Side By Side But Never Face to Face

By Maggie Kast

Orison Books 2020

186 pages   A Novel in Stories

Maggie Kast is a woman with sensibilities very similar to mine. Although she tells the story of her life in fictional form (several short stories and a novella), we can’t help but realize that this is a memoir. When asked if this is autobiographical, she says, “Partly. Some characters are based on real people and some are entirely imagined.” She wanted to “heighten the reader’s sense of the mystery underlying the fabric of our daily lives.”

Greta is the main character and a stand-in for Maggie herself. She is married to Manfred, an Austrian Holocaust survivor. Theirs is a marvelous marriage, full of drama, love, tragedy, heartbreak, and happiness. They share several children; one with special needs and another who dies as a little girl in a traffic accident. Much of the book includes short stories about the family’s life experiences. She also tells stories about her parents, their life stories and the lessons she learned from them. Finally, the novella reveals that Greta has found new romance and love as an older woman.

Spiritual growth is a major theme of the book, the theme that I most recognize and connect with. At one point shortly after the car accident that killed their daughter, Greta comments to Manfred,: “Do you think there’s some sense in the way things are, no matter how bad or how good?” Manfred responds: “The world is mysterious. Who knows where a baby comes from! Or how I survived the Nazis? Or happened to run into you?” Her conclusion: “Somehow I feel there’s a god in this. I don’t know what I mean, but I’m drawn by a thirst or hunger in my body and mind. I think I sense something holy.” 

A couple of the stories deal with Manfred’s illness and death. These struck me with intensity, because at that point Greta is caring for him as well as a young child, a special needs son, and two young adults. These stories resonated particularly with me because I shared some of them with her, but also because of the anguish and resolve with which Greta participates in this major change in her life.

All is not pain and sorrow in these stories. There are some light moments and some great philosophical moments. I think that the reader needs to be in a particular frame of mind to read Side By Side But Never Face to Face. This is a remarkable woman’s life experiences and the reader must be ready to share those experiences with her.

I remain curious about why Kast told these stories as fiction, because the book would have been equally impactful as memoir. Greta is a powerful survivor. We are so proud of her journey and her search for identity. She is a person I would like to know, as I imagine I would like to know Maggie Kast. I highly recommend Side by Side But Never Face to Face. Love the title; wonder how it evolved.

I appreciate the publicist sending this book to me, because otherwise, I never would have found it.