Wait a Minute by Lucia Berlin

"We all have mental scrapbooks. Stills. Snapshot of people we love at different times."

It’s a Lucia Berlin double-feature this weekend here at Literary Frenzy, and I couldn’t be more excited to share another gem from one of my all-time favorite short-story writers. After recently reviewing Sex Appeal—a solid read, but not her best—today we have Wait a Minute, which truly showcases Berlin at the top of her game. Her signature style is on full display here: a masterful economy of language, poetic precision, wit, and emotional depth that makes her stories so memorable. 

Berlin’s prose flows effortlessly, drawing readers into poetic snapshots of everyday life, rendered with stark realism that is tender, intimate, and deeply moving. What truly sets her apart though is her extraordinary ability to infuse humor into even the heaviest themes—such as death in this story—in a way that feels natural, never forced. Rather than diminishing the emotional impact, her humor amplifies it, adding layers of complexity to the experience and making it profoundly human. Few writers can break your heart and make you laugh in the same sentence, but Berlin makes it look easy.

The opening sentence is fantastic and totally Berlinesque:

"Sighs, the rhythms of our heartbeats, contractions of childbirth, orgasms, all flow into time just as pendulum clocks placed next to one another soon beat in unison." 

Great stuff.

The concept of time in relation to death is a central theme here, as the narrator grapples with the loss of her sister. In typical Berlin fashion, we are presented with a series of memories, either about the sister or intertwined with those of her own life. Amid the chaos of daily life, we often lose sight of how finite our time truly is—until tragedy strikes and death rears its ugly head, reshaping our perception of reality. For the narrator, her sister's passing becomes a profound moment of reflection. It shatters the fog of forgetfulness, forcing her to face the fragility of existence and awakening a sobering awareness of her own mortality. 

Once again, Berlin masterfully balances intense subject matter with her signature wit, infusing the story with moments of sharp, unexpected humor. Her ability to juxtapose heartbreak and humor creates a striking emotional depth where moments of absurdity often emerge amidst the immense sadness. Berlin’s wit isn’t just comic relief—it produces laughter in even the bleakest moments.