Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket
Hilma Wolitzer
Bloomsbury, $33
In these long, loose weeks of waiting for the world to reopen, it's wonderful to read short stories as tart, funny and economic as these ones – although be warned, they do leave a lingering aftertaste of disillusionment.
Most of the stories in Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket were first published in the 1960s and 70s and are told from the perspective of middle-class women who married because they couldn't see an alternative, who find housework boring and their children wondrous but irritating, and who pretend to defer to their partners' wishes while managing absolutely everything. Each is a particular kind of feminist tale from a particular period of time. They are little domestic scenes preserved in amber, although the narrators' concerns remain relevant 50 years later.
In the title story, a young woman in crisis is brushed aside as quickly as her husband can be located. She stands in a supermarket aisle, her children glued to her skirt, and wails, "How can I bear it?" Other shoppers are thrilled by the drama but pull away. When her husband arrives he mutters, "What's the matter with you?" and leads her to the car. The real story is the one the narrator tries to piece together later at home. What help was needed, and who would provide it?
A couple named Paulette and Howard appear again and again – at the hospital having their first child, dealing with the aftermath of Howard's father's death, visiting showhomes to alleviate depression. Howard is movie-star handsome and unfaithful. Paulette is tall, steady and forgiving. They love each other madly.