Show Don't Tell

Who had concerns about reading short stories, and why? Did you find the stories in this book satisfying? Or did you struggle to keep momentum throughout

Which of the stories would you like to read in novel length?

What are the recurring themes or preoccupations of these stories?

Discuss some of the themes you noted, this could include middle age; marriage and divorce; famous people vs ordinary people; Covid; East/West coast vs middle America; nostalgia, paths not taken; private vs public identities; creativity.

The protagonists in Show Don’t Tell are distinctly middle-aged. How do we feel about that?

The Los Angeles Times wrote: “A radiant contentment pervades these stories. They are retrospective but don’t rue the passage of time”. Do you agree?

Are you familiar with concept of show don’t tell? “Show Don’t Tell” is a golden rule in creative writing which says the author should convey information through a character’s actions, thoughts and feelings to allow the reader to make their own interpretations, rather than the author explicitly stating matters to the reader. Do you think this is true of Sittenfeld’s writing in this book, or is she being ironic in using this as the title?

Do you feel like you understand people better or less after reading this?