Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee

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Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee

Literary fiction

Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar

Debut

by Katie Yee

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Quick Take

In this tragicomic tour de force, a young mother rebuilds her sense of self after a divorce and cancer diagnosis.

Good to know

  • Illustrated icon, Female_Friendship

    Female friendships

  • Illustrated icon, Mama_Drama

    Mama drama

  • Illustrated icon, Infidelity

    Infidelity

  • Illustrated icon, Under200

    Under 200 pages

Synopsis

A man and a woman walk into a restaurant. The woman expects a lovely night filled with endless plates of samosas. Instead, she finds out her husband is having an affair with a woman named Maggie.

A short while after, her chest starts to ache. She walks into an examination room, where she finds out the pain in her breast isn’t just heartbreak—it’s cancer. She decides to call the tumor Maggie.

Unfolding in fragments over the course of the ensuing months, Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar follows the narrator as she embarks on a journey of grief, healing, and reclamation. She starts talking to Maggie (the tumor), getting acquainted with her body’s new inhabitant. She overgenerously creates a “Guide to My Husband: A User’s Manual” for Maggie (the other woman), hoping to ease the process of discovering her ex-husband’s whims and quirks. She turns her children’s bedtime stories into retellings of Chinese folklore passed down by her own mother, in an attempt to make them fall in love with their shared culture—and to maybe save herself in the process.

Why I love it

If you’re the sort of person who reads fiction with a pen in hand, ready to mark the best witticisms and turns of phrase, then Maggie might just be your favorite read of the year. This short literary gem is so quotable, I found myself wanting to underline not just a few sentences, but the entire book.

The unnamed narrator of Maggie is diagnosed with breast cancer shortly after her husband announces he’s leaving her for the “other woman.” In less skillful hands, these events could spawn a maudlin account of self-pity or a pseudo-inspirational tale of overcoming hardship, but Katie Yee transforms them into a story that is as wryly hilarious as it is heartfelt. Intertwined with Chinese folktales, lists of her ex-husband’s best and worst qualities, and sharp-witted anecdotes, the narrator’s voice kept me surprised and engaged with every new paragraph.

This book strikes the perfect balance between laughter and tears in a tragic situation. It’s poignant, funny, dark, and above all deeply real—at the risk of sounding a bit delusional, I’ll admit that the narrator felt as alive to me as anyone else I know! Grab your pen and get to underlining—Maggie is a literary masterpiece you’ll want to keep on your shelf for years to come.

Literary fiction
Intermezzo
A Season of Light
Liquid
The Book of George
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Annie Bot
Five-Star Stranger
Mercury
The Other Valley
The Bullet Swallower
Alice Sadie Celine
Let Us Descend
Banyan Moon
Shark Heart
Dominicana
What's Mine and Yours
Ask Again, Yes
Vladimir
Infinite Country
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
Black Buck
Luster
Paper Names
The Light Pirate
The Half Moon
Valentine
Leave the World Behind
Little Monsters
Yerba Buena
Beautiful World, Where Are You
Free Food for Millionaires
Sing, Unburied, Sing
Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?
Future Home of the Living God
Red Clocks
The Mars Room
Eat Only When You're Hungry
Unsheltered
The Goldfinch
Welcome to Braggsville
Heat & Light
Nicotine
Perfect Little World
Someday, Maybe
Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar
Seduction Theory
Literary fiction
View all
Intermezzo
A Season of Light
Liquid
The Book of George
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Annie Bot
Five-Star Stranger
Mercury
The Other Valley
The Bullet Swallower
Alice Sadie Celine
Let Us Descend
Banyan Moon
Shark Heart
Dominicana
What's Mine and Yours
Ask Again, Yes
Vladimir
Infinite Country
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
Black Buck
Luster
Paper Names
The Light Pirate
The Half Moon
Valentine
Leave the World Behind
Little Monsters
Yerba Buena
Beautiful World, Where Are You
Free Food for Millionaires
Sing, Unburied, Sing
Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?
Future Home of the Living God
Red Clocks
The Mars Room
Eat Only When You're Hungry
Unsheltered
The Goldfinch
Welcome to Braggsville
Heat & Light
Nicotine
Perfect Little World
Someday, Maybe
Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar
Seduction Theory