I really liked this story because I thought it was unique. Moore’s stories mostly have to do with romantic relationships, and I was happy to see a change of pace in her subject matter. This story was also quite short compared to most of the other ones we’ve read, which I think allows the material which is included to stand out. I loved the mother-daughter dynamic (which I can only describe as “sweet”) that was highlighted throughout most of the story, but I think the underlying tensions throughout culminating in the last couple of paragraphs is what really made this story special.
The mother-daughter dynamic in this story was really special and really accurate in my opinion. I felt like I have acted out this scene with my own mom before, right down to the salty popcorn and sappy movie. The daughter herself was someone I think we were supposed to identify with, and I definitely did. She was corny, but honestly really cute and her behavior reflected a lot of what I see in other little kids. She was familiar, and I think that worked within the story very well.
The underlying tensions were another reason I found this story so compelling. First the argument between the girl and her mom, and the following “silent treatment,” which wouldn’t have been out of place in a normal situation I think, but when taken into consideration with the end of the story, could be telling about their dynamic. The mother and daughter obviously have some communication problems, but that isn’t necessarily the issue in my opinion. The daughter hides the things she deems not necessary to tell her mother, like the stuff about the “lady” and the “beer.” I think the daughter is trying to save the mother’s feelings here, or keep her from getting angry, which is a really interesting dynamic for someone we can assume is pretty young. I think that’s where the title comes in, because a “Kid’s Guide to Divorce” could be something necessary for a child who has to mature pretty quick in order to understand how to navigate these situations. This story was interesting in a lot of different ways, and I’m interested to see if Moore will continue any of these threads in later stories.
I really enjoyed reading this story and your blog post! The mother-daughter dynamic was a nice chance of pace from the romantic couples of the other stories. I feel like I've read/seen this scene play out in books and movies with the kid who switches off between staying with their divorced parents. I agree with you that the underlying tensions are extremely compelling. This story captured the essence of a young girl not wanting to fully reveal that her dad had moved on because he was dating someone new to her mom, because it seemed like her mom was still not quite over the divorce.
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed the mother-daughter dynamic, and I think that you point to an interesting aspect of the how-to nature of the story in the daughter's selective sharing about her time with her dad. I think that brief section of the story said a lot about how quickly the kid had to learn to read situations and understand how to walk the line of omission between her parents.
ReplyDeleteI agree that what really made the story for me were the underlying tensions between the mother and the daughter. You could see how there were topics that they were carefully avoiding, and I thought that especially in the last few paragraphs you could see the daughter's internal dilemma about what she should say about her time at her father's. I think the fact that she doesn't tell her mother very much says a lot about her feelings for her father and how she wants her relationship with each of her parents to continue.
ReplyDeleteI also really like this short story, and you make a lot of great points. I think it's really thoughtful how the child looks out for their mother by omitting certain details about their time with their father. It's sad that she has to grow up so quickly, but I think her mother is very lucky to have her (even though it's a fictional story).
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