Ordinary Life: Stories is a collection of fourteen stories, each of which focuses on a woman at a pivotal moment in her life. Elizabeth Berg has long been a favorite writer of mine, and this book reminded me why I like her so much.
All of the stories show us ordinary women living ordinary lives but with a glimpse of the thoughts and feelings that are usually hidden beneath the surface and sometimes percolate up to the surface. Berg writes about relationships and the inner lives of women in a way that is so relatable and insightful.
For example, in the first story, “Ordinary Life,” Mavis McPherson locks herself in the bathroom for a week, shutting out her husband and the realities of their life together. She isn’t contemplating divorce; she just needs some time to think, take stock of her life, and to arrive, finally, at a surprising conclusion.
Berg’s writing is beautifully descriptive as well. This quote from the story “What Stays” evokes my memories of growing up with two brothers and the way it was often two against one but with constant changing of who was on which side:
“We kids kept one another company, raised ourselves, excused the obvious problems of our mother. We had no outside friends. That didn’t seem to matter too much, though. We made allies and enemies of one another in kaleidoscopic ways. We weren’t bored.”
These stories are so compelling that I found myself wanting to take my time with each one and not rush through just to finish the whole book.
Highly recommended!
