Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar - by Katie Yee (Hardcover)

About the Book

A Chinese American woman discovers her husband is cheating with someone named Maggie; she then finds out she has cancer and names the tumor Maggie, talking to her body's new inhabitant as she embarks on a journey of grief, healing, and reclamation.

Book Synopsis

Summer's Best Beach Reads by The New York Times - Books You Should Read This July by New York magazine - Books We're Most Excited About by Today - Best Beach Reads by Harper's Bazaar - Best Books of Summer by ELLE - Most Anticipated Books of the Summer by Time - Best Summer Reads by Oprah Daily - Books to Read this Summer by The Washington Post

"As with Nora Ephron's Heartburn...you read Maggie to spend time with its author." --The Washington Post

A Chinese American woman spins tragedy into comedy when her life falls apart in a taut, wry debut novel, "as playful as it is profound" (Alison Espach, author of The Wedding People)--perfect for fans of Joan Is Okay and Crying in H Mart.

A man and a woman walk into a restaurant. The woman expects a lovely night filled with endless plates of samosas. Instead, she finds out her husband is having an affair with a woman named Maggie.

A short while after, her chest starts to ache. She walks into an examination room, where she finds out the pain in her breast isn't just heartbreak--it's cancer. She decides to call the tumor Maggie.

Unfolding in fragments over the course of the ensuing months, Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar follows the narrator as she embarks on a journey of grief, healing, and reclamation. She starts talking to Maggie (the tumor), getting acquainted with her body's new inhabitant. She overgenerously creates a "Guide to My Husband: A User's Manual" for Maggie (the other woman), hoping to ease the process of discovering her ex-husband's whims and quirks. She turns her children's bedtime stories into retellings of Chinese folklore passed down by her own mother, in an attempt to make them fall in love with their shared culture--and to maybe save herself in the process.

In the style of Jenny Offill and the tradition of Nora Ephron's hilarious and devastating writing on heartbreak and womanhood, Maggie is a master class in transforming personal tragedy into a form of defiant comedy.

Review Quotes

"Awe-inducing....Hilarious and heartbreaking, Yee packs a serious punch in just around 200 pages."
--Clare Mulroy, USA Today (15 new releases to read now)

"Yee manages to spin genuine laughs--not to mention a thoughtful meditation on the meanings of health, love, family, loyalty, and identity--out of her protagonist's pain."
--Emma Specter, Vogue

"Incredibly witty and insightful...ideal if you're looking for a summer read with some substance."
--Asma Khalid, WBUR's Here and Now

"Feels pleasurably like clicking through the back archives of a webcomic or lingering over lunch with an old friend. As with Nora Ephron's Heartburn...you read Maggie to spend time with its author."
--Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post

"Through impeccably witty fragmented reflections and in just under 200 pages, Yee transforms life's most brutal bombshells into spectacular fireworks, glittering with humor, insight, and a dazzling display of best friendship against the darkest of backdrops."
--Charley Burlock, Oprah Daily (Best Summer Reads of 2025)

"Stands out as one of the most unusual literary debuts of the summer."
--Washington Post (30 Books to Read this Summer)

"One of the most delightful debuts I've read in a long time."
--Elisabeth Egan, The New York Times (The Summer's Best Beach Reads)

"A wry meditation on grief, healing, and reclaiming one's identity."
--Shannon Carlin, TIME Magazine (The 16 Most Anticipated Books of the Summer)

"A beautifully crafted debut that isn't afraid to guffaw in times of darkness."
--Allison Cho, Booklist

"Yee is an attentive storyteller, empathetic to all her characters, even Maggie. Readers drawn to nuanced domestic narratives will find much to savor."
--Publishers Weekly

"A light and nimble debut novel about some of life's most devastating events...this a novel that crackles with heartfelt intelligence and wit....A funny, stirring novel about resilience."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"In this comedic and heartbreaking debut novel, the narrator confronts her grief head-on, from naming the growing tumor inside of her Maggie to developing a user manual guide for her ex's new woman."
--Harper's Bazaar, "best beach reads of 2025

"An absolutely delightful debut! Katie Yee's novel about a wife and mother whose world is crumbling becomes an inspiring story of growth and wonder. Highly recommended!"
--Elin Hilderbrand, author of Swan Song

"Buoyant and profound...surprisingly optimistic and touching, a portrait of everyday resilience and bravery."
--The Today Show

"Katie Yee is a storyteller extraordinaire. This book is like a boat you get on to drift into magical waters, full of heart and heartbreak, teeming with feeling."
--Delia Ephron, Author of Left on Tenth

"Maggie is a stunning novel. With sharp wit and a keen eye for the messy intricacies of human connection, Yee has written a story as playful as it is profound. I immediately loved the narrator and was captivated by her journey, her humor, and insight. Maggie is a gem of a novel, one that will make you think, make you feel, and make you laugh."
--Alison Espach, author of The Wedding People

"Katie Yee's wise, tender debut explores one of the most relatable of human struggles: trying to function when almost everything is falling apart. Yet, amidst great loss, a love story of fierce and unyielding female friendship emerges. MAGGIE will be a companion for anyone navigating liminal territory, the place between the past and where the new and unknown begin. Yee's prose sings and sparkles with humor and hope from start to finish."
--Emily Habeck, author of Sharkheart: A Love Story

"This book is a lump in the throat, a punchline that hurts, a catalogue of life's curveballs. Maggie is miraculously funny, a tender and wisecracking missive from the midst of catastrophe. Katie Yee knows that at the center of every joke, and every person, there is a broken heart."
--Hilary Leichter, author of Terrace Story

"A stand-out and must read debut. This is a poignant exploration of a woman's unraveling, when her world is turned upside down by an unexpected confession. Katie Yee weaves a tale of complex emotions and subtle betrayals, with a keen eye for the intricacies of human relationships and the quiet, often overlooked moments of life. Every paragraph is perfect."
--Weike Wang, Author of Joan is Okay

About the Author

Katie Yee is a writer from Brooklyn. She has received fellowships from the Center for Fiction, the Asian American Writers' Workshop, and Kundiman. Her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, No Tokens, The Believer, the Washington Square Review, Triangle House, Epiphany, and Literary Hub. By day, she works at the Brooklyn Museum. By night, she writes, usually under the watch of her judgmental rescue dog, Ollie.