In lyrical, metaphor-laden prose, Chorn muses on what it means to be human and space between contentment and deeper happiness. She asks the question, if we define ourselves solely in regards to another person, are we really anyone at all?
While the story follows Joy on her path of self-discovery, her husband Mike also has an all-too relatable depth to him. Between the two of them, we’re taken on an ever deeper dive into the psyche, peeling away layers like an onion, until all that is left is the raw, bleeding core of two individuals, wounded, yet maybe more alive because of it.
I imagine I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time to come.