Apr 1, 2025 · 1 hr 17 min · 22 segments
David Wright Faladé joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Lu, Reshaping,” by Madeleine Thien, which was published in The New Yorker in 2021. Falade is the author of the novels “Black Cloud…
Deborah TreismanHostNo entities detected.
Lu had asked her big daughter to edit her report for tomorrow's purchasing meeting.
"Mom," the girl said, "why did you ask if a ghost hit the back of my head?" "Because you told your father I was home late, and I specifically told you not to do that." "So why did you?" "Did a ghost hit the back of your head?" "Oh, ha." They were whispering back and forth in two languages, the girl in English and Lu in Cantonese.
Tomorrow was a school day, and Lu could guess what Husband would say if he woke up and found them still working.
"This part here, where you say 10 teapots and nine lids, that's funny, and I get what you mean, but I think you should just say supply doesn't equal demand.
You know way too much about sales tax, and now I do too." "Don't be sarcastic." "Like you?" "Me? I'm not sarcastic.
Just finish my work already." "Mom?" Would this girl never be quiet? What's good about being my age? This particular daughter already seemed to be bending under life's troubles, and it might be Lu's fault.
All these late nights the girl had spent helping her find the right words.
"You tell me." "If I knew, I'd be happy."Lou rubbed her eyes, reached for the teapot, and refilled both their cups.
"What happened? Who's bothering you?" "Can't I just stay home and read books and learn about the world that way? In books, things happen for a reason, and everything ends as it should." Lou smacked the table.
"Should? What is should? If I could give you a pill that would change your whole life, let you go back in time and fix things and maybe be a whole other person, would you take it?" "Of course." "Seriously? All my life I've wanted to change shapes, change skins.
That was my dream when I was your age." Brightening now, her daughter said, "Oh, my God, Mom, you're so weird." "You're the one who just said you want to learn about life from books.
I wanted to learn from living life, but then I got married and had you, so thanks a lot." The girl giggled.
"Stop kicking tangerines around." "What?" "You know exactly what I mean.
Stop wasting time." The next morning, Lou was late for the department meeting.
Lu had asked her big daughter to edit her report for tomorrow's purchasing meeting.
"Mom," the girl said, "why did you ask if a ghost hit the back of my head?" "Because you told your father I was home late, and I specifically told you not to do that." "So why did you?" "Did a ghost hit the back of your head?" "Oh, ha." They were whispering back and forth in two languages, the girl in English and Lu in Cantonese.
Tomorrow was a school day, and Lu could guess what Husband would say if he woke up and found them still working.
"This part here, where you say 10 teapots and nine lids, that's funny, and I get what you mean, but I think you should just say supply doesn't equal demand.
You know way too much about sales tax, and now I do too." "Don't be sarcastic." "Like you?" "Me? I'm not sarcastic.
Just finish my work already." "Mom?" Would this girl never be quiet? What's good about being my age? This particular daughter already seemed to be bending under life's troubles, and it might be Lu's fault.
All these late nights the girl had spent helping her find the right words.
"You tell me." "If I knew, I'd be happy."Lou rubbed her eyes, reached for the teapot, and refilled both their cups.
"What happened? Who's bothering you?" "Can't I just stay home and read books and learn about the world that way? In books, things happen for a reason, and everything ends as it should." Lou smacked the table.
"Should? What is should? If I could give you a pill that would change your whole life, let you go back in time and fix things and maybe be a whole other person, would you take it?" "Of course." "Seriously? All my life I've wanted to change shapes, change skins.
That was my dream when I was your age." Brightening now, her daughter said, "Oh, my God, Mom, you're so weird." "You're the one who just said you want to learn about life from books.
I wanted to learn from living life, but then I got married and had you, so thanks a lot." The girl giggled.
"Stop kicking tangerines around." "What?" "You know exactly what I mean.
Stop wasting time." The next morning, Lou was late for the department meeting.
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