Point of View

All of the short stories in Show Them a Good Time are narrated in either first-person or third-person limited. All of the protagonists are female, and the collection is centered around the theme of how women respond to (and often fall short of) ideas about roles and expectations for them established by society. Many of these women are also struggling to find their place in the world and/or experiencing feelings of disconnection or dissatisfaction.

For example, “Show Them a Good Time” and “Track” are both told by first-person narrators that have contended with depression and an abusive relationship. Both women are unsure of themselves and trying to determine what they should do with their lives. Both were passive with their abusive boyfriends, and in the aftermath, they long to assert themselves in some way. The narrator of “Show Them a Good Time” channels her...