Avoidance

The author uses her protagonist and first person narrator’s breakup in order to instigate her explorations regarding avoidance. In the wake of separating from her partner of 10 years, Maggie finds herself unsure how to be by herself. Although she has a network of close friends, Maggie attempts to hide what she is experiencing from them. At the start of the novel, she says that although she knows she will eventually “have to tell them” what happened with Jon, “I was waiting until I found the right opening. I couldn’t face their questions before I had the answers myself” (9). Maggie’s trouble is, however, that she also fears answering these questions on her own. She is unsure if she is “ready to be single again,” where she will live, and what she is “going to do about money” (9). Instead of making concerted efforts to engage...