"The French Quarter is a place that always induces a fuguelike headspace for me. I love the Quarter and visit frequently; one day, I was there, under the influence of a cannabis gummy and looked down the very alley I describe in the story, and the idea just came to me."
"I personally believe that most long-term relationships with cis-gendered straight men involve the women having a healthy dose of delusion, self-sacrifice, and conformity to the point of deformity. The bar is low when it comes to men and parenting, as well. I've met men who are considered good fathers who don't know their kids' clothing sizes and birthdays."
"Under the patriarchy, cis-gendered straight men are socialized into a sort of tunnel-visioned self-centeredness that makes it difficult for them to be adequate in love. Astrology has been informing humans for thousands of years; it would be hubris for me to say there's nothing to it."
The story "The City Is a Graveyard" follows a woman running in New Orleans who experiences a fuguelike encounter with a man she instinctively believes is a child she miscarried years earlier. This triggers memories of multiple terminated pregnancies and the relationships that produced them. The narrative explores how none of her past partners, including her husband, possessed the qualities necessary for good fatherhood or long-term partnership. The story incorporates zodiac signs and birth months for each man, with the protagonist eventually swearing off an entire astrological sign based on her experiences. The work examines themes of maternal loss, relationship patterns, and the socialization of men under patriarchal systems that limits their capacity for adequate partnership and parenting.
#reproductive-loss-and-grief #relationship-patterns-and-partnership #gender-and-patriarchy #astrology-and-decision-making #new-orleans-setting
Read at The New Yorker
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