Helen On Eighty-Sixth Street by Wendi Kaufman, 1998
The magic trick:
An acerbic 11-year-old protagonist
There is a wonderful Grace Paley story about a girl making her way through the local Christmas pageant. “The Loudest Voice,” it is called. You may have read it.
Well, this story recalls that one for sure – it’s the story of a young girl trying to make her way through a local production of Helen.
It’s not just the subject matter here that prompts the comparison. The narrative voice is hilarious – and compares very favorably to Paley (no small praise).
It’s all very acerbic – bittersweet and rueful. And that tone put in the voice of an 11-year old? Well, it makes for an excellent and very memorable story.
And that’s quite a trick on Kaufman’s part.
The selection:
So, I can’t play Helen. But, to make it worse, Mr. Dodd said I have to be in the horse. I can’t believe it. The horse! I wanted to be one of the Trojan women—Andromache, Cassandra, or even Hecuba. I know all their names. I told Mr. Dodd this, and then I showed him I could act. I got really sad and cried out about the thought of the body of my husband, Hector, being dragged around the walls of my city. I wailed and beat my fist against my chest. “A regular Sarah Heartburn” was all he said.
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