Women on Top by Michelle Miller is a collection of six short stories about modern women. It is a work of fiction.
Each story is named for its central character – “Caroline,” “Kate,” “Gwen,” “Jules,” “Jocelyn,” and “Ashley.”
Miller’s writing is reminiscent of the short stories of Flannery O’Connor. Her characters are flawed, and their successes always come at a price. There are no “how-to stories” about women who have succeeded in their chosen fields.
A successful corporate consultant reflects on the choices she’s made when she reconnects with a former lover. Can a woman really have it all? Exactly what does “all” entail? Some lay reviews of this book were critical of this story because it doesn’t follow the traditional feminist narrative.
A young and talented artist at NYU secretly imagines the death of her alumni sponsor’s wife, so they can be together, but in an ironic twist of fate, her desires come with a price tag she never imagined.
I must admit I didn’t see the twist in this story coming, but wow!
A woman desperate to meet Mr. Right buys a dog and attempts to find love at a dog park. Here’s the ironic part, she’d never owned a dog before and didn’t think she liked dogs. Again, some lay reviewers bristled at the idea a modern woman could be so desperate to find a man.
Two best friends contemplate dating, but they worry it will ruin their friendship. It’s a common plot twist. How will this end? Will they try and fail never to speak again or decide they make better friends than lovers? Perhaps they’ll live happily ever after.
A trophy wife’s search for happiness in the South of France turns suddenly dark. This is a cautionary tale.
In the final story, a young woman waits expectantly for her boyfriend to propose only to be told he wants an open relationship. After breaking up with him, she decides the best way to move on is to sleep with other people.
Read this book with an open mind. I believe Michelle Miller is showing us a glimpse of what happens when we make assumptions about what should make us happy or what it means to be a “modern woman.”
Michelle Miller wrote under a pseudonym until her first book, The Underwriting, was published. It has been translated into 20 languages and developed for TV by Fox. She has also written the short story collection, The Fairer Sex.
For more information about this author visit, www.michellemiller.site
*Images used for informational purposes with this review and with no deliberate intent to commit copyright infringement.