The Husband's Dilemma

With the publication of her wonderful first novel, Places to Look for A Mother, Nicole Stansbury was hailed as "a terrific writer" (The Washington Post) and "a thoroughly American original" (Jayne Anne Phillips). Now, she delivers on the promise of her auspicious debut with The Husband's Dilemma, a riveting story collection that reads like a fictional counterpart to Cathi Hanauer's best-selling essay collection, The Bitch in the House. In the title story, a sex-starved husband takes desperate and dangerous measures in order to revive his wife's dormant libido and gratify his own. In "A Woman Sweeping," an affluent housewife lets loose her repressed lust for a repulsive repairman. In "The Activist," a mother obsessed with child safety protests potentially harmful products by ceaselessly badgering corporations with letters of complaint. An ugly custody battle takes a loving father by surprise in "Hannah's Announcement." In these and other stories, Stansbury portrays the feverish underside of domesticity with mordant humor and searing insight. A resounding confirmation of her exceptional literary talent, The Husband's Dilemma is sure to delight Stansbury's existing fans and earn her many new ones.


Genre: Literary Fiction