Patient, Female

An unsuspecting couple is treated to a luxury vacation by their deceased neighbor, whose mysterious last act prompts a confession. A middle school girl, after begrudgingly agreeing to volunteer at a nursing home, gambles over games of bridge with elderly residents. A single mother struggles to understand the unique bond between her autistic son and his dying grandmother. Four friends experience decades of highs and lows as pawns in The Game of Life. A professional gynecology patient runs into a high school flame while at work, undressed, on the job.

In this refreshing story collection, celebrated novelist Julie Schumacher balances sorrow against laughter. Here, we experience story as syllabus, as biblical dialogue, as board game, as blackmail. Each protagonist—ranging from girlhood to senescence—receives her own indelible voice and nuanced interiority as she navigates conflict, social conventions, and generational misunderstandings. Exquisitely honest and expertly crafted, Patient, Female renders—with dark humor and sharp wit—the foibles of human behavior and our endearing imperfections.