Gwynneth Ever After

May 11, 2020
Manning (Gaga) handles with aplomb this story of the haunting emotional problems faced by one woman at the end of WWII. Maggie Lerner is working in an auto plant in Baltimore in 1944, looking forward to the day her doctor husband, Sam, comes home from the war. After Sam returns, Maggie and her female colleagues are fired to make room for returning soldiers. Maggie takes her place as a surgeon’s wife, and with it all of the gender conventions of mid-century American womanhood. Unlike her friends, however, Maggie has no interest in cleaning house and baking cakes, and wants to find a purpose outside of the home. A recurring dream where she’s lost in fog drives her to see a psychiatrist, and as they explore it, Maggie’s troubles deepen and she begins to question whether the dream might be a completely different world. Manning provocatively portrays Maggie’s intense reaction to losing her sense of purpose during the war, and skillfully handles the increasing tension as Maggie’s attempts to respond to the voice from the dreamworld are blocked by her husband and psychiatrist, who believe she’s delusional, while Manning leaves open the possibility that she ought to be believed. Manning’s captivating tale will keep readers guessing.