Janis Hubschman's debut collection Take Me With You Next Time runs the gamut of emotion with characters who confront crises of infidelity, addiction, death, and dementia. These stories feature women held captive by heartbreak, misguided desire, and bewildering grief, who grapple with past choices and must make new ones. They search for answers from psychics, hypnotists, old lovers, Charles Darwin, and the stars- until, at last, they discover they already possess the courage and insight they seek. With impeccable sentences and unerring details, Hubschman's fearless, lucid writing unlocks the worlds of her characters to reveal the human needs and longings we recognize as our own. In "Wild Quaker Parrot" a sneaky green parrot who may or may not be a reincarnated old boyfriend forces a painter to confront her reckless teenage self. In "After the Party" a fired golf pro unable to reconcile her husband's infidelity, follows in Ted Kennedy's scandalous footsteps on Chappaquiddick. Morally complex and often wryly funny, Take Me With You Next Time showcases the unpredictable ways smart, resilient women persevere to transcend troublesome events and difficult emotions.
