Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It

Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It presents eleven short stories set across the American West. Each story centers on characters facing difficult choices and conflicting desires in their relationships and life circumstances. The collection moves between rural Montana ranches, coastal cities, and small towns. Characters include lawyers, ranchers, young professionals, and families navigating romance, marriage, parenthood, and loss. The stories maintain a tight focus on pivotal moments when characters must confront what they want versus what they can have. Several pieces draw from real historical events and legal cases while others emerge purely from imagination. The collection explores the tension between opposing forces - intimacy and independence, loyalty and freedom, the life we dream of and the life we lead. Through spare prose and precise observation, Meloy examines how people manage their contradictory yearnings.

Readers highlight the author's precise, understated writing style and ability to capture complex relationships in rural Montana settings. Reviews frequently mention the emotional impact despite the stories' brevity. Positives: - Clear, uncluttered prose that "doesn't waste a word" - Deep psychological insights into characters' conflicts - Stories linger in readers' minds long after finishing - Strong sense of place and atmosphere Negatives: - Some found the endings too abrupt or unresolved - A few stories strike readers as forgettable - Characters' motivations sometimes unclear - Several reviewers wanted more development in certain plots Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (6,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.2/5 (120+ ratings) Notable reader comment: "Like Raymond Carver stripped even further down to the bone" (Goodreads) The collection resonates most with readers who appreciate minimalist literary fiction and don't require neat resolutions to stories.

Tenth of December by George Saunders This collection maps small-town life through characters who confront moral choices that pit personal desire against duty.

Runaway by Alice Munro The stories explore quiet moments of decision in women's lives across rural Canada, revealing the consequences of choices made and paths not taken.

The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr These stories traverse global settings while focusing on characters who navigate the intersection of the natural world and human relationships.

Blueprints for Building Better Girls by Elissa Schappell The interconnected narratives follow women at different life stages who struggle with expectations and personal authenticity.

American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell Working-class characters in rural Michigan face decisions that reveal the complexities of survival, love, and responsibility.

🌟 The collection's title comes from a poem by A.R. Ammons, "Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It," which explores the human desire to have everything, even when choices are mutually exclusive. 📚 Maile Meloy drew inspiration from her Montana roots, setting many of the stories in the rugged American West, though she wrote most of them while living in California. 🏆 The book was selected as one of the New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2009 and received praise from literary icons including Alice Munro. 💫 Several stories in the collection were first published in The New Yorker and Granta, including "Travis, B.," which was selected for Best American Short Stories. 🎬 One of the stories, "Travis, B.," was later adapted into the 2016 film "Certain Women," directed by Kelly Reichardt and starring Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, and Laura Dern.