Those who are familiar with Julie Schumacher's satirical academic fiction (in DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS and elsewhere) might be surprised to encounter the writer in a very different mode in her new collection. 

Some of the 13 stories in PATIENT, FEMALE verge on humor (such as “Spin,” which traces four women's lives through the conceit of the rules of a board game) or have an academic setting. The extremely short story “Syllabus,” structured as --- you guessed it --- a course syllabus, probably comes the closest to the book's satirical tone.

"The stories are just expansive and open-ended enough to offer plenty of scope for reflection and discussion. Book clubs that enjoy reading short stories or fiction about women's lives will find much to chew on."

Elsewhere, “How My Light Is Spent” is about a community college creative writing teacher who struggles with motivation and inspiration. The title story is about a “professional patient” who teaches medical students, some of whom are arrogant or just indifferent, how to interact appropriately and respectfully with their female patients.

The stories --- many of which were previously published in sources ranging from The Atlantic to Ms. --- offer glimpses into the lives of women and girls across their life cycle. Disillusionment is a major theme and is a malady that can strike at any age. In “The Living Dead,” a woman who lost her husband to opioid addiction must venture into a living nightmare when her preteen daughter goes missing during an annual “zombie crawl” on the streets of Minneapolis. Her perspective alternates with those of her two daughters, as each reveals the extent to which loss has knocked her life off-kilter and left the three survivors feeling isolated from one another. In “Resurrection Hockey,” a field hockey team for middle-aged women dredges up past hopes and disappointments.

As in “The Living Dead,” the relationships between mothers and children, especially daughters, looms large. The collection opens with “Passengers,” which is about a woman whose young daughter is responsible for another child's playground injury. In “Slow Learner,” a woman caroms between caring for her dying mother and worrying about the academic progress of her nine-year-old son. And in “At the Executioner's Table,” a mother and daughter take an emotionally fraught road trip during which much is thought and just as much remains unsaid. 

The stories are just expansive and open-ended enough to offer plenty of scope for reflection and discussion. Book clubs that enjoy reading short stories or fiction about women's lives will find much to chew on. But they're also thoughtful and intimate, effective at capturing the kinds of introspective thoughts that preoccupy women but too often remain unarticulated. 

Once fans of Julie Schumacher's other recent works adjust expectations and settle into this different mode, they'll find even more reasons to appreciate her perceptive work here.