Lauren Groff’s new short story collection, Brawler, released February 24th by Riverhead Books, explores moments of crisis in the lives of her characters – from abusive relationships and natural disasters to relapse and deathbed vigils. The collection, priced at $29 and consisting of 288 pages, marks Groff’s third collection and continues her exploration of both intimate human drama and broader historical contexts, a blend praised by critics.
Groff, whose previous perform includes the National Book Award finalist collection Florida, as well as other books earning the same honor, demonstrates a skill for distilling complex narratives into concise forms. Her stories often span decades, reaching back to periods like medieval times, the New World, the Civil War, and the Spanish Flu, but Brawler successfully integrates this historical depth with the immediacy of pivotal moments, according to a review in the Los Angeles Times.
One standout story, “What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?” centers on Chip, a member of a wealthy New Hampshire banking family grappling with alcoholism. At his sister’s urging, he retreats to a family cottage to detox and attempt repairs, both physical and personal. The narrative takes an unexpected turn with the arrival of Pearl Spang, a woman who represents a past social transgression for the family. The story doesn’t follow a predictable path of recovery or romance, instead collapsing under the weight of Chip’s entitlement and flawed connection, the Los Angeles Times review notes.
Another key story, “Birdie,” depicts a group of women gathered at the bedside of a dying friend. The narrative shifts focus to Nicole, who is compelled to confront a past affair with a married couple that led to her social ostracization. The story eschews a sentimental farewell, instead revealing fractured understandings and unresolved tensions between the characters. As Nicole reflects, the past is not a simple matter of shared memories, but a series of distinct and often unforgiving experiences. “Those were only two forgivable Birdies,” she thinks, “All the Birdies in between…still had something to answer for.”
The collection extends these themes through stories like “To Sunland,” set in 1957, which follows a young woman transporting her brother to a facility while pursuing her own college education, and the title story, “Brawler,” which portrays a teenage girl finding solace in swimming as a means of escaping a tricky home life. Groff also directly addresses violence, particularly against women, in stories like “The Wind” and “Annunciation,” depicting both the trauma of abuse and the emotional resilience of survivors. However, the Los Angeles Times review emphasizes that Groff avoids simplistic narratives of triumph, instead portraying women navigating the aftermath of violence and making difficult choices.
As Groff writes in the closing lines of one story, a sentiment that resonates throughout the collection, “I look around and can see it in so many other women, passed down from a time beyond history, this wind that is dark and ceaseless and raging within.”
