Summary

The title story, “Men Without Women,” begins with a call in the middle of the night. The unnamed narrator was sleeping with his wife when he was woken up by the ringing phone. He got up to answer it. On the phone, “a man’s low voice informed me that a woman had vanished from the world forever” (212). The man was the husband of a woman who had committed suicide the week before.

The unnamed narrator had dated the woman years prior, but they had not been in contact at all since. He was confused about how and why the man had called him, but the man did not give him any details. The narrator got back into bed. His wife asked if someone had died, and he said no, but she did not believe him because his voice was “now tinged...