Author: Matthew Groff

  • Short Story Review: “The Death of a Certain Woman” by Yasushi Inoue (Translated, from the Japanese, by J. Martin Holman.)

    (The short story “The Death of a Certain Woman” by Yasushi Inoue was published in the November 16th, 2026 issue of The New Yorker.)

    Illustration by Molly Heng Cheang

    There are many good points I can make about how enjoyable, affecting, and well written this story is. But I think the greatest magic trick Yasushi Inoue weaves in his story, “The Death of a Certain Woman” is how he made me forget the title of the piece as I was reading, especially as I neared the climax which would lead to the death of a certain woman. I should have clearly seen the tragedy coming, but Inoue swept me up in his story, and I was powerless.

    When I finished the story, I wondered; Was this a tragedy? Was it a manipulated memory? Was this a fairy tale of classic romantic proportions? Or was this all just blunt realism? Were the gods just on the edge of the story, present but unseen? Were these people fighting the tide of their better judgement?

    I don’t know, and I don’t think I will ever know. And I think that was the point.

    I am still surprised at how much this story has stuck with me; both seeing the world as a wonderful and awful place at the same time. How we judge when we shouldn’t. How we start like someone when the give us something. How quickly we can turn our backs and move on.

    I will not describe this story, nor give any more details, except to hint at one. Inoue already told you one thing that will happen, but the rest of the story is to be discovered as you read it.

    But the one detail I have to share, at least refer to, is the amazing last line of the story. How succinct it is, perfect to the story. It embraces the passage of time, and how heartbreakingly bitter sweet that passage can be. To be the person who still remembers when others have forgotten. To wonder still, what was the point of it all.

  • Veterans Day

    Quite possibly the best ending of a television show, ever.

    It also reminds us why we have an Armistice, Remembrance, and Veterans Day.

  • I Made Soup!

    I am a stay at home dad. I enjoy this job, and I take it serious enough to do it right. That should be a good set up for you.

    I have been doing this job for close to six years now, and the one aspect of this job I enjoy the most is cooking. It’s the most creative element of being a stay at home dad, and there is also a deep feeling of satisfaction when you make something to eat that everyone enjoys.

    Yet, I am not an efficient cook. The one fault I have is throwing away excess veg and proteins. It’s a huge waste; not only of money, and it feels like it’s also bad for the environment. (I’m also not the best at composting – even though the City is trying to encourage my neighborhood to do more of it.) Every other week, I seem to go through the fridge and have to toss out wilted and spoiled food.

    That’s why today was such a huge victory for me!

    I had a crisper drawer that contained bok choy, Napa cabbage, mushrooms, carrots. Added to that were the extra onions, garlic, and shallots that I had. There had to be something I could do with these extras?

    I then it came to me; I could make a Japanese vegetable soup! About a year ago, I had copied down the recipe in a notebook, and through I didn’t have all the ingredients, I had enough that could substitute, plus I have kombu and instant dashi on hand, as I made a lots of miso soup.

    Did the soup taste good? Yes. Did the soup need some work? Also, yes.

    But the point here people, is that I found a way to use all that excess veg, and make something out of it that was pretty good, and healthy.

  • Bad Movie Bible – Borrowing Blockbusters: The Exorcist

    Back when I was twelve or thirteen, my parents went out, leaving me home alone, and I thought this would be a great time to watch The Exorcist. It was on TNT or A&E, or maybe it was BRAVO, I can’t remember, point being, even with the commercial breaks, that movie scared the crap out of me. I think it was the last horror movie that gave me nightmares, and made me sleep with a light on. I still hold it’s the scariest I have ever seen.

    So, when I saw that Rob Hill, through his Bad Movie Bible page, was adding The Exorcist to his “Borrowing Blockbuster” series, at first I was sure about this addition. First, I agree that The Exorcist is an amazingly influential movie, if not one of the best movies ever made. But, I couldn’t really think of any movies that ripped it off. That’s where Rob Hill comes in, and I will never doubt his judgement again.

  • ODDS and ENDS: Storage Units, Rain, and Don’t Mess with Teachers (In Texas)

    (I’m a brisk walk on an Autumn morning…)

    I have too much stuff.

    I like my rain boots.

    Teachers are the ones who made Texas Blue.