Book Review: Choose Me

Choose Me, is Chinese Canadian writer, Evelyn’s Lau’s second short story collection. The stories in this collection are beautifully written. The stories are very depressing, sad, miserable, but also very realistic. The women in Choose Me aren’t impulsive women, they are simply women that  are desperate and want to be loved. The question remains, do these women love themselves enough to understand why they chase men that are unattainable?

My only criticism of Choose Me is, that I think the women in the book needed more “agency” and “control” over their own lives. I wanted to see more independence from the female characters. I was hoping the women in Choose Me would eventually “stand up” for themselves instead of allowing themselves to be taken advantage by men.

The young women in Choose Me are chasing older men that have financial resources but realize its just a mask.

The women in this book seem to be blinded by the devotion or attention from men. For instance, why did Zoe in the story “Family”, chase after Douglas the married father with two kids? Why was the prostitute Sybil, in the story “The Outing”, upset at her John for taking her to a common bawdy house?

The only story in Choose Me that shows some female agency is “A Summer Place”. Catherine isn’t in love with Barry, although he invites her to Max’s summer place. Although Catherine, the photographer, has feelings for Max he is unattainable. Max is a good man, he’s in love with Claire. Yet Catherine can’t help having feelings for Max. Max is wealthy he owns property and he’s a tall fit man.

It is clear Catherine is sexually attracted to Max for all the wrong reasons. Catherine is content though, she understands that Max is in love with Claire and she doesn’t attempt to cause problems to their relationship. Catherine realizes she will have to find someone else, that loves her and the emotional connection is mutual. Although Barry attempts to make a move on Catherine,she rejects Barry because she doesn’t love him.

One argument is, Lau has created characters that appear as though they are “victims” of their  own circumstances. The women are in love with men that are within their grasp yet never reaching them.

The strongest points of Choose Me is Lau plunges into the minds of these women and exposes their faults. The anger, the frustration, the  depression, the passionate words Lau writes  are wonderful. Lau explores the fierce and frantic state of heterosexual relationships. Although Lau’s work can also definitely relate to gays and lesbians as well.

The bridge between women and men is wide according to Lau. The men in Choose Me are alluring, attractive, powerful, but also pernicious. The men in Choose Me are evil, vindictive, they know the women love them by also love ” playing with their emotions”. These men “play mind games” “pretending to be interested” in the women yet they are just just stringing them along.

The men simply want the “attention” of the women it boosts their ego these men don’t “love” the women. The men in Choose Me are all about raising their own self esteem while hurting women in the process. Yet the men in “Choose Me” are all about “holding hands” or giving “soft kisses” or ” affectionate words” with the women until the women realize its too late.

On the one hand, you can say the women could be misinterpreting the actions of these men. However, Lau suggests the men in Choose Me know exactly what they are doing. The women believe that when the men shower them with “attention” that they are interested in them. Sadly, the women soon realize these men are all about themselves. The feelings the men have for the women are ephemeral not eternal. The men also have other women on the side such as wives or girlfriends yet also want more attention.

The males in Choose Me gain strength from taking advantage of women not just for sex but just attention. Some men just like it when women are around them that are “into them” but they are not “into the women”. The way these men “keep” the women around is by making the women “think” something might happen but it never does.

The women in Choose Me realize they have to break it off and abandon these men so they can get their lives back on track. I kind of wish the stories in Choose Me were a bit longer. I was dying to  to learn more about the female characters. I wonder if Evelyn will write another short story collection?

I wish Lau had explored a bit more about the aftermath of these relationships. How did Zoe get over Douglas? Did Sybili stop prostituting? Did Catherine find true love? Evelyn Lau’s writes so eloquently with clarity about the battle field in relation to the affairs of the heart. Choose Me is a wonderful book and Lau’s writing is crisp, clear, descriptive and fantastic.