The Words of Dr. L

Longlisted for The Story Prize
Kirkus Reviews, A Best Fiction Book of the Year
Los Angeles Times, A Must-Read Book of May
Write or Die, A Must-Read Book of the Month
Literary Hub, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year

“These often speculative stories take place in worlds in which troubling features of our own are amplified . . . Beyond the collection’s interest in political commentary, what most animates it is familial heartache.” —The New Yorker

“Insights pierce depictions of the intrinsic connections of parents and children, family and friends . . . The Los Angeles native’s masterful sleights of hand reveal the dystopian elements of our current reality and the resonant aspects of far-off futures.” —Alta

“Bender perfectly narrows the gap between the speculative and the frighteningly real, drawing on the connection between parents and their children to craft stories that ache with familial love. If you didn’t already know that Karen Bender was one of our greatest short story writers working today, let The Words of Dr. L make it perfectly clear.” —Michael Welch, Chicago Review of Books

“A collection of stories that artfully reframe issues including parenting, aging, illness, and life during the Covid-19 pandemic . . . As if turning a shirt inside-out and finding a beautiful new pattern, Bender […] does a brilliant job of discovering novel metaphors and creating futuristic plots to re-examine some of life’s most taken-for-granted relationships and situations . . . Highly original stories that speak to the challenges of being human in the 21st century.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The concreteness of Bender’s language is in sharp contrast to the deep strangeness and troubling ambiguity afoot in the dystopian worlds her characters must navigate . . . Bender’s finely calibrated prose makes the most bizarre situations feel plausible and the most ordinary predicaments seem uncanny, while her psychological insights into marriage, parenting, guilt, memory, age, and loss are poignantly precise. These are many-faceted, deeply ponderable stories.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Meticulously crafted . . . Despite a premonition of disaster in many of Bender’s riveting selections, an atmosphere of gentleness envelops her characters . . . In Bender’s investigation of isolation and community, parents and children, friends and seeming enemies, these twelve stories allow readers a wide lens through which to both contemplate world events and what may lay ahead—and to consider the vital role of compassion when weighing one’s choices . . . [B]eautifully crafted.” —Jennifer M. Brown, Shelf Awareness

“Bender’s impressive latest explores relationships between friends and family with a mix of speculative and realist tales . . . Bender’s more fantastical stories recall the work of Isaac Asimov, while her realist takes offer insight into the complex lives of characters navigating loss and disappointment. It’s an accomplished collection from a seasoned storyteller.” —Publishers Weekly

“Karen Bender’s stories deftly explore our current American moment, a troubling one that verges on insanity. Bender is concerned with love, family, and motherhood, and in these beautifully written stories she uses words to describe thoughts and feelings that I’ve never seen described before. A great writer helps us understand who we are, and what it means to be human.” —Matthew Klam, author of Who is Rich?

“Karen Bender’s brilliant new collection of stories is devastating in its human truths yet not without hope. In worlds where nouns are capitalized (Confusion, Separation, Protection) and empathy is under siege, these stories provide the answer to Andromeda Romano-Lax’s question: How can fiction predict a future that’s already happening? Motherhood circles around climate change, reproductive rights orbit autocracy, love swirls around pestilence and vicious patriarchy. Yet Bender’s characters never lose sight of the urgency of resilience and change. These stories ensure that we never stop asking the questions that will save us. The Words of Dr. L is a true literary masterwork.” —Carolyn Ferrell, author of Dear Miss Metropolitan