“A man and a woman walk into a bar. It sounds like the start of a very old joke, and it is. It is also the end of a marriage.”
Imagine being happily ma“A man and a woman walk into a bar. It sounds like the start of a very old joke, and it is. It is also the end of a marriage.”
Imagine being happily married to a charming, wealthy husband with two children you love, though they don’t think you’re funny. The bright side? They find their father hilarious and enjoy his bedtime stories, which you slightly envy. “And I have always been a little envious of the ways our kids grow toward their dad, like he’s the sun they revolve around, and I’m some minor moon tumbling through space after them.” Then he takes you to a nice Indian restaurant and reveals he’s having an affair with a woman named Maggie. “That shine I thought my life had? Fool’s gold after all.”
This is how we meet the unnamed narrator of Katie Yee’s debut ‘Maggie: Or, A Man And A Woman Walk Into A Bar’. As she comes to terms with this betrayal—learning it’s with a white woman—she begins to feel an ache in her chest. The story then shifts to “a woman walks into an examination room. And it’s cancer.” What follows is a heartfelt reflection on the stories we tell ourselves, the emotional ups and downs of heartbreak, motherhood, grief, Chinese identity, navigating a tough health battle, and how, sometimes, the end is a good thing.
Using fragmented storytelling was a perfect choice, as even at just about 200 pages, it effectively captures the narrator’s profound emotional journey. It vividly brings her, her family, and Darlene [whom I loved so much!] to life with lines that felt like a punch in the gut or jolt you awake. We see the start and end of her relationship with Sam, along with the honest questioning, spiraling thoughts, and reflections that follow heartbreak. The veil is lifted, and you try to understand everything from the other person's perspective. Though we never see his point of view, we get a clear picture of him and their dynamic.
Inclusion of myths, dreams, and stories added richness to this short book. Stories offer insight, comfort, and understanding, teach lessons, convey emotions that are hard to express, and transport you into another life.
A recurring knock-knock dream bookends this story. Originally scary, the dream’s meaning shifts by the end—from symbolizing loneliness to an optimistic message that the world is at your doorstep, perfectly capturing my parting sentiment with life: ‘We just have to find new ways of writing the story.’
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc for exchange of my honest review!...more
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