Review of Girl Trouble by Holly Goddard Jones

Girl Trouble is one of the best books of short stories I have read in a long time. Like any short story collection, there are some stories that are stronger than others, but overall, this is a very well-written and interesting collection.

All eight stories take place in the fictional town of Roma, Kentucky, a small town in western Kentucky. Holly Goddard Jones knows a lot about this area-- she grew up in Russellville, Kentucky, which I'm guessing Roma is modeled after. As the title of the book implies, there is girl trouble, not only in the typical sense of the phrase, but also in many others. Not every story is told by a female narrator or revolves around a female character, but many of them do. One of the strongest stories involves a divorced woman who has lost her daughter to a brutal crime and follows how she tries to cope with the aftermath-- and with the news that her ex-husband is getting re-married. Another of the strongest stories is the flip side of this woman's-- it's about the young man who was responsible for her daughter's death and what led him there. Another story is about a young girl who visits her neighbors' pool on a regular basis-- not the makings of an especially exciting story, you would think. But we get some good information about a girl beginning to recognize the power of her sexuality.

All in all, this was an excellent collection and one I would recommend to those who are interested in the craft of short fiction.

Here is a passage from the story "Parts:"
I knew when Art called three weeks ago that he had news for me. He only calls to hurt me with his happiness, and he always prefaces his announcements with, "I wanted you to know first." Like it's a gift he's offering me, a neat little package of despair: Dana, I'm selling the house. Dana, I met a woman. Dana, we're getting married.

Just One Pink gives Girl Trouble a 9.