You're Doing It Wrong

Abstract

YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG is a collection of stories that explores themes of guilt, mental illness, family (or community) obligations, and the quest for selfhood amidst those obligations. In the stories that focus on family, the dynamic between mothers and adult children often comes to the fore: What do mothers owe their children? How are they to protect them from things that are out of their control? How must children reconcile with the sins of the family, and how should they, in turn, navigate their own transgressions?

In all of these stories, characters contend with a sense, or realization, of failure. However, they must move through their inadequacies. If there is any saving grace, it lies in the reclamation of a sense of wonder. While the more difficult circumstances of their lives may not change, a spark of awe, a moment of beauty or curiosity, might fuel them enough to greet the next day.