Women in Bed: Nine Stories is a collection of short stories where the universal theme is women. More specifically, each of the nine stories tackles a point in each of the the protagonists lives when they were at there lowest or when they were about to change something. There was a palpable sense of desperation in each tale. Not just because of what was going on in their lives but more specifically of the changes each of their decision has wrought. From dealing with the aftermath of losing someone to suicide to deciding on getting married after a series of failed relationships to thinking about ending a relationship or leaving a job that's taken 15 years of your life. Jessica Keener has crafted stories that makes the readers privy into each of the women's lives, each emotion felt through the pages. Their desperation, confusion, depression and sometimes that feeling of emptiness is conveyed very well by the author.