Acceptance Journey by Mary Gaitskill, 2018
The magic trick:
Combining sweet and scary; childlike and mature
Very recent Gaitskill. I read with the trepidation of one listening to the new Stone Roses record. You were really good in the early 90s. But now?
That’s actually a faulty comp. The Stone Roses were only good in the early 90s, while Gaitskill continued to write remarkable stories for another two decades. Still, I stand by my trepidation. The “OK, so do you still got it?” question is always relevant when you’re as far into a career as Gaitskill.
The answer, I’m happy to report, is yes. Though I will start with a caveat. Yes, but there is a wave of references and jokes early in this story that feel especially out of date and out of touch. The TV shows our protagonist watch – the likes of Forensic Files – feels like particularly limp satire.
Flat punch lines aside, this is a fascinating story. There is a lot going on. A lot of ideas. A lot of potential themes. The heart of the story is the protagonist’s interactions with a neighbor kid. The two play a sweet, little pen pal game. So it’s especially disconcerting – and impressively effective – when the rest of the story continues down very adult ideas and references. Sexuality, depression, politics, and of course that very odd mention of torture porn. To tie all those things up in the same story where a woman is writing cutesy notes to a child? Well.. it’s something.
And that’s quite a trick on Gaitskill’s part.
The selection:
Carol went back to the annex, poured some wine, and called her sister Grace, in New Jersey. She told her the story and concluded, “What kind of snowflake is this kid? It’s a Grinch, what does she expect?” She meant to be funny, but her sister didn’t laugh. She went on, “I mean, you gotta let a Grinch be a Grinch!” Her sister said, “I’m surprised the girl’s mother would let you write to her like that. I mean, she doesn’t know you; you could’ve said anything.”
“I guess she thinks I’m a nice person,” Carol said.
“Oh, I’m sure she does. I mean, you are a nice person! But still. If it were me—”
As always, join the conversation in the comments section below, on SSMT Facebook or on Twitter @ShortStoryMT.
Subscribe to the Short Story Magic Tricks Monthly Newsletter to get the latest short story news, contests and fun.
Short Story Magic Tricks 