32 | Redefining ON BEING INVISIBLE
On Being Invisible By Sixties Chick
Invisible: 1.Not visible; not capable of being seen. 2. Too indistinct or minute to be seen; imperceptible. 3. Not apparent to the mind, not readily grasped. 4. Not publicly or openly acknowledged. (Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, 1968) I rarely read books labeled “humorous” or concerning “contemporary women.” With a main character named Clover, I almost stopped reading. I put the book down and checked the titles in my stack of unread novels. Something inside guided me back to “Calling Invisible Women,” by Jeanne Ray. Luckily I surrendered to instinct. This short yet powerful novel resonated with and affirmed many of my life experiences over the years. Today it assumes an honored place on my “to keep” shelf. Dog-eared pages,
boomers... living life to the fullest
highlighted lines, and notes in the margins remind me why this novel touched the essence of my being. The story is deceptively simple. After taking her dog for a walk, fiftysomething Clover takes a shower, looks in the mirror, and sees a floating toothbrush scrubbing an empty space. She calls her dog. He responds to her voice and validates her existence, but she can’t see herself. Had I never felt invisible, I might not have read on. But there I was in my mind, standing next to Clover, not seeing myself and not being seen. Clover considers reasonable explanations: the humid mist on the mirror, the glare of the bathroom light, insanity, even a stroke. She calls the busy pediatric office of her chronically inaccessible