a former nun. A struggling academic falls in love with a Henry David Thoreau impersonator, and a well-adjusted grad student goes home for Christmas only to be repulsed by her family’s casual cruelty.
Despite the ugliness and injustice they face, as well as the failures of their families and communities, these characters often find relief in friendship and connection, and sometimes, even discover meaning and cause for hope.
Praise for Dirty Suburbia
★★★★★ “Measured, witty, captivating tales starring a series of resilient, likable female characters.” ~Kirkus Reviews
★★★★★ “Women and girls of the poor, working, and middle-class navigating life under an oppressive, simpering patriarchy... Her characters are smart, funny, bold and wonderfully flawed.” ~Joel Mowdy, author of Floyd Harbor
★★★★★ “Absolutely stunning! Perceptive, empathetic, and always on point, Hosey’s characters will stay with you... I was awestruck by the range of tales and will be thinking about the world of Dirty Suburbia for a long time.” ~Kelly Fordon, author of I Have the Answer
★★★★★ "Gritty and darkly funny and ultimately humane." ~Jess Walter
About the Author
Sara Hosey is the author of three young adult novels: Iphigenia Murphy, Imagining Elsewhere, and Summer People. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the Katherine Anne Porter Prize and the American Short Fiction Halifax Ranch Prize and has appeared in journals like Cordella Literary Magazine and Mudroom Magazine. She is a parent, a community college professor, and a tree enthusiast. Read more about Sara at sarahosey.com.
About the Publisher
Vine Leaves Press likes to blur the line between commercial and experimental works. They publish book-length vignette collections, writing reference books, short story collections, memoir/autobiography, and character-driven novels with a literary bent. Subscribe to the Vine Leaves Press newsletter to receive FREE advanced review copies of upcoming new releases, news about their authors and subscribers, and/or to read the monthly opinion column, SPILL IT! or a daily dose of 50-word stories. Learn more at VineLeavesPress.com.