"The Summer People" follows a young girl Fran whose tasked by her father to take care of people known as the "summer people" who are vacationing in their area. Fran is forever in debt and under servitude, and looks for escape through her friend Ophelia, who is enchanted by these visitors.
"I Can See Right Through You"
"I Can See Right Through You" follows the story of "demon lover" and Meggie, both actors who met while co-stars in a vampire movie that still continues to haunt "demon lover" Will. While Will's career and life are struggling, Meggie is now on a ghost-hunting show and he joins her as they investigate a nudist colony that has gone missing.
"Secret Identity"
"Secret Identity" follows 15-year-old Billie Faggart who lies about her identity to meet an older man, Paul Zell, that she met online. They meet in person at a hotel that is holding a superhero convention, and while Paul leaves Billie in real life, she still writes a letter to him explaining her story.
"Valley of the Girls"
"Valley of the Girls" follows a rich teenage Egyptians who are microchipped by their parents in order for them to monitor and ensure they maintain a positive image in society. Teenage girls find themselves building pyramids as burial chambers for their future corpses. The main character finds himself locked in his sister's secret tomb, desperately trying to find a way out.
"Origin Story"
"Origin Story" focuses around two superheroes, Biscuit and Bunnatine, as they converse in an abandoned Wizard of Oz themed amusement park. They discuss their fears and worries about being superheroes. As more of their past relationship is revealed, Bunnatine struggles to tell Biscuit one of the hardest secrets she has been keeping.
"The Lesson"
"The Lesson" is focused around Thanh and Harper, a young gay couple who are fighting over about Naomi, who is the surrogate mother six months pregnant with their child. Harper is worried about Thanh and Naomi's relationship. They both fear the possibility that Naomi will change her mind about giving them the baby. Thanh and Harper are set to go to a friend's wedding on an island, however Naomi faces complications and goes into premature labor.
"The New Boyfriend"
"The New Boyfriend" is centered around a teenager named Immy and her jealousy towards her best friend Ainslie. During Ainslie's birthday party, she receives a limited edition Ghost Boyfriend, which Immy wants. This pushes Immy to act on her jealousy and start her own relationship with the Ghost Boyfriend, Mint.
"Two Houses"
"Two Houses" takes place in space. There are six astronauts who wake up in flight on the House of Secrets to celebrate a birthday party. During the celebration, they find themselves telling ghost stories.
"Light"
"Light" is the final story in the collection. It follows a woman named Lindsey whose world that has people who fall under a mysterious illness where they sleep and do not wake up, pocket universes, and the ability to create a brother from one's shadow. Lindsey finds herself living with her brother two years after her husband leaves her, and thinks about vacationing in a pocket universe.
Development
In regards to the title, Link stated in an interview with Wired that the characters "were all people with poor impulse control" that were usually around trouble, so she felt the title best fit the situations the characters are around. In an interview with The Masters Review, Link explains that when writing she often thinks about the conventions of storytelling, which allows her to mix so many different genres within her stories. For her writing, there is no "real" or unreal" elements when developing stories. Link has also stated that her stories are not written to fit specific themes and that many of her stories were written for different editors for previous publications. For this book, there was no specific time frame for her to complete her stories, and states that "The New Boyfriend" and "The Summer People" both took about a week to write, whereas "I Can See Right Through You" took longer than a year.
Reception
The collections received generally positive reviews. From The New York Times, author Scarlett Thomas wrote that "Link's stories are never fully realist, but they are always beautifully written" and commends her ability to get readers to reflect and focus on "the small stuff of life." A critic from Kirkus Reviews compared it to the Grimm Brothers and stated, "Exquisite, cruelly wise and the opposite of reassuring, these stories linger like dreams..." Publisher's Weekly wrote "Link's characters, driven by yearning and obsession, not only get in trouble but seek trouble out—to spectacular effect."
Accolades
The book was a finalist for two awards in 2016: the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction and the Indies Choice Book Award in the "Book of the Year - Adult Fiction" category. The story "The Summer People" won the 2011 Shirley Jackson Awards for best novelette.
