Fic­tion

Mahjong at Mara’s

  • From the Publisher
September 1, 2023

Sub­ur­ban New Jer­sey — the quin­tes­sen­tial quag­mire of coex­is­tence. Neigh­bor­ing com­mu­ni­ties of peo­ple of mul­ti­ple eth­nic­i­ties and finan­cial sta­tus — con­verg­ing at the local gas sta­tion, super­mar­ket, and café — speak­ing in snip­pets of feigned and gen­uine cor­dial­i­ty. Peo­ple with whom we rarely envi­sion shar­ing any­thing more of ourselves…until we do. 

Sev­en­teen years after los­ing the love of her life on 9/11, Lila, a nurse aide, and her teenage son Dante find solace in unlike­ly com­pan­ions — a group of Mahjong-play­ing octo­ge­nar­i­ans. There’s Lila’s client Thea strug­gling with Alzheimer’s, and her sweet hus­band, Joseph; Mali, a lone­ly Holo­caust sur­vivor liv­ing far away from her only daugh­ter; child­less and recent­ly wid­owed Frank; and the per­snick­ety, divorced Gladys, whom Mali dis­liked from the moment the two met. When Bri­an, a duplic­i­tous new neigh­bor, and Dante’s friends Rashon and Giselle join the mix, all their lives take sur­pris­ing turns that raise ques­tions about the con­cepts of fam­i­ly, loy­al­ty, and love.

Discussion Questions