Abigail Ulman spent time in the US,where some of her stories are set.Credit:Paul Jeffers
Ulman has the nous to write subtly about difficult matters,with satisfyingly open endings. It sets the tone of this collection and,while it has its limitations,Hot Little Hands is a fascinating and compelling book.
The narrators of these stories are adolescents or post-adolescents – twentysomethings clinging to youth – and the stories have a sameness of tone and feel that keeps the collection a little airless. The uniformity of the stories has to do with the arch coolness of the narrators,who are often pretty,drink tonnes of coffee,call their plants names such as Umlaut,and live life at a narcissistic distance.
Hot Little Hands,by Abigail Ulman,is a fascinating and compelling book.
The plots themselves have a broad range – a group of Russian girl gymnasts travel to the US,a girl accuses her stepfather of molestation,a young woman trying to get back into the US is held by customs and spends the night in a cell – and,as in most collections,there are standouts.Head to Toe,about two girls on horse camp,learning about sex and relationships and drugs,has the emotional honesty of Sylvia Plath. Ulman excels at dialogue,particularly of children alone together.
The Pretty One is one of several stories narrated by 27-year-old Claire,who starts a relationship with a very pretty 19-year-old boy who ends up breaking her heart. Reminiscent of Noah Baumbach's 1995 filmKicking and Screaming,its focus is on people who seem reluctant to take on adulthood's responsibilities.
The Australian author was a 2006 Stegner Fellow at Stanford University and has spent some time in the US,where some of the stories are set. From the start,inThe Pretty One Ulman throws you into a world that feels complete. Somewhat paradoxically,perhaps in a bid for timelessness,sometimes the settings contain mixed signals – of place and time – a little bit Australia and a little bit America,with cultural references spanning more than a decade,making things hard to pinpoint.
InPlus One,the narrator has a book contract she can't fulfill."This was New York,she had realised,after months of false starts and thwarted attempts. The city of stories. Everyone had their own tales to tell about internships and drag queens and ironic virginity. Why would they pay money and take the time to read hers?"