Dorothy on the Rocks

by: Barbara Suter

Published by: Algonquin Books

Reviewed by Laura Henry

Maggie Barlow is an actress who is no longer an ingénue, but continues to pay her bills by playing ingénues in a children’s theater group. She also does voice-over work to keep the creditors at bay.

At first glance Maggie appears to be a rather immature and narcissistic woman who drinks and smokes far too much and sleeps around with men whose names she can’t remember the next morning. Her latest fling is Jack, a far younger man.

Maggie’s friends, mostly actors, are also struggling to survive in the dog-eat-dog world of theater and have their own interesting stories. But Maggie suffered the loss of Goodie, a dear friend, to AIDS. And lately it seems she’s a bit “off” as she begins to see Goodie in the form of a fairy at different times and in different settings. As Maggie navigates the rocky terrain of life and love, Goodie and her friends help with her journey.

Maggie Barlow is quirky, there’s no doubt about it. But when you strip away the “fluff,” she’s everywoman struggling to survive and make sense of life. Maggie just does it all with a bit flair.

I like Maggie and her friends and didn’t want to end my visit with them when I’d turned the final page. The story is fun and thought-provoking, the characters complex and I found I want more of her imagination.

Armchair Interviews says: A wonderful look at real life.