Physical harm
Several of the main characters in the collection are physically harmed. In “The Husband Stitch,” for example, the woman’s head is only held in place by a ribbon around her neck, and the nature of her ribbon is not explained. In “Eight Bites,” the narrator voluntarily decides to undergo surgery to reduce the size of her stomach. Finally, in “Difficult at Parties,” the narrator is picked up from the hospital after recovering from an untold traumatic injury.
Homosexuality
Many of the short stories revolve around the homosexual relationships of their narrators. In “Inventory,” the narrator describes sexual encounters with men and women; in “Mothers,” the female narrator has a baby with her female partner, and in “The Resident” the female narrator is married to a woman.
Self-determination vs Heteronomy
A number of narrators in the short stories are not in control over their decisions, or their decisions are not respected by others, particularly men. For example, in “The Husband Stitch,” the female narrator eventually gives in to her husband’s request of removing her ribbon, even though she does not want that at all. In “Mothers,” the narrator is handed a baby, and in “Difficult at Parties,” the narrator’s partner overrides her decision to stay at home and recover from her trauma alone.
