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Inkwell: In Transit
by Kristen-Paige Madonia

Inkwell Literary Review

“In Transit,” by Kristen-Paige Madonia, is a look at momentum, how people move and how they stop, the forces that and impulses that guide our decisions. The main character, Sapphire, is a twenty-seven year old writer who has fled to California from a New York life of privilege and obligation. Now with her sister’s nine-year-old temporarily living with her, Sapphire is struggling to understand the life she leads and the life she left behind. The story is an intriguing examination of how decisions are made along with how we’re bound to the people in our lives.

Sapphire moved to California and lost contact with her sister, Miriam. Now with Emily, Miriam’s daughter, living with her, Sapphire sees how different her life is from her sister’s. Emily is accustomed to eating red meat and going to church; she’s accustomed to eating pizza and has absorbed her parents’ understanding of modesty. As the nine-year-old clings to her parents’ teachings, Sapphire struggles with the knowledge that she has changed so much. It can be tempting to forget about other parts of the family, those siblings and cousins we never see, but this story reminds us how tragedy can force them back into our lives. That’s what makes this story work so well.

After all, Sapphire is still obligated to take care of Emily. No matter what, they’re still related. Then again, this story reminds us how awkward those reunions can be. Sapphire’s boyfriend tries to convince her that this can be a good thing when he says, “‘She’s your niece. Maybe it’ll be good. You can get involved again,’” to which Sapphire replies, “‘It’s a shitty reason to get involved. Don’t you think?’” It’s hard having this girl in her life, but she has to do it. Even then, it’s awkward having Emily around because she reminds Sapphire of how far she’s drifted from her family. More than that, it reminds her that she chooses not to know her sister. It’s an accident that’s brought them together, that’s made her more involved with her old family. This story doesn’t attack familial obligations, but it does show us how they become cumbersome and awkward.

Read it and get back to me on what you thought.

About the Reviewer
Jeremy Trimble is a graduate student at Sacramento State University in California. He is a writer working on his first novel.

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