THE STORIES WE KEEP

On a rainy day in Texas, Jenna Cartwright meets Maggie, whom she describes as “the closest thing I have to a real friend outside of those I left behind in Alabama so many years ago,” for coffee. However, Jenna confesses, she can’t imagine that Maggie “ever struggles with her kids, or her life,” as Jenna does. Only her visits to Bonnie, an elderly local acquaintance who reminds Jenna of her grandmother GiGi, offer some respite. As weeks go by, Jenna grows brusque with her children and increasingly stays in bed much of the time. One day, sitting in the refuge of her parked car in her driveway, Jenna spots her husband, Andrew, returning home from work. She starts the car and drives past him, briefly stopping at Bonnie’s house “to say goodbye.” Back on the road, Jenna fights an impulse to smash into a pole before driving on to Alabama and the home of her best friend, Michelle. Over the following days, Jenna talks to her mother, Michelle, GiGi, and members of GiGi’s walking group about the struggles the women have faced. Jenna returns home with renewed spirit and an enriching new focus in her life. The author effectively captures the complexity of Jenna’s depression through her first-person narration. Jenna seems self-involved and even unlikable at times yet also strikingly articulate about her mental state: “I am numb to the sight before me. Numb to the sounds. Numb to the feelings of anger, frustration, and guilt that I know are there, somewhere beneath the surface.” While the men and children in the narrative remain somewhat shadowy, the range of women’s stories presented here dramatically showcases how despair and loneliness can be relieved through connection with others.

A touching, evocative depiction of the therapeutic imperative to share and support.