Single, Carefree, Mellow

'Katherine Heiny's work does something magical: elevates the mundane so that it has the stakes of a mystery novel, gives women's interior lives the gravity they so richly deserve - and makes you laugh along the way' Lena Dunham

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The wonderful story collection from the author of Standard Deviation

‘Heiny's work does something magical: gives women's interior lives the gravity they so richly deserve and makes you laugh along the way’ Lena Dunham




‘Like Cheever mixed with Ephron’ New York Times




‘Simply wonderful, I savoured every page’ Guardian



Maya’s dog is dying, and she is planning to leave her boyfriend. On the whole she feels worse about the dog.


Nina thought it might be difficult to summon the moral fortitude to have an extramarital affair with a Presbyterian minister living above the garbage, but she discovers that almost anything is possible.


A teenager finds an affair with her history teacher too sealed off from the rest of her life, like the last slice of cake under a glass dome.


These women are best friends, roommates and mistresses. They tipple and titillate, fantasize and fumble, worry and wander. They make poor choices in men and children’s magicians and wise choices in what to wear to meet their lovers’ wives. None of them are single (or carefree or mellow) but all are irresistible and all too familiar.