If I Loved You

FINALIST FOR THE FRANK O’CONNOR SHORT STORY AWARD NOW WITH AN ADDITIONAL STORY. Heralding the arrival of a stunning new voice in American fiction, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This takes readers into the minds and hearts of people navigating the unsettling transitions that life presents to us all: A father struggles to forge an independent identity as his blind daughter prepares for college. A mother comes to terms with her adult daughter’s infidelity. An artist mourns the end of a romance while painting the portrait of a dying man. Brilliant, hopeful, and fearlessly honest, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This illuminates the truths of human relationships, truths we come to recognize in these characters and in ourselves. BONUS: This edition includes an excerpt from Robin Black's Life Drawing. Look for the If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This discussion guide inside. Praise for If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This “I want to shout about how just when you thought no one could write a story with any tinge of freshness let alone originality about childhood. . . about marriage . . . about old age, Black has done it. . . . Black delivers real emotion, the kind that gives you pause. . . . Will Robin Black win [the Pen/Hemingway Prize] for this book? If I were a judge, she would.”—Alan Cheuse, Chicago Tribune “Pitch-perfect . . . so deft, so understated, and so compelling that you have to slow down to savor each vignette. . . . Fans of Mary Gaitskill, Amy Bloom, and Miranda July will feel like they’ve found gold in a river when they discover Robin Black. . . . [A] writer to watch.”—O: The Oprah Magazine “Each story reads like a mini-novel . . . worlds are contained in a single page. And the writing . . . oh, the writing . . . There’s no narrative cohesion, no point. Rather, If I Loved You is a ‘Fantastic Voyage’ into the bloodstream of the human species. . . . Maybe it’s midlife maturity, maybe it’s raw talent, but If I Loved You leaves you longing for more."—San Francisco Chronicle “Incisive . . . peopled with characters so fully imagined you’ll feel they’re in the room.”—People "Exquisitely distilled tales of loss and reckoning . . . [Black] evokes a Sparkian blend of skepticism and grace."—Vogue

Sara Williams wasn't always Sara Williams. Twelve years ago, she was Liz Jennings-small-town nobody and best friend of Ian Hart. The only future she could imagine included him, but after one tragic night, she's forced to flee her home and leave behind the best friend she secretly loves.Ian Hart was sure of two things. He was in love with his best friend, and he'd do anything to protect her. As teenagers, they made a pact to run away together, but when she left town without him, Ian spiraled into a storm of anger.Now she's back with a new name and a dozen secrets. When they're forced to work together, the things they don't say threaten to shatter any hope that they could regain their lost trust. Meanwhile, a town of busybodies are stirring up trouble, and Sara is a sitting duck while her biggest threat is on the move. What if the monster she's running from steals their happily ever after?A homecoming story about forgiveness that's sure to touch your heart.

Frank Berkeley, a young American art student, is offered the opportunity to continue his studies by a wealthy woman who arranges for him to spend a summer with an artist couple in Paris. Leaving his disappointed lover behind, he travels to Paris where he gains the needed knowledge to return to New York and begin working in a respected museum of art. There, with additional study and experience, he becomes a widely known appraiser of fine art. At one point, he is commissioned to examine two paintings. One is suspected of being stolen by Nazis in the 1930s; the other challenges Frank to discover if the painting, by a noted artist, is genuine or a remarkable fraud. In both instances, the results of his findings put his future reputation on the line.

Does love always mean total truth? Successfully shunning the limelight was one way for Megan Davis to keep her family secret. The press intruded on her life when her twin brother, Mark, became the star quarterback for the Delaware Demons. A smart, successful financial advisor, disrespectful of tabloid superstars, Meg was shocked when she was selected to launch a celebrity division in the prestigious investment firm, Dillon & Weed and overwhelmed by the charisma of her first client. Gorgeous, magnetic movie star, Chaz Duncan, wary of women who wanted to bask in his fame or sell his secrets to the media, valued privacy above all else. Would attractive Megan Davis, his new financial advisor charm the truth from him or would he continue his high profile but lonely existence to keep his secret safe? Jealousy, deceit and scandal threaten two careers and the quest for true love and trust in this roller-coaster-ride contemporary romance.

She's not supposed to think he's hot. Em has known Ward Knightley all her life, and she's never thought he was hot before. He's always been only a family friend--thirteen years older than her and far too bossy. He gives her brotherly advice and lectures her when she does something silly, and the rest of the time he just laughs at her. Sure, he's smart and handsome and funny and kind. But he's not hot. He's really not. He's not supposed to be anyway. But once Em starts seeing him in a new way, she can't think about him the way she did before. She's usually good at arranging the world around her. She helps her friends find jobs and romantic partners, and she always has herself under control. But nothing is controlled about the way she now wants Ward as so much more than a family friend. If only he didn't still think about her as a little girl. Pemberley House is a series of modern reimaginings of Jane Austen novels, and the books are set in a historic mansion in Virginia that has been converted into condos. If I Loved You Less is loosely inspired by Emma.

Jonas Blackburn is content with his life...until he discovers he must marry for the advancement of his career. Unable to strike out on his own professionally, Jonas proposes to the only person he could envision spending his life with: his close friend Nora. When Nora Paget learns the brother she keeps house for is ready to marry, she finds herself at a crossroads: live with her brother and his new wife or set a different course for herself? Jonas’s proposal offers a potential solution for them both. She can have a home of her own with a man she’s fond of, and solve his employment problem simultaneously. But Nora harbors an old family secret that could ruin both of them, just as they begin their new life together. Can they take the risk knowing the potential devastation that awaits them? Or will Jonas and Nora be forced to part ways to save their reputations? Previously published in the anthology Regency Summer - Secrets and Soirees

Life is never as perfect as it seems. Tensions that have lurked beneath the surface of a shiny new subdivision rise up, in new fiction from the author of the Toronto Book Award—shortlisted The Wondrous Woo The suburbs of the 1970s promised to be heaven on earth—new houses, new status, happiness guaranteed. But in a Scarborough subdivision populated by newcomers from all over the world, a series of sudden catastrophic events reveals that not everyone’s dreams come true. Moving from house to house, Carrianne Leung explores the inner lives behind the tidy front gardens and picture-perfect windows, always returning to June, an irrepressible adolescent Chinese-Canadian coming of age in this shifting world. Through June and her neighbours, Leung depicts the fine line where childhood meets the realities of adult life, and examines, with insight and sharp prose, how difficult it is to be true to ourselves at any age.