When I think about people, I think about space, how much space a person takes up and how much use that person provides. I am just under five feet tall and just under a hundred pounds. Briefly I thought I would exceed five feet, and while that would’ve been fine, I also didn’t need the extra height. To stay just under something gives me a sense of comfort, as when it rains and I can open an umbrella over my head.
-- Joan

Importance: Thus reads the opening paragraph of Joan is Okay. This whimsical, roundabout way of thinking is characteristic of Joan. Joan is obsessed with size and height because she does not enjoy taking up space. Joan was raised to make herself smaller, to fit into whatever situation she was placed in and not draw attention to herself. She takes comfort in being “just under” five feet in the...