Levitation by Cynthia Ozick, 1982
The magic trick:
Quite literally taking the story to another level in the second half of the narrative
Lucy and Feingold seem to have quite a precise little plan for their marriage. One is a Jew, the other a gentile – by design. They both write, adhering to the same rules they have created for each other. They share the same frustrations, the same hopes. But then they throw a party, and the orderly setup of the story’s first half soon falls apart. Enter levitation. Enter magical realism. Enter the realization that perhaps this husband and wife don’t, and perhaps never could, understand each other as well as they thought they did. The story turns it all upside down. And that’s quite a trick on Ozick’s part.
The selection:
They were shy people, and rarely gave parties.
Each had published one novel. Hers was about domestic life; he wrote about Jews.
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