Schumacher shows her incredible range in this short-story collection. . . . There are many darkly comic scenes, but throughout, there is also an almost claustrophobic and often unspoken pressure on each character, as Schumacher expertly explores their fully formed psychological depth in this master class on short-story writing.Booklist, starred review
Delightfully humorous Strikingly original. Schumachers talent shines in this masterful collection.Library Journal, starred review
Stories as funny as they are dark."Kirkus Reviews
With the perfect blend of dark humor and compassion for her characters, Schumacher writes of the absurdity of the human experience.Literary Hub, Most Anticipated Books of 2026
An audacious short story collection . . . Schumacher's story collection is fresh, hilarious, dark, and upsetting all at once, making it a uniquely dynamic read.Minnesota Womens Press
Smart and humming with life, Julie Schumachers Patient, Female is the book I have been waiting to read. These stories are tender and witty, beautifully crafted, the kind of work that makes a person marvel at the long and messy experience of a life well lived. What a wonder! I deeply loved this collection.Kristen Arnett, author of Mostly Dead Things
Patient, Female is shrewd, sage, and so darkly funnywhat a treat to take a break from this world and go spend time in Julie Schumachers.Claire Lombardo, author of The Most Fun We Ever Had
Julie Schumacher offers more of her signature wisdom and sharp eye for telling situations in these thirteen stories of contemporary life. Her people are robust and failing, wise and off the mark, yet they all move through compelling situations and maneuver crossroads toward a new beginning that the reader can imagine beyond the last line. Everything about these stories is expertI read them with deep pleasure and satisfaction.Alice Elliott Dark, author of Fellowship Point
In turns, profoundly unsettling and slyly funny, Patient, Female explores the kaleidoscope of ways humans relate to each otheras parents, children, spouses, siblings, lovers, friends, and colleagueswith wit and needle-sharp prose. Julie Schumacher is brilliant at chronicling the high-tensile cable that connects even the most distant of family members, and the uncertainty and devastation that can result from even the simplest and most loving of choices. Truly, every one of these stories is a gem.Katherine Heiny, author of Games and Rituals and Early Morning Riser
Julie Schumachers mesmerizing collection made me laugh out loud at the same time that it filled me with a sense of foreboding. How does she manage it? With characters so finely tuned that they vibrate on the page and with a keen eye for the ways in which its our human lot to hurtle toward uncertain futures with our hearts laid bare. These stories are masterful and wise.Marisa Silver, author of Mary Coin
