Comparisons to Olive Kitteridge are inevitable, but the tone and expansiveness of this novel-in-stories hark back to Spoon River Anthology (if not Chaucer). Thoroughly refreshing: an astute portrait of contemporary small-town America that's genuinely fun to read. (Kirkus Reviews starred review)

I've not been this undone and awed by a short story collection since The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. Robyn Ryle proves that narrative fearlessness, ambition and radical play reach their highest resonance when foundationed on an ungodly talent and stunning skill. (Kiese Laymon, award-winning author of HEAVY: AN AMERICAN MEMOIR)

Robyn Ryle knows her small town inside and out, celebrating the strange and mundane equally. SEX OF THE MIDWEST isn't about sex so much as love and loneliness, and, ultimately, belonging. (Stewart O'Nan, author of EMILY, ALONE)

Set during post-Covid societal reentry, SEX OF THE MIDWEST is proof of the multitudes people contain: quirks, fetishes, gripes, and great depth. With humor and moments of grace, Robyn Ryle depicts young love, new old love, the passage of time, and our remarkable human ability to learn and change. (Daphne Kalotay, Grace Paley prize-winning author of THE ARCHIVISTS: STORIES)