There are aspects of Celeste Ng’s “What Passes Over” that mirror those in “The Cure”. A father recently dead. A mother grieving in unusual ways. But there the stories split into two completely different directions. I’m always interested to see how authors approach similar issues or situations. In “What Passes Over”, Ng tunnels far into the process of grief and healing. When I first read this story, the images stayed with me for days. The breaking of unused game boards, the paper doll clothes, the description of ashes turning into a log, and then into a tree. But what really moved me and what still moves me, every time I read the story (and I go over a story, many, many times before it finds its way to you, dear reader) is the moment (spoiler alert) when Jenna sees her mom’s car after leaving the dance, and the simple description: “The passenger side door is unlocked.” Ng does more in that one line than a mountain of lengthy descriptive paragraphs. It’s full of emotion, and completely on target, so that the reader feels relief, right alongside Jenna’s character. You can almost sense the story physically turn in that moment, and begin to slide toward its conclusion. I think it’s a real accomplishment to create a reaction like this, just from putting the right combination of words on the page.
Issue #86: What Passes Over
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