Love

Romantic relationships are a prominent motif in many of the collection’s stories, and the book seeks to explore romantic connection as both integral and difficult. None of the romantic relationships in the book are without problems or challenges, but the book also does not discard the idea that romantic relationships are often vital to human happiness. For example, the portrayal of the narrator in “Future Emergencies” centers on the fact that she desires romantic connection, but also that she is not entirely fulfilled by her current relationship. She appears to find Victor somewhat dull, but he also appears to represent her first long-term adult relationship. The narrator summarizes her feelings thusly: “Though the life we live together now feels like the only one I know, there are moments when I still imagine another life, with different things in it. A life with someone who is...