• Mary Gaitskill

First published in the late nineties and a bestseller at the time, this incisive collection of short stories explores connection and disconnection in families, between ex-lovers, and friends. From a father reflecting on the daughter whose lesbianism he cannot accept, to two people who were once young together stumbling over the foundations of their past, inside are 12 portraits of heart-rending emotional intimacy and the delicacy of relationships. Because They Wanted To is a perfectly formed set of stories about alienation in modern times.