As part of The Awl’s excellent “Fakes” series, Kelly Stout chronicles her life as an “ACOD” (adult child of divorce) in the wake of her parents’ 2011 acrimonious split when she was in her early 20s, and tries to make sense of the lie her parents and family are no longer living.
relationships
Posted inNonfiction
The Red Zone: A Love Story
A severe form of PMS puts Chloe Caldwell’s new relationship to the test.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Quotes
The Uncanny Valley of Online Dating
Dating after a Big Love ends never feels quite right. What do big loves leave us with, and what do they take?
Posted inFeature
How to Say You Maybe Don’t Want to Be Married Anymore
Sarah Bregel takes a close look at her marriage after two kids, and wonders, how hard is too hard?
Posted inEditor's Pick
When a Mother and Daughter Reverse Roles
A personal essay in which Marlene Adelstein looks a her obsession with an orphaned sea otter and realizes it’s helping her process her grief over her Alzheimers-afflicted mom.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Story
How to Replace a Ghost
En route to a wedding, Alana Massey is haunted by the ghosts of relationships past.
Posted inNonfiction
Language Acquisition
Diana Spechler recalls fleeing her life in New York City for a new one with a painter in his village in central Mexico.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Doctor Will See You Now
A personal essay in which Sarah Miller eulogizes her mother’s black sheep brother.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Food, Nonfiction, Story
Roast Duck Soup for the Chinese-American Daughter’s Soul
Food writer Su-Jit Lin contemplates the role of a favorite dish in her relationship with her immigrant chef father.
Posted inNonfiction, Story
The Whistleblower in the Family
After her father was arrested for fraud, Pearl Abraham began the the slow, painful process of unraveling her Hasidic family ties.