A collection of short stories by Mary Gaitskill, Bad Behavior takes the reader on a journey through the lives of people are limited in their ability to form meaningful human connections. The collection examines the feelings of disassociation and hollowness that arise in the lives of people who lack a sense of direction in their lives, questioning the meaning of their accomplishments even if they do manage to succeed. Settled mostly in New York City, Gaitskill's characters are self-made social pariahs who are pulled back by the actions of the past, trying to desperately to forge forward with some semblance of wholeness that never was there.
Mary Gaitskill's range is limited, but her work is nevertheless important, as she deals with subjects that are frequently ignored in serious American fiction. Her fundamental theme is relational conne...
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Mary Gaitskill