A review by malorie
Old Girlfriends: Stories by David Updike

1.0

I received this book for free from the book giveaways on goodreads. Far be it from me to turn my nose up at a free book, but I must say that I would be willing to send this one back if they will take it. :P Updike's stories are an emotionally detached look at relationships exclusively from the perspective of an arrogant and emotionally detached male. For me, there was not really anything relatable for me to hang on to while trying to trudge through this collection. What further annoyed me was that each story contained the same elements: classic cars, men that didn't understand the meaning of the word fidelity, and sex as a primary motivator for a relationship. Not only do zero of these things interest me, but it is written in such a way to cause movement from passive to irate. Seriously, going through each of these stories I felt like I could deconstruct them and come to the same formula for each. If this was the intention, I am afraid that Updike has moved beyond common motif and headed full tilt into cliche.

I think at this point stating this is needless, but I really did not like this book.