Bloom, Amy

(US, 1953– )

Amy Bloom is a psychotherapist who lives in Connecticut and divides her time between writing and her practice. Her collection of stories Come to Me (1993) explores the experiences of bereavement, mental breakdown, and sexual non-conformity. Bloom's understated, almost minimalist style encourages the reader to understand rather than judge her characters. In ‘Love is not a Pie’, for example, Ellen tries to make sense of her dead mother's sexual relationship with a family friend and her father's collusion in it. In reaching an understanding of the generosity and love in this ménage à trois, Ellen decides not to marry the man who seems a ‘sensible choice’. The passions, tragedies, and misdemeanours of human existence are also explored in Bloom's first novel, Love Invents Us (1997), through the life and loves of one woman, Elizabeth, from her youth into middle age.

Alice Munro, Lorrie Moore, Colette  DJ