MAGGIE; OR, A MAN AND A WOMAN WALK INTO A BAR

Emily Woo Zeller delivers this hopeful domestic drama about an unnamed Chinese American woman who is navigating a divorce and an illness. Weeks after her husband, Sam, bluntly confesses to an affair and moves out of their home, the woman is diagnosed with breast cancer. She copes with the separation by writing a manual about her ex-husband and sharing Chinese folklore that was passed down from her mother with her own children. In higher pitched voices, the kids sometimes whine and shout, and when happy memories are recounted, Sam is charming and jovial. Best friend Darlene is indignant and supportive in all the right places. The lead character starts out speaking softly about her diagnosis and her husband's affair, gaining conviction as she confronts both life events. L.M. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2025]