These elegies aren’t just for the brokenhearted. They are heartbreaking, and they’re really for Mary Murphy. In introducing those who have left, Mary explores her sad, troubled and unforgiving life. She’s sad. She's confused. And she's surrounded by sad and confused people.
The remarkable thing about Mary Murphy is that, in the end, she lives very hopefully. Making these elegies not just for the brokenhearted, not just for her, but for anyone who has struggled and lost. Or struggled and overcome.
Elegies for the Brokenhearted drew me in from the first sentence: “Every family had one and you were ours…” Each portrait details the sadness of poverty, the sadness of dysfunction, the sadness of anchorlessness. Of course the word "elegy" in the title, coupled with dates of death for each chapter, foreshadows the demise of those crossing Mary’s path. And this makes Mary Murphy the subtly and quietly triumphant woman she becomes.
Christie Hodgen is an Associate Professor and Director of Creative Writing at UMKC and a hidden Kansas City gem. I plan to seek out and explore her work, and I hope you will too.