Summary

The first story in the collection is called “The Feminist”. It tells the story of a man with an ostensibly liberal values system who pursues ideological perfection in his interactions with women but becomes increasingly bitter and disillusioned by his failed attempts at forming a romantic relationship. The Feminist liked to tell people that he went to an all-girls high school, when really he meant that he went to a school that had recently gone co-ed and he was one of only five male students. He felt sheepish about never having dated anyone during high school but assumed this would change when he went to college. At college, however, he feels that his lack of conventional good looks is holding him back when it comes to dating. As in high school, his friends are mostly women. One day, he asks one of his...