The View from Outside

The characters in this collection of stories are all keenly aware of being apart, being something other, being outside. Some of them make extraordinary efforts to find how and where they fit. Others revel in that sense of standing alone. Some struggle with love, family relationships, loneliness and status. All of them share "The View From Outside."


These stories cover the range of human experience, from a young girl discovering her first love in "Lab Experiments" to an old man making peace with the fact that he has nothing left "To Do." You will meet "The Fabulous Mrs. Trotter" who at 93 is still the talk-of-the-town, at least in her own mind. You’ll learn why "Murray’s Mustache" and his vanity threatened his marriage and what happens when a shy young Jewish husband discovers he shares no "Common Ground" with his vivacious Catholic wife. Get a glimpse into the devastating secrets hidden behind the ivy walls at a posh private school in "Some Things Are Too Private" and ride "The Susan Float" with the rebellious housewives of an affluent New England town.


In "The View From Outside" Barnett pulls back the emotional curtain around her characters, showing the remarkable strengths, deep flaws, and universal isolation they share.