With this collection of 13 masterfully written short stories, Julie Schumacher, author of Dear Committee Members, for which she won the Thurber Prize for American Humor, demonstrates not only an unerring ability to find mordant humor in the vagaries of everyday life but also an acute and empathetic understanding of human relationships.
The protagonists of these stories are women at all stages of life, from childhood to dotage, who navigate their experiences with wit and resolve. In "Pioneers," a young girl struggles to make sense of her parents' open marriage and lack of boundaries, and in "Urn," a woman must deal with her irresponsible brother after their mother's death. A professional female patient upon whom medical students practice gynecological exams runs into a high school crush while undressed and in stirrups in the titular story and, in "Hospital Bridge," one of the collection's funniest pieces, a middle schooler is sent by her mother to volunteer at a care home and winds up learning to play bridge with a cadre of elderly card sharps.
Schumacher's creativity extends to form as well. An English instructor's irritation is expressed through a biting course outline in "Syllabus," and in "Spin," board game directions describe the game of life. Perhaps Schumacher's greatest achievement here, however, is her nuanced depictions of the complexity of motherhood, especially between mothers and neurodiverse children, as in "Slow Learner," a standout. By turns wise, tender, and filled with the kind of dark humor that sustains resilience in the face of life's trials, Patient, Female is a brilliant and moving collection. --Debra Ginsberg, author and freelance editor