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Christian Dittus
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ADMIT THIS TO NO ONE

Leslie Pietrzyk

In ADMIT THIS TO NO ONE, we meet a group of women connected to a central figure either personally or professionally, and for better or for worse?an all-powerful and elusive Speaker of the House, whose political career has only stopped short of being Presidential due to his myriad extra-marital affairs. The Speaker's daughters from his several failed marriages have a complicated relationship with him to say the least?alternating between longing for his affection or bristling with resentment, and occasionally relief at being left out of the spotlight.

His oldest daughter Lexie, from his “real family, the first one,” once his favorite who knew the real him, is now an adult who has blown up her career due to a sex scandal of her own. His long-time fixer and keeper of secrets, Mary-Grace, is relentless and uncompromising in her devotion to him, making the lives of the interns and aides under her purview in the Capitol miserable. When the Speaker's life is in danger, the disparate women in his life will collide for the first time, but can their relationships be repaired?

These stories show us how Washington, D.C.'s true currency is power, but power is inextricable from oppression? D.C. is a city divided, not just by red or blue, right or left, but Black and white. Segregated by income and opportunity, but also physically by bridges and rivers, and police vehicles, Leslie Pietrzyk casts an unflinching and exacting gaze on her characters, as they grapple with the ways they have upheld white supremacy and misogyny. Shocking and profound, Pietrzyk writes with an emotional urgency about what happens when the bonds of family and duty are pushed to the limit, and how if individuals re-evaluate their own beliefs and actions there is a path forward.

Leslie Pietrzyk is the author of SILVER GIRL (Unnamed Press, 2018), Pears on a Willow Tree, A Year and a Day, and the short story collection This Angel on My Chest. Her short fiction has appeared in The Gettysburg Review, The Iowa Review, New England Review, The Sun, TriQuarterly, and Shenandoah. She holds a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from Northwestern University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from American University. She teaches in the Masters in Writing program at Johns Hopkins University, as well as the Low-Res MFA at Converse College.
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Published 2021-11-01 by The Unnamed Press

Comments

"The winks, protestations and complicity throughout induce both can't-make-this-stuff-up shock and all-too-knowing nods. Racism, sexism, elitism, so many -isms, fabulously fuel one of the finest collections of the year" (starred review) Read more...

"...all Pietrzyk's characters have defined personalities and motivations that keep the pages turning. Her witty style and assured voice bring insight and relatability to the homes of the powerful and proletarian alike. Taken individually or as a whole, these complex, daring stories by an innovative and skillful fiction writer will both entertain and shock."

"...all Pietrzyk's characters have defined personalities and motivations that keep the pages turning. Her witty style and assured voice bring insight and relatability to the homes of the powerful and proletarian alike. Taken individually or as a whole, these complex, daring stories by an innovative and skillful fiction writer will both entertain and shock."

"An exciting read bristling with intelligence, political awareness, and psychological complexity." (starred review)

Leslie Pietrzyk takes a scalpel to White Washington, D.C., and doesn't flinch as she cuts it open. In these breathless (sometimes jaw-dropping) stories, Leslie dissects with precision, giving us every lonely, sad, and selfish thought from characters we've met at least once in the nation's capital. -- Melanie S. Hatter, author of Malawi's Sisters

“Leslie Pietrzyk takes a scalpel to White Washington, D.C., and doesn't flinch as she cuts it open. In these breathless (sometimes jaw-dropping) stories, Leslie dissects with precision, giving us every lonely, sad, and selfish thought from characters we've met at least once in the nation's capital.” – Melanie S. Hatter, author of Malawi's Sisters

"Many brilliant writers fly under the radar, insufficiently recognized for their superb mastery of the art of storytelling. One such is Leslie Pietrzyk, who, though honored by having received the prestigious John Heinz Award in fiction, should be more celebrated. Her newest and most sophisticated work to date is ADMIT THIS TO NO ONE, a dazzling collection of short stories..."

"a tour de force from a gifted writer"