Volume 4, Number 2 - Spring 2006
On the
Bookshelf
by Chris Hill
“Say Yes,” by Tobias Wolff, from Back in the World. New York: Vintage, 1996.
“She’s black. When she made him turn out the lights, she revealed herself in the darkness. She was able to be black that way ‘cause we all gray in the dark.” That statement closed the discussion at Family House Now, a substance-abuse recovery program for women and their children. Although it was not the general consensus of the ten participants, it was the statement that generated the most thought.
“Say Yes,” on a superficial level, is the story of a husband and wife disagreeing about interracial marriage. While the couple washes dishes, their philosophical discussion becomes personal and acrimonious, and we wonder what can be done to repair the relationship. In that way, we are treated to a glimpse of ourselves; we confront the ways we think about race through the conflicting perspectives of husband and wife.
I have long been a proponent of levity in story selection. My feeling has been that many participants have enough strife in their lives. “Say Yes” provides no room for laughter; in fact, it is the literary embodiment of strife, but it is a worthy vehicle for discussion.
Race—along with religion and politics—tends to be a subject we all tiptoe around for fear of insulting one another. “Say Yes” provides a means for us to discuss issues that need discussing. This story holds a power that some may find uncomfortable, but that none can deny.