Hot Little Hands is an awesome collection of short stories by Abigail Ulman. These stories span the lives of a few different adolescent girls and young women, ranging in age from thirteen to thirty. The lives of these women and girls are set in the US, the UK, Russia, and Australia. All of these stories are about girls trying to figure out how to navigate their way through life now that they are becoming an “adult,” whether this is in their teen years or late twenties. A lot of the stories deal with overcoming and understanding friendships, sex, innocence, love, shame, and attraction.
One story called “Warm Ups” is a complete gem and threw me for a loop. It still makes me shiver a little when I think of it. It is about a thirteen year old Russian gymnast who wants so badly to go to America to train for the Olympics. Her parents are hesitant at first, but finally give in and allow her to travel with her coach. Then…..you get that “oh, my God….holy shit. Wait, what?” moment at the end of the story. It’s perfect.
There is the right amount of seriousness and humor throughout this book, and I think most people are going to find a little bit of themselves in at least one of these stories/girls. These stories are going to take you back to those awkward years, those first boyfriend years, those years where you think you knew everything, and then you get into the years where you realize you’ve gotten older…..but you still don’t know what is going on in your life. Like, literally…you have no clue.
If you’re a fan of short-stories, dive right in to this one. It’s pretty sweet.
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