Cat Person and Other Stories by Kristen Roupenian (Now a Major Motion Picture with Emilia Jones)

A compulsively readable collection of short stories that explore the complex--and often darkly funny--connections between gender, sex, and power across genres.

Previously published as You Know You Want This, "Cat Person" and Other Stories brilliantly explores the ways in which women are horrifying as much as it captures the horrors that are done to them. Among its pages are a couple who becomes obsessed with their friend hearing them have sex, then seeing them have sex...until they can't have sex without him; a ten-year-old whose birthday party takes a sinister turn when she wishes for "something mean"; a woman who finds a book of spells half hidden at the library and summons her heart's desire: a nameless, naked man; and a self-proclaimed "biter" who dreams of sneaking up behind and sinking her teeth into a green-eyed, long-haired, pink-cheeked coworker.

Spanning a range of genres and topics--from the mundane to the murderous and supernatural--these are stories about sex and punishment, guilt and anger, the pleasure and terror of inflicting and experiencing pain. These stories fascinate and repel, revolt and arouse, scare and delight in equal measure. And, as a collection, they point a finger at you, daring you to feel uncomfortable--or worse, understood--as if to say, "You want this, right? You know you want this."

Review

I kept getting lured into another and another [of the stories]… [Kristen Roupenian has] one of those brains that feel out-of-this-world brilliant and also completely askew… What’s special about Cat Person, and the rest of the stories in You Know You Want This is the author’s expert control of language, character, story ― her ability to writestories that feel told, and yet so unpretentious and accessible that we think they must be true. -- Lauren Holmes ― New York Times

You Know You Want This at once enchants and horrifies… [Roupenian’s] writing recalls the gloomy feminist fairy-tales of Angela Carter. This collection cements her reputation as one of the most startling new voices in fiction. ― Economist

Roupenian is in possession of [a] formidable talent… the inner worlds of her narrators are always lifelike. She allows us to embody these characters wholly which is always an unsettling journey… [You Know You Want This] will leave you gasping. -- Sophie White ― Irish Independent

It’s only a matter of time before you find yourself thumping someone’s dinner table vigorously as you discuss [You Know You Want This]… Roupenian’s latest tales are sexy, chilling and disturbingly gruesome in finest fairytale tradition… Think Delta of Venus meets Angela Carter meets Bridesmaids. -- Harriet Walker ― The Times

Wholly engrossing. -- Hayley Maitland ― Vogue

"These stories are sharp and perverse, dark and bizarre, unrelenting and utterly bananas. I love them so, so much." --Carmen Maria Machado, National Book Award Finalist and author of Her Body and Other Parties

"Kristen Roupenian isn't just an uncannily great writer, she also knows things about the human psyche...The world has made a lot more sense since reading this book." --Miranda July, New York Times bestselling author

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; 1st edition (6 Feb. 2020)

Language ‏ : ‎ English

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1784709204

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1784709204

Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 1.5 x 19.8 cm

Customer reviews: 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars    787 ratings

About the Author

Kristen Roupenian graduated from Barnard and holds a PhD in African Literature from Harvard. She is a Zell Fellow in the University of Michigan MFA program, and has received numerous awards for her work. She has studied with Laura Kasischke, Jeff Van der Meer and Claire Vaye Watkins.Her short story 'Cat Person' became a viral sensation when it was published by the New Yorker at the end of 2017, dubbed ‘the most talked-about short story ever’. You Know You Want This is her first book.