Fellowship Letters and Rivalries

In a 1990s Midwestern MFA program, Ruthie anxiously awaits her funding letter, which will determine her status and future. The Peaslee Fellowship is the most coveted, and the competition is fierce, laced with envy, insecurity, and subtle misogyny. Ruthie navigates friendships, romantic entanglements, and rivalries, especially with Bhadveer, whose opinions on beauty and talent sting. The story captures the emotional volatility of young adulthood, the hunger for validation, and the ways ambition and desire intertwine. When Ruthie finally receives her Peaslee letter, her joy is complicated by the realization that success doesn't guarantee happiness or connection. Years later, she reflects on her cohort's divergent paths, the meaning of being a "real writer," and the bittersweet nature of ambition and memory.

The Marriage Clock Ticks

Heather, a film executive, travels to Alabama to persuade Brock Lewis, author of a wildly popular (and conservative) marriage self-help book, to allow a gay couple in the film adaptation. Their encounter is charged with flirtation, cultural clash, and mutual curiosity. Heather's own marriage is faltering, and her trip with Brock exposes the hypocrisies and yearnings beneath their public personas. The "Marriage Clock" doctrine, with its rigid rules, becomes both a source of comedy and a mirror for Heather's own relationship struggles. Ultimately, Heather's marriage is saved not by grand gestures but by the daily, awkward work of trying—ironically, by following the very rules she once mocked. The story explores compromise, self-deception, and the strange ways change arrives.

Viral Video, Local Shame

Jill, a suburban mom, is caught on video confronting a group of Black patrons at a party, assuming they don't belong. The video goes locally viral, and Jill is labeled a racist, ostracized by her community, and suspended from her job. As she tries to atone—helping search for a lost dog, Kiwi, beloved by the neighborhood—she confronts her own biases, the limits of good intentions, and the impossibility of redemption through performative acts. The story is a sharp, uncomfortable look at white liberal guilt, the hunger for absolution, and the ways small actions can spiral into public shame. Jill's attempts to "help" are as much about her own need for forgiveness as about Kiwi, and the story ends with her whimpering in the cold, uncertain if she can ever truly help herself.

Babysitter's Billionaire Connection

Kit, a college senior, becomes the babysitter for the Woley family—Diane, Bryan, and their precocious daughter Sophie. The job is lucrative, intimate, and unexpectedly formative. Kit witnesses the family's quirks, ambitions, and the early days of Bryan's internet startup, Pangaea, which will become a global behemoth. Years later, Kit reflects on her proximity to unimaginable wealth, the choices she made, and the randomness of fate. The Woleys' eventual divorce and Bryan's public scandals are filtered through Kit's memories of small kindnesses and awkward moments. The story interrogates the myth of meritocracy, the moral compromises of adulthood, and the ways ordinary people are shaped by the powerful without ever truly belonging to their world.

Art, Commerce, and Consent

Melissa, a young photographer from Wichita, is chosen for a national toothpaste ad campaign disguised as a documentary about artists. The New York film crew, led by Ben, tries to coax her into performing for the camera, including a staged teeth-brushing scene. Melissa resists, feeling manipulated and underpaid, and ultimately refuses to participate, despite escalating offers. The story exposes the blurred lines between art and advertising, the exploitation of "exposure," and the power dynamics between coastal elites and Midwestern talent. Ben's own artistic ambitions and insecurities mirror Melissa's, and their brief connection is both transactional and genuine. The campaign succeeds without her, but the episode leaves both changed, questioning the value of their work and the meaning of creative integrity.

Friendship, Illness, and Memory

Janie, a successful lawyer, receives a worrisome mammogram result and turns to her best friend Pippa for support. Their decades-long friendship, built on shared jokes and emotional shorthand, anchors Janie as she navigates fear, family, and the banality of middle age. The story weaves together memories of law school, old lovers, and the small rituals that sustain intimacy. Janie's son, Evan, is a source of both pride and confusion as he explores his identity. The eventual all-clear from the doctor is both a relief and a prompt for reflection: on the randomness of fate, the stories we tell ourselves, and the preciousness of ordinary love. The past, with its secrets and missed connections, lingers, shaping the present in ways both painful and sweet.

The Tomorrow Box Opens

Andy, a teacher at his old prep school, receives an email from Michael, a former classmate turned self-help celebrity. Their reunion is awkward, charged with old resentments and the gulf between their lives. Michael's fame is built on "TotalHonesty," but his need for validation and connection is palpable. Andy's own life is modest but full—anchored by his wife, children, and the rituals of school and family. The story explores the ways we measure success, the longing for recognition, and the comfort of small joys. Michael's visit is both a disruption and a mirror, forcing Andy to confront his own choices and the meaning of legacy. The "Tomorrow Box" becomes a metaphor for the worries we set aside, the dreams deferred, and the hope that tomorrow will bring clarity.

Alone Together, Apart

Irene, an artist, embarks on a project inspired by the "Billy Graham Rule"—the idea that married men shouldn't spend time alone with women who aren't their wives. She invites old friends and acquaintances to lunch, documenting their reactions and answers. The project becomes a catalyst for self-examination and, unexpectedly, an affair with Jack, a married man. Their connection is passionate, secret, and ultimately unsustainable. When the affair is discovered, both return to their marriages, changed and chastened. The story interrogates the boundaries of desire, the loneliness of modern life, and the ways we seek meaning through art, connection, and transgression. Irene's project, meant to expose hypocrisy, instead reveals her own vulnerability and longing.

Middle Age, New Saints

Jess returns to St. Louis for her former mother-in-law's funeral, staying with her friends Allison and Cheryl. The three women, bonded by years of shared parenting and neighborhood rituals, navigate the awkwardness of new relationships, menopause, and the ghosts of marriages past. Allison, long single, is on the cusp of a new sexual awakening, seeking advice and reassurance. Jess is haunted by the superstition of a buried Saint Joseph figurine, worried she's cursed the new owners of her old house. The story is a warm, funny meditation on the messiness of middle age, the comfort of female friendship, and the ways we carry our histories—both sacred and ridiculous—into the future.

Giraffe, Flamingo, and Regret

Emily, a symphony violist, reflects on her college years, her friendship with the beautiful Chloe, and the subtle cruelties of dorm life. A male athlete, Olney, targets Emily with petty harassment, driving her to elaborate rituals to avoid humiliation. Decades later, Emily learns Olney is gravely ill and debates whether to reach out. The story is a meditation on the long tail of small traumas, the arbitrariness of success and suffering, and the ways we try to make sense of the past. Emily's children, her career, and her marriage are all shaped by these old wounds and the stories she tells to make them bearable. The question of whether to send Olney a T-shirt becomes a stand-in for the larger question: can we ever truly forgive, or be forgiven?

Pandemic Hugs and Distance

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Daphne and Rob, a long-married couple, argue over whether Daphne should hug her ex-boyfriend Theo, who is visiting after months of isolation. The debate exposes old insecurities, the erosion of intimacy, and the ways the pandemic has both heightened and numbed emotion. Daphne's encounter with Theo is anticlimactic—he doesn't want a hug, and their connection is more awkward than profound. The real tension is between Daphne and Rob, whose marriage is built on habit, compromise, and a kind of resigned affection. The story is a subtle, poignant exploration of what it means to love someone for a long time, the disappointments that accumulate, and the small gestures—like a hug—that can both wound and heal.

Lost But Not Forgotten

Lee, a nonprofit director, returns to her elite boarding school for her thirtieth reunion, haunted by memories of exclusion, longing, and a secret encounter with the now-dead rock star Bryce Finley. The reunion is a swirl of nostalgia, awkwardness, and the realization that everyone carries their own insecurities and regrets. Lee reconnects with Jeff, a classmate who once witnessed her father's violence and quietly admired her. Their adult romance is tentative, built on shared history and the hope of new beginnings. The story is a meditation on privilege, the stories we inherit, and the possibility of rewriting our narratives. The past is both a burden and a source of connection, and the future—ordinary, imperfect, and hard-won—offers its own kind of grace.

Characters

Ruthie (Show Don't Tell)

Ruthie is a first-year MFA student desperate for validation and security, symbolized by the coveted Peaslee Fellowship. Her relationships—with lovers, friends, and rivals—are fraught with competition, insecurity, and longing. Ruthie's sharp intelligence is matched by her emotional vulnerability; she craves both recognition and connection but often finds them at odds. Over time, she learns that success is ambiguous, that the lines between talent and luck are blurry, and that the stories we tell about ourselves are as important as the ones we write. Her journey is one of self-discovery, humility, and the bittersweet acceptance of imperfection.

Heather (The Marriage Clock)

Heather is a Hollywood executive whose professional ambition masks deep personal dissatisfaction. Her trip to Alabama to negotiate with Brock Lewis becomes a crucible for her own marital doubts and desires. Heather is sharp, persuasive, and self-deprecating, but also vulnerable to the seductions of power, tradition, and nostalgia. Her relationship with her husband, Nick, is strained by resentment and routine, yet ultimately saved by a willingness to try—however awkwardly—to change. Heather embodies the modern woman's dilemma: how to reconcile independence with intimacy, skepticism with hope.

Jill (White Women LOL)

Jill is a suburban mom whose casual racism is exposed by a viral video, upending her sense of self and place in the community. She is both sympathetic and exasperating—eager to help, but blind to her own privilege and the limits of her good intentions. Jill's journey is one of humiliation, self-examination, and the painful realization that forgiveness is not easily earned. Her attempts to atone—searching for a lost dog, seeking approval from neighbors—are as much about her own need for absolution as about genuine change. Jill is a portrait of white liberal guilt, caught between shame and the longing to be seen as "good."

Kit (The Richest Babysitter in the World)

Kit is a college student whose job as a babysitter for the Woley family offers a window into wealth, ambition, and the randomness of fate. She is practical, self-effacing, and quietly ambitious, navigating the awkwardness of intimacy with strangers and the allure of a world just out of reach. Kit's later reflections on the Woleys' rise and fall, and her own choices, are tinged with both envy and relief. She is a survivor, shaped by the kindnesses and cruelties of others, and her story is a meditation on the moral ambiguities of adulthood.

Melissa (Creative Differences)

Melissa is a young photographer from the Midwest, chosen for a national ad campaign that blurs the line between art and commerce. She is both eager for recognition and wary of exploitation, resisting the manipulations of the New York film crew. Melissa's refusal to participate, despite pressure and financial incentive, is an act of self-respect and defiance. She is both naïve and shrewd, aware of her own value and the ways the world tries to diminish it. Melissa's story is about the cost of integrity, the hunger for authenticity, and the loneliness of standing alone.

Janie (Follow-Up)

Janie is a middle-aged lawyer whose life is upended by a health scare. Her closest relationship is with Pippa, her law school best friend, whose humor and loyalty anchor Janie through fear and uncertainty. Janie is introspective, self-deprecating, and quietly brave, navigating the complexities of family, aging, and the stories we tell to make sense of our lives. Her relationship with her son, Evan, is a source of both pride and confusion, as she tries to support his exploration of identity. Janie's journey is one of acceptance, gratitude, and the recognition that ordinary love is extraordinary.

Andy (The Tomorrow Box)

Andy is a teacher at his old prep school, living a life of modest satisfaction with his wife and children. His reunion with Michael, a former classmate turned celebrity, forces Andy to confront questions of success, legacy, and the meaning of happiness. Andy is thoughtful, self-aware, and grounded, finding joy in small rituals and the rhythms of family life. He is both envious of and bemused by Michael's fame, ultimately choosing the comforts of home over the allure of recognition. Andy's story is about the value of enough, the power of memory, and the hope that tomorrow will bring peace.

Irene (A for Alone)

Irene is an artist whose project on the "Billy Graham Rule" becomes a catalyst for self-examination and transgression. Her lunches with old friends and acquaintances are both an artistic experiment and a search for meaning. Irene is intelligent, witty, and emotionally hungry, drawn into an affair that both excites and destabilizes her. Her vulnerability is matched by a fierce independence, and her journey is one of risk, regret, and the longing for transformation. Irene's story is about the boundaries we set, the rules we break, and the price of intimacy.

Jess (The Patron Saints of Middle Age)

Jess is a recently divorced woman returning to her old neighborhood for a funeral, seeking comfort in the company of old friends. She is practical, self-mocking, and deeply loyal, navigating the awkwardness of new relationships, menopause, and the superstitions that linger from her old life. Jess's friendship with Allison and Cheryl is a source of strength and laughter, and her story is a celebration of female resilience, the messiness of middle age, and the ways we carry our histories forward.

Emily (Giraffe and Flamingo)

Emily is a symphony violist whose memories of college are shaped by friendship, envy, and the subtle cruelties of dorm life. Her rivalry with Chloe, the beautiful roommate, and her harassment by Olney, the athlete, leave scars that linger into adulthood. Emily is introspective, self-critical, and quietly strong, finding meaning in her music, her children, and the stories she tells to make sense of pain. Her debate over whether to reach out to Olney in his illness becomes a meditation on forgiveness, regret, and the randomness of fate.

Plot Devices

Interconnected Short Stories

The collection uses a mosaic structure, with each story focusing on a different protagonist and setting, but united by themes of ambition, regret, intimacy, and the search for meaning. Characters often reflect on the past, interrogate their own motives, and grapple with the gap between public persona and private longing. The stories are linked by recurring motifs: the randomness of fate, the hunger for validation, the pain of exclusion, and the hope for connection.

Time Jumps and Retrospection

Many stories use flashbacks, letters, and reunions to explore how the past shapes the present. Characters revisit old wounds, re-encounter former lovers and rivals, and measure themselves against their younger selves. The passage of time is both a source of wisdom and a reminder of loss, and the stories are suffused with nostalgia, regret, and the bittersweetness of memory.

Irony and Self-Awareness

The collection is marked by a wry, self-deprecating tone, as characters question their own motives, acknowledge their flaws, and resist easy resolutions. The stories often subvert expectations—success is ambiguous, redemption is partial, and happiness is fleeting. The use of meta-commentary, as in the "Tomorrow Box" or the "Billy Graham Rule" project, allows the stories to reflect on their own artifice and the limits of narrative.

Social Satire and Cultural Critique

The stories use humor and discomfort to expose the hypocrisies of liberal enclaves, the performativity of virtue, and the subtle ways power operates. Viral videos, corporate ad campaigns, and self-help doctrines become lenses for examining the anxieties of contemporary life. The collection is unsparing in its critique of both individual failings and systemic injustices, but also compassionate in its portrayal of ordinary struggle.

Symbolic Objects and Rituals

Objects and rituals—fellowship letters, marriage clocks, viral videos, Saint Joseph figurines, Olneyville T-shirts—serve as anchors for the characters' emotional journeys. These symbols are both concrete and metaphorical, representing the hopes, fears, and unresolved questions that drive the stories. The use of recurring motifs—hugs, meals, music, and memory—creates a sense of continuity and resonance across the collection.

Analysis

Curtis Sittenfeld's "Show Don't Tell" is a masterclass in the contemporary short story, blending sharp social observation with deep psychological insight. The collection interrogates the myths of meritocracy, the hunger for validation, and the ways privilege and exclusion shape our lives. Sittenfeld's characters are acutely self-aware, often painfully so, and their journeys are marked by longing, regret, and the search for connection in a fragmented world. The stories are united by a wry, unsparing tone that exposes both individual and collective hypocrisies, but also by a profound empathy for the messiness of ordinary life. Sittenfeld's genius lies in her ability to capture the small moments—an anxious wait for a letter, a viral video's fallout, a late-night reunion—that reveal the larger truths of ambition, love, and loss. The collection is a meditation on the stories we tell ourselves, the wounds we carry, and the hope that, even in disappointment, we can find meaning and grace. In a world obsessed with performance and perfection, "Show Don't Tell" reminds us that the real drama is in the gaps between what we say and what we feel, between the lives we imagine and the ones we live.

Last updated: August 18, 2025